Texas RV Travel : Discover Texas

River Authority Parks

There are many parks and sites to see that are not affiliated with the government. Some places are quasi-agencies, like the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (GBRA).

LCRA Parks

The Lower Colorado River Authority is charged with storing and selling water, generating electricity, preventing floods, and implementing reforestation and soil-conservation programs on the Colorado River. The drainage basin spans more than 42,000 square miles-about 16 percent of the total area of Texas. The Colorado River is the largest river entirely within the state of Texas.

Impounding water has the added benefit of providing lake and river front recreational opportunities. Click here to view listing of LCRA parks.

Interactive Map of LCRA parks

Matagorda Bay

	Matagorda Bay Nature Park is a 1600-acre park located on the Matagorda Peninsula at the mouth of the Colorado River channel where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Matagorda Bay Nature Park is an ecological gem that will be preserved and developed for sustainable tourism by the Lower Colorado River Authority.
To view the park, coast and surrounding area, visit Tex-Maps and view the East Matagorda Bay aerial map.

The Matagorda Bay Nature Park is destined to become a world-class birding destination! The unique river channel, the wetlands of the bays and estuaries and the Gulf coast are home to thousands of shorebirds and many migrating birds, ducks and geese are enticed to spend a season here. Where there are birds, there are fish and shellfish.

This area is already known as an incredible fishing spot and a wonderful environment in which to study wetland soils, vegetation and hydrology, bays and estuaries, aquatic organisms, coastal dunes and flora, organisms of the salt marsh and shoreline shells.

The nearby town of Matagorda has restaurants, lodging, shopping, fishing guides, boat rentals and many other attractions. For area information, please view the Visit Matagorda County website.

Outdoor Programs

Guided kayak trips
Beginning birding
Angler education
Boater safety
Scouting and other youth development programs
Teacher workshops and grade-appropriate educational programs

Facilities

Natural science center with classrooms and exhibits
Fishing along the shore and from four free public piers – three on the river channel and one on the Gulf
Beach combing
Bird watching
Tent camping on the beach
22-mile beach with vehicle access
Trails and shaded wildlife viewing areas
Group pavilion and covered picnic shelters
Half-mile pedestrian beach
Restrooms and outdoor showers
Facilities meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

This park will fill a void in coastal parklands created when Matagorda Island changed from a State Park to a State Wildlife Management Area due to budgetary concerns. While the Matagorda Bay Nature Park is not as remote as Matagorda Island, this park does have facilities such as potable water, showers and toilets and road access that were lacking on the Island.

RV Facilities

A new 70-site RV Park with full hookups is open. The RV Park is located along the Colorado River channel, within walking distance of the beach, the hiking trail and the fishing pier; close to the natural science center, the group pavilion and the picnic facilities.

You can make reservations at $25 per night by calling the Texas Parks and Wildlife Reservation Center at (512) 389-8900. There is a $5 service charge for making the reservation.

GBRA Parks

Coleto Creek Park

The Coleto Creek Park and Reservoir, located midway between Victoria and Goliad, is a joint project between Coleto Creek Power and the GBRA.

At normal pool elevation it covers 3,100 surface acres with 61 miles of shoreline.The Coleto Creek Reservoir is clear and there are oyster and mussel shells on the sand bottom.

Above is a shot of the wetlands with the power plant in the background. Lots of fisherman at this lake in February and March because the warmth of the water moves up the date for fish spawning.

Here is a link to the campground map of Coleto Creek Reservoir. Mouse over the map and you will see photographs of the camping sites.

Site 50 - Sunrise/Sunset Point

Make reservations by telephone (361-575-6366) or email jrobisheaux@gbra.org.

Westcave Preserve

Driving down a blacktop country road in the Texas Hill Country, you come upon a private road, marked only with a pile of native stone and the words, Westcave Preserve. Westcave Preserve is part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve system and one of the premier sites for viewing the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.

Journey down the dusty road, past the picnic area and into the parking area for the Warren Skaaren Environmental Learning Center (ELC). The ELC functions as a visitor center and also offers classroom space for educational programs that are part of the mission of Westcave Preserve. The ELC is a sustainable building that uses geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy and rainwater harvesting, and features an aperture in the ceiling through which sunlight crosses a meridian at noon each day.

The Journey

From the ELC you follow a crushed gravel trail along a limestone bluff, past grasslands scattered with wild flowers, ash junipers, oaks and the cacti typical of the Hill Country. Stop to view the Pedernales River from the wooden deck. Continue on the path to the head of the stairs that will lead you down to another time and place...

...full of Indian legends about a spiritual place, with prehistoric blind fish and a bottomless spring-fed pool. When we finally made our way to the cenote-type opening, we left behind the merciless summer heat for the magical coolness of delicate ferns and waterfall mist. Sneaking through the speckled shadows, we slipped quietly over the mossy rocks down to the alluring blue-green pool. Huge stalactites and stalagmites formed a toothy opening in the mouth like main grotto, a believable place for legends... (Texas Handbook Online)

Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, you will notice that the temperature is dropping and the humidity is increasing as you enter the lush, almost tropical canyon. This unique microenvironment permits the growth of lush vegetation, including cypress, sycamores, mosses, ferns, columbine and wild orchids. The golden-cheeked warbler, cedar waxwing, nutria and ring-tailed cat also find refuge here.

Journey to the collapsed grotto with twin waterfalls tumbling over a fern-covered travertine formation into a deep pool. You may walk behind the waterfall and view the enclosure formed when mineral deposits left by eons of water capped a limestone overhang.

Location of Westcave Preserve

Westcave Preserve perches above the Pedernales River in the Hill Country, close to Hamilton Pool, 11 miles from Pedernales Falls State Park, 20 miles from Krause Springs and 30 miles west of Austin.

Link to map to Westcave Preserve. Westcave Preserve, 24814 Hamilton Pool Road, Round Mountain, Texas 78663 (830) 825-3442

Tours of Westcave Preserve

Visitation to the Westcave Preserve canyon trail is by guided tour only to minimize the impact on this beautiful and fragile natural site.

Weekdays: By Reservation only.
Weekends: Tours are offered at 10 am, noon, 2 pm and 4 pm.
$5 per adult, $2 per child under 12 or $15 per family.
Entrance to the ELC is free

Accessiblity

The trail is accessible by wheelchair until you reach the stairs to the canyon floor. Visitors who are unable to make the trip to the bottom should return to the ELC, from which there is a self-guided tour to the picnic area.

Virtual Visit

Please see the gorgeous pictures of Westcave Preserve by Tom Spencer or view the virtual tour on the Westcave Preserve website. The photographs above are a poor depiction of the natural wonderland that is Westcave Preserve.

Updated 02/18/2011