Lake Buchanan at the head of the Highland Chain of Lakes.

Central Texas is lucky to have so many lakes and rivers to enjoy the outdoors.  One of the features that make Lake Buchanan so special and enjoyable among the Highland Lakes is that while it is very accessible from several major cities, it hasn’t been spoiled by overcrowding. It’s an excellent lake to enjoy the natural beauty and charm of the Texas outdoors.

Lake Buchanan offers plenty to do, on and off the lake.  For the water lovers, Lake Buchanan’s large size ensures that you’ll have plenty of room to swim, fish, kayak, Jet Ski and boat.  Even on popular holiday weekends, this lake always has plenty of elbow room so you won’t feel crowded out by other visitors.  Lone fisherman seeking solitude will be able to find a quiet fishing spot, and newbie fisherman can find plenty of guided fishing tours to show them the best fishing spots.  Several locations rent boats, jet skis and kayaks, or you can launch your own boat at a local boat launch.

Visitors will also find a number of enjoyable activities and excursions near the Highland Lakes.  For a unique cruising tour offered only on Lake Buchanan, consider Vanishing River Texas Cruise.  Their cruises offer beautiful views along the Colorado River and give passengers an insider’s glimpse into the local wildlife, including viewings of the American Bald Eagle (who nests nearby) and rehabilitated birds.  Their dinner cruise option blends a tasty dinner with gorgeous sunset views over Lake Buchanan.   The tour guide also provides a lot of information about the lake and Buchanan Dam.

Visitors that are interested in the construction and history of Buchanan Dam should check out the Buchanan Dam Museum and Visitor’s Center located on West Highway 29, Buchanan Dam, TX 78609 (SH 29 W of Inks Lake Bridge).  Admission is free and the visitor’s center is open daily from 9-5 (closed holidays).  The museum features displays about the construction of this large dam, completed in 1937, and the observation deck lets guests witness spectacular views of the lake.

Hikers have a number of options within a short drive of Lake Buchanan.  Two locations have particularly special trails.  Canyon of the Eagles is perfect for novices since they have an easier terrain with plenty of wildlife, including a few endangered species like the Bald Eagle, Black-capped Vireos and Golden-cheeked Warblers.  Known for being one of the largest underground rock formations in the country, Enchanted Rock State Park is a popular hiking and picnic destination.  This hike is a little bit further away, but worth the drive.  Those who reach the summit are rewarded with sweeping views of the hill country once they reach the summit of Enchanted Rock.  Get there early to avoid crowds and make sure you get a parking spot.

Longhorn Cavern State Park is home to some absolutely stunning caverns that are definitely worth a visit.  These unique caverns were formed when limestone dissolved while underground streams simultaneously cut underground chambers over time, resulting in meandering, curvy chambers and haunting beauty.   The caverns offer a great chance cool off while seeing and learning about a truly special geographic wonder.

Finally, wine aficionados will enjoy a visit to Fall Creek Vineyards.  This local winery has been the recipient of several awards in the wine industry.  They are open daily for wine tasting and tours, and you’ll want to check their schedule to see when they are hosting their next lunch, complete with wine tasting.  Getting to the vineyard is half the fun.  If you drive, you’ll be able to drive a large span of Lake Buchanan’s perimeter and enjoy the views and landscape.  If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also rent a kayak and kayak to the vineyard.  The winery isn’t close to restaurants or shopping, so you may want to pack a picnic lunch and just enjoy a lazy afternoon of picnicking and wine tasting.

Happy travels as you explore the natural beauty of Lake Buchanan!

Tracey Louis is a former resident and innkeeper of Burnet, TX and loved the area so much that she still helps promote Burnet County and the Highland Lakes for the Burnet County Tourism Office.

___________________________________________________

Great post, Tracey! I just want to add a few RV Parks on Lake Buchanan. Also, the lake is down about 9 feet, which puts some boat ramps out of the water.  However, the granite beach that is exposed is great for swimming.  There is also a fire ban on the lake at this time.

Poppy’s Pointe Resort

On the west shore of Lake Buchanan. Amenities include 9 cabins, 58 RV spaces, swimming pool, recreation hall, boat ramp, laundry room and lots of land and water toys.

Cedar Lodge Waterfront Resort

On the west shore of Lake Buchanan. Stay in a log house or log cabins, or bring your RV to oversized sites near the lake.  Meeting rooms, laundry facilities, horseshoes and fishing pier.

Beachcomber Park

On the west side of Lake Buchanan are cabins. Ten RV sites have a gravel base with grass, fruit trees and large red oak trees in the flat, oval shaped area in middle of park. There are also 50 back-in RV spots in various areas at this waterfront resort. There are 2 boat launches as well as boat docking and storage.

Hi-Line Lake Resort

Located on the shoreline on the west side of Lake Buchanan. There are seven sites on the waterfront with 30 amp electricity and water. There are 46 pull through sites on the hill with 20-30-50 amp electricity, water, and sewer. Stay in 16 waterfront cabins for rent and enjoy waterfront restaurant, boat rentals, swimming pool, 1800 feet of waterfront and enclosed fishing marina.

The Edgewater Resort

On the western shoreline of Lake Buchanan are 37 RV spaces, 14 with four-way hook-ups that may be reserved for daily/weekly customers.  The remaining 23 spaces have 3-way hook-ups. Washateria, shower rooms, recreation room,  boat docks, boat-launch, covered fishing pier, swimming pool and beach. Also available are 8 rental cabins with kitchens, one double-wide home and two mobile homes.

Big Chief RV Resort and Cabin Rentals

On n the east side of Lake Buchanan enjoy boating, skiing, swimming, and excellent fishing.  Beautiful waterfront location on Lake Buchanan with full hookups for RVs, cabin rentals, a general store, fitness room, TV/Game room, clubhouse, covered pavilion, planned activities, a boat ramp and more.

Texas Hills RV Haven

Located on the northwest side of Lake Buchanan, close to Tow and Falls Creek Winery. This waterfront resort has two rental cabins and fifteen RV spaces. Family owned and operated. Boat ramp, no showerhouse.

Canyon of the Eagles

This resort is a wonderful spot on the eastern shoreline of the lake. Twenty-three full-hookup sites with picnic table and fire ring. The park can accommodate large rigs on asphalt pads of 40 feet in length (back-in sites only).  Use of swimming pool and recreation room at lodge.

Ginnie Springs

Playing in the clear freshwater springs

What attracted us to Ginnie Springs were the seven springs and spring runs that empty into the Santa Fe River.  Although the weather during our stay was rainy and cold, Ginnie Springs is one of our favorite spots in Florida.  Each group of springs has entry/exit stairs with handrails, a pavilion, a bathhouse, a volleyball court, campsites and plenty of parking.  The springs have limestone bottoms and each spring was a unique shade of blue.

The water in the Santa Fe River is colored brown by tannin; where the spring water faded into the river water was an eerie sight.  The springs are 72 degrees year round, so swimming and snorkeling in them was not a problem.  The last day we were there, we aired up the Sea Eagle, our two-person kayak, and set off from the first river entry.  Luckily, we were wearing wet suits because the river was about 50 degrees!

While kayaking, we found three unnamed springs on the other side of the river.  We would spot bubbles on the surface and paddle close to see the springs.  The paddle down to the river take out was about 3-1/2 to 4 hours and the river was high from all the rain this season.  During the summer, you would tube, canoe or kayak the Santa Fe, emerging from the river at different springs or just drifting to the tube take out.

The dive shop/office/store sells or rents all types of diving equipment and has instructors available for cave-diving or basic snorkel or scuba lessons.  We camped at Ginnie Springs for four nights and five days.  We were the only RVers, so we had our choice of camping sites with electricity and water.  For tent camping, there are some gorgeous sites along the banks of the Santa Fe.  Each tent site came with water, BBQ grill and picnic table.

Ginnie Springs, Otter Springs, Poe Springs, Hart Springs and Blue Springs (one of five in Florida) are located in Gilchrist County, an area with the highest concentration of freshwater springs on Earth.  We did not see all the springs in northern Florida, but we tried.

We have many pictures to share when we are able to find a solution for a slide show.  Stay tuned.

Silver River State Park

The last uninhabited crystal clear river in Florida

With Crystal River in our rearview mirrors, we journeyed to Silver River State Park, west of Ocala, Florida.  Silver River bisects Silver River State Park, which covers 5,000 wooded acres.  The campground is on the southwest side of the river.  The remainder of the area is a wilderness preserve.  Silver River is a natural river, with no development on the banks except for the theme park on the headsprings and the state park and the campground on the river.

The headsprings of Silver River are the site of the Silver River Nature Park, Florida’s first theme park.  It was here that the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878.  Now, you may enjoy a boat ride, zoo, jeep safari and water park.

As luck would have it, it began to rain as we approached Ocala.  We made it to the state park as the thunderstorm hit.  It rained hard, so we were unable to put our boat into the water.  We did bike down to the river to take some photographs.

Here is a link to the slide show on this park. Slide.com appears to have a bug. Click on the link and then select Gallery View if you would like to view photographs of Silver River.  When Slide.com is restored, I will paste the slide show here.

That evening, we discovered that our new trailer leaks, “Like a colander,” as my husband put it.  After a discussion with Heartland, the manufacturer of our Edge M21, we left the trailer in Ocala at a certified Heartland service center.  So, there we were, on a road trip sans travel trailer.  We rented a motel room and watched HBO.

We went to the service center at 1 pm the next day.  At 3 pm, we drove out with our trailer.  According to the service people, all leaks had been fixed.  We had wasted two days on repairs, so we decided not to continue to Saint Augustine, on the Pacific coast.  Instead, we plotted our path along the back roads to Ginnie Springs, home to one of the largest cave diving operations in Florida.