It’s my birthday weekend, and we headed to Canyon of the Eagles on Lake Buchanan, one of the Highland Lakes on the Colorado River! Named for the numerous bald eagles that nest here each winter, it’s a great park and resort, with enough to do to keep you busy for a long weekend!
The park is owned by the Lower Colorado River Authority, and offers day use as well as tent and RV camping, plus a 64-room resort with a restaurant, pool and activities!
Be sure to get a schedule of daily activities when you check in, so you don’t miss anything!
We arrived late, and checked in to our room, which was one of 4 rooms in a building. Our room had a shared door and deck with the room next door, and would be perfect for a family to share! We had a terrific view of the lake, but be sure to request a room with a lake view when you make your reservations. Also, the rooms in the middle of the building have a better deck and view than those on the end, so I would be sure to request one of those.
The room was clean with two beds and a bathroom, but no television. Hooray!!! Wifi was a little weak, too, which is just a good way to get the kids outside. From sunrise to sunset, I really never saw my kids while we were at the resort, they were always out doing things!!!
Be aware that the rooms do not have a refrigerator or microwave either.
Although the rooms are pet friendly, we didn’t bring our dog, because we planned to do a tour of Longhorn Caverns on Sunday and they don’t allow dogs.
The resort has activities each Friday and Saturday evening, such as family outdoor movies, live music, and much more. We missed the Friday night movie, but the kids did get to roast some s’mores before we turned in for the night. They sell everything at the park store, or you can just bring from home!
We slept both nights with the back door open, allowing for a cool breeze into our room! With no television and the air conditioner off, we could hear the sound of the first birds of morning, and another of my favorite sounds, the first boats out on the lake!
As the sun was coming up, I headed out for a morning walk. The park has several trails, but that first morning I just walked down the steps to the boat house and park store, and back up the road to our room, a little over a mile.
The steps down to the water are just off the big patio, which is where they show movies, and outside the restaurant, with big glass windows overlooking the lake. We did the breakfast buffet later that morning.
The closest other restaurants are all a good drive away, so if you want to stay on property, plan to eat at the restaurant or bring sandwiches, etc in an ice chest for lunch.
Down by the lake, I did the little maze that was a Girl Scout Gold Award project. It was a peaceful way to start my morning.
The park store looks out on the beach, which is grass and not sand. I’m going to give a huge shout out to Stuart at the Park Store, who was so incredibly friendly and helpful during our entire stay!
One of the many little armadillos I saw while at the resort. As an animal refuge, there is no hunting allowed, and the park is full of wildlife! We saw many, many deer and although we were told about the wild pigs in the park, we never saw any.
When I returned from my walk, my kids were playing games at the resort. They were so busy that we did miss the Saturday morning guided hike. something I was looking forward to doing! The Perch Room also has a television with video games and board games, which was our Plan B should we get a Spring shower.
My kids were having a blast! It’s not a 5-star luxury resort, but it’s a really neat place if you love the outdoors, you get some incredible views, and I loved that although it was full, it’s small enough to not be very crowded, and all the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful!
My kids really wanted to bring their bikes, but I didn’t think we would have the room or the time, since we were bringing the boat. The roads would be terrific for bike riding, and the trails are at times open to bikes, and usually closed during the summer to protect the habitat. Check with the park before you go.
After breakfast we headed down to the beach. We had brought our boat, and needed directions to the closest boat ramp, which isn’t located on property, but just a few miles from the park.
We did get to attend one of the children’s programs, this one about the local wildlife and they had skulls of animals, and track cast, offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
At the park store you can rent kayaks and paddle around the lake.
Canyon of the Eagles is located at the mouth of the Colorado River, where is spills into Lake Buchanan. We wanted to take our boat up the river to see Fall Creek Falls and Deer Creek Falls, and since we had done the tour several times over the years on the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, I felt that I wouldn’t have a problem finding it.
After an hour out on the lake, my husband gave up on my excellent sense of directions, about the time we saw this wrecked boat, and we headed back to the resort to get a map. He’s smart like that.
And boom, minutes later we were at Fall Creek Falls! It’s a beautiful waterfall on the river! We had packed a lunch, and pulled up close to the falls to eat. The wind would occasionally blow some of the mist on us, which kept us cool on the warm, spring day! Best dining on the lake!
