Black Rock Park Campground

Pros:
• Very small park
• Great view of the lake as trees/shrubs are minimal
• Clean campsite except for the trash in the fire pit
• Most sites had 2 sewer hookups.
• Most sites had a nice distance from neighbor sites.
• Crushed granite surrounds the site parking pad so no muddy mess after rain
• Lantern pole, BBQ grill, fire pit with grilling grate and wooden picnic table at each site.
• Extremely clean restrooms/shower facility.
• Heated restrooms/shower facility(we camped the week after Christmas).
• Restroom/shower facility sink had hot water and soap dispenser
• Mini Golf Course in Park
• 2 bar signal AT&T
Cons:
• With reservations made 153 days prior to arriving for our 4-night stay, we encountered confusion by a rude check-in clerk who told us to come back at 3 pm (it was then 230pm and we could clearly see our campsite was vacant). Since the entry lane was down to one lane, we tied up traffic for nearly 20 minutes until the check-in clerk finally realized that we were camping and not checking in for their cabins. I’m not sure why she didn’t see our truck and 28 ft bumper pull trailer.
• $6 fee to reserve on-line.
• No mention on the park website there was a burn ban in effect, so no ground fires permitted, not even for cooking.
• No site privacy due to minimal trees/brush throughout the park.
• Campsite BBQ grill and fire pit were next to each other, so it would have been difficult to gather around the fire pit anyway.
• Good condition asphalt site parking pad was uneven side-to-side as we noticed nearly all sites in that condition.
• NOT A DARK SKY FRIENDLY CAMPGROUND! Numerous street lights throughout this camping loop and unfortunately we had one directly across from our site#11 which lit up our site like daylight! Who camps under a street light???
• Non-stop highway noise, even throughout the night, from Texas 261.
• Doors on women's toilet stalls were only 5 feet tall.
• Lots of large roadway speed bumps.
• No hiking trails.
• No security gate closure overnight.
• No park WIFI
We used Black Rock as our “jumping off point” for various Hill Country Holiday Light displays, which worked out very well. Kingsland is closer to the park than Burnet where there is a HEB, Ace Hardware, Dairy Queen and local restaurants. Closest Walmart to Black Rock is in Marble Falls, along with a HEB.

We spent 2 days here in July 2020, during the Covid pandemic. Kayak rentals were closed and the ice machine was out of order, but otherwise things were pretty functional. The place wasn't crowded, but quite busy.

The small loop is fairly easy to access.. take the longer way around to avoid trees if you have a larger rig. Backing in was easy, site was level, 50A, water, sewage all functioned fine. The dumpster isn't marked on the park map, and took a bit of effort to find (walk towards the rental cabins past the minigolf, on the north side, about 750' away from the loop).

We couldn't find a nice fishing spot on the banks, and couldn't rent kayaks. The Longhorn Cavern was a nice chill visit on a hot summer day. The scenery is beautiful.

Upon arrival we were greeted by a friendly gatekeeper who checked us in and gave us directions to our site. Entrance fees are charged in addition to your campsite fees and collected upon arrival at the park. The entrance fees are as follows per person per day:
• Adults - $5
• Children (12 and younger) - FREE
• Seniors (65 and older) - $2
• Disabled - $2
Roads are easy to navigate and so is parking. Most sites have a view of the lake in the distance. Good space between sites but no privacy. Park was well groomed and full of wildflowers while we were there. Most sites have shade for the picnic tables, grills, and fire rings, but not for the RVs. Many are not very level. Utilities in great shape.

Activities include swing-sets, swimming, fishing, mini-golfing, and kayaking. Rentals available on site. When the lake is full the waterline is very close and there is a nice crushed granite beach. Ice and firewood is available on site. Online regulations require leashes for pets, but these are not published on the paperwork you get upon arrival, and do not seem to be enforced. The county park next door has a boat ramp, and on the weekends, crowds of people who like to blast their music and car horns. And speaking of noise, there is a large amount of traffic noise from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM on the nearby, busy county road which is only 100 feet from some campsites.

Groceries, fuel, restaurants, boat rentals, etc. are available ten minutes away in Kingsland.

In spite of the noise, we plan to camp here again in the future in order to enjoy the other good attributes of the park.

We stayed for a week in early March 2018 in site 12 (right next to the comfort station). This small park is part of the Lower Colorado River Authority. It is right on Lake Buchanan. It was a very quiet park with a nice view of the lake and dam. Our back-in site was paved, fairly level, with FHU, picnic table and shade. There are no hiking trails at this park. You can rent kayaks if so desired. The staff was friendly.