Purtis Creek State Park
We picked Purtis Creek State Park because it was on the Austin-side of Dallas. Our plan was to go camping for the weekend and then have my husband drop the boys and me at my parents in Dallas after we finished. It turns out, we couldn’t have picked a better park for the time of year.
The park is built inside of a dense oak forest, which gave me the feeling of stepping back into time, before the relentless clearing of the post oak savannas occurred to make way for agriculture. When we arrived to the park at 11pm, we quickly set up camp and tucked-in for the night. Fact: we can now set up our tent, mattress, pack-and-play, and sleeping bags in under 30 minutes!
The next morning, we cooked a big breakfast and tried our luck at fishing. No bites. The thirty degree weather likely made the fish lethargic; however, the boys still had fun playing with worms!
After lunch, Landon and older sons went for a hike while I staid back to nap.
That evening, we built a campfire and roasted sausages and marsh mellows, consecutively of course!
Attempting to roast a caterpillar
Like every unhappy family, each camping has its negatives in its own way, often in the form of unhappy families. On this particular trip, the neighbors across the street from us set up a big-screen TV outside so they could watch a 12-hours worth of college football. But instead of enjoying the games, spent most of the afternoon and evening screaming at each other. I felt bad for their kids.
The next morning, we packed up and headed to Dallas. All in all it was a great trip.
New Gear
I picked up a Morrison Outdoors Little Mo 40 sleeping bag on sale at REI. It is basically a sleeping bag with arms. My intent was to use it for our 22-month old; however, he refused to let me put it on him. So we ended up using it on our five-month-old. He pretty much stayed in it the whole trip. It kept him warm and was easy to put on and take off. I wish we had purchased one a few years earlier!
Campsite Recommendations
Purtis Creek State Park has three camping areas (see map). The main campground, sites 1-59, has water and electricity. The sites are relatively spacious and are cut out of a post oak forest. Every site is at least partially shaded, and the the dense trees provide a good amount of privacy. I would particularly recommend site 26, 27, 29, and 30 as they as it are spacious, relatively private, and have their own short trails to the lake. I would recommend avoiding 20-24 with small children. These sites are the edge of the lake, which might pose a drowning risk. Additionally, the boat traffic might be a bit noisy.
We camped in site 27. Below are some pictures to give you an idea of its size:
Sites 61-64 sit across the lake from the main camping area and are walk-in, water only sites. Each site is about 50 yards from the road, making them a perfect choice for families looking for a bit more privacy. The sites are fairly spacious and partially shaded.
Sites A-M are accessible by boat or by a short hike (between 0.5 mile and 1.5 miles depending on the site). Although the sites do not have running water, they are on the lake so just bring a filter! Unfortunately, many of the sites are rather sloped. I only looked at sites A-E, and of those only C had a flat area to pitch a tent.
Kid Friendly Activities
Fishing – Purtis Creek State Park Lake is a well known bass fishery. The park has multiple fishing piers for those without a boat. The park store sells live bait and has some loaner tackle. As with all state parks, no licenses are needed to fish within the park boundaries!
Paddling – The forested shoreline makes for lovely setting to take the kids out on a canoe or kayak. Additionally, the hundreds of half submerged trees sticking up in portions of the lake, provide plenty of interesting areas to explore. The park rents 2-person kayaks through paddleez.com for $18/hour. Kayaks can be reserved up to one week in advance.
Hiking – the park has six miles of hiking trails. With the exception of the Solar Walk Trail, which runs along the dam, the trails are mostly wooded. The park is fairly flat, and everything is kid-hikable.
Biking – With the exception of the Beaver Slide Nature Path, all of the hiking trails allow bicycles. Because the trails are pretty flat and the ground is fairly soft (for Texas), they would make for an excellent family bike outing.