The property around the falls is all posted private property, so you do need to stay in the boat.
Next we headed up river to find Deer Creek Falls. It’s located just a little ride up Deer Creek.
The third waterfall is Post Falls, which is located quite a way up the river, closer to Colorado Bend State Park, and one of the other boaters we passed told us that it was barely dripping so we decided to skip it. We did stop and explore this neat little cave along the river.
If you don’t have a boat, Splash Boat Rentals offers 1/2 and full day boat and jet ski rentals, as well as tubes and water toy rentals. Be aware that if you were born after September 1993, you are required by law to have completed a boater safety course before driving a boat. Click HERE to visit their website.
The kids wanted to swim in the pool, and they did while we cleaned up for dinner.
Since we had eaten at the Resort’s Restaurant for lunch, we wanted to go out for dinner, and Stuart at the Park Store told us about Reverend Jim’s Dam Pub, a bit of a biker bar with a terrific patio and view of the Lake Buchanan Dam. He claimed they had the best burgers in Texas, and I will say they are definitely worth the pre-warned 45 minute wait! The kids actually loved that we were able to play a couple of games of Uno before the food arrived!
After dinner, we headed back to catch the show at the Observatory, instead of the family movie or live music. I wasn’t sure what to expect of an observatory at an LCRA park, but it was incredible. They have 2 huge telescopes, and while it was too cloudy to use one, we really enjoyed seeing the stars and moon on the other, as well as shows. The roof of the building completely opens to the night sky, and the astronomer was very informing and patient with my son’s questions! The Observatory is open nightly, Wed – Sunday, and the dark night skies are best on moon less nights during the summer! We were there until well after 10pm, and made a quick trip around the park to spot more deer along the beach before heading to bed!
We awoke early the next morning to be on the lake before the sun came up, and headed just around the point from the Park Store and dock to the shallow area beneath our room. As the sun came up, the fish were hitting the water all around us, and everyone was pulling in fish faster than I could take pictures. Since we were just doing catch and release, we stayed out quite a while. Canyon of the Eagles earned its name as one of the resident eagles flew just over our head, searching for breakfast.
If you’re catch and release fishing, be sure to bend down the barb on your hook to not hurt the fish when you take out the hook.
The shallow water and numerous dead trees in this section are perfect for kayak fishing, and the park tent campsites are just feet from this area, making it a perfect place to spend a weekend doing some kayak fishing, with an easy put in and take out right at your camp.
As we are getting ready to leave, we can’t get our boat motor to start, putting a dent in our perfect day. We were able to paddle back around the point to the dock, so the kids and I could go pack up and get ready to check out. My husband worked on it for over an hour, and disgusted, we were trying to find someone to tow us back to the boat ramp. Stuart at the Park Store was our hero, and helped us locate marina stores, the closest boat ramps and even someone who might help us with towing, when the motor just finally decided to start!
I did take a few minutes to go get some pictures of the RV sites, that sit up on the cliff and a few have views of the lake. This is the space closest to the resort, and definitely my favorite, although they all offered nice treed sites and weren’t too close together!
As I mentioned before, we never did get a chance to do the Bird and Butterfly Trail, but it’s definitely on my list for next time!
This is one of the camping sites I was referring to earlier, that are right on the lake. I love these sites!
Be aware that even those tent camping still pay the additional resort fees for use of the resort amenities.
We said our goodbyes, got the boat loaded up and headed the short drive to Longhorn Caverns for a tour of the caverns. Click HERE to read about it!
Things To Do in Burnet
Play
At Ink’s Lake State Park, you can take a hike along the Devil’s Backbone, or jump into the cool water at Devil’s Watering Hole. Click HERE to read more.
On the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, you can take a tour up the Colorado River to Fall Creek Falls, or a sunset cruise, or to see the nesting bald eagles during the fall and winter months. Click HERE for more information!
Fort Croghan offers tours of their grounds, as well as living history days and a special event at Christmas. Click HERE for more information.
Eat
Happy Scoops is my FAVORITE ice cream shop in the state, and I love their flavors, made daily! The banana, made with real bananas, and the sweet cream are my favorites! Click HERE for more information.
Canyon of the Eagles – A Calibre Resort
16952 Ranch Rd. 2341, Burnet
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!
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