Bastrop State Park: National Historic Landmark and Lost Pines

Bastrop State Park is at 100 Park Road 1A, Bastrop, TX 78602, about 32 miles east of Austin. The park covers roughly 6,600 acres. It is home to the Lost Pines — an isolated stand of loblolly pines cut off from the main East Texas pine forest by about 80 miles. The endangered Houston toad also lives here, in the sandy soils under the pines.

The park earned National Historic Landmark status in 1997. That honor came mainly from the stone cabins, buildings, and refectory built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) starting in 1933. Architect Arthur Fehr used cedar, oak, walnut, pine, and red sandstone quarried nearby