Bastrop State Park

Cyclists pass a pond at Bastrop State Park.

This cabin was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s.

Tall trees shade a pair of wanderers at Bastrop State Park.

Located 30 miles southeast of Austin, this 6,900-acre park is the home of the famous Lost Pines.

This 70-square-mile forest of loblolly pines is the state's most westerly stand of these trees. These woods are called "lost" because they're separated from the main mass of East Texas loblolly pines by about 100 miles.

A wealth of wildlife, including deer, opossums and armadillos, lives among these mixed pines and hardwoods. Pileated woodpeckers are among the species that draw birdwatchers to the park.

The park is also home to the endangered Houston toad, and more than 3,000 acres were recently added to the park to preserve its habitat.

Developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and opened in 1937, Bastrop State Park supports a variety of recreational uses.

Campers find a hike-in primitive campground, as well as 54 campsites with water and electricity and another 24 with water only. The park also has a lodge and air-conditioned rustic lakeside cabins, one of which is wheelchair-accessible.

Hikers use an 8.5-mile loop trail. Cyclists like to take the narrow 13-mile auto road through the pines that connects Bastrop and Buescher state parks.

Water activities include seasonal pool swimming and fishing in a 10-acre pond stocked with catfish and bass.

Golfers enjoy an 18-hole course.

The park is one mile east of Bastrop on Texas 21, also accessible from the east on Texas 71 or by way of Buescher State Park along Park Road 1.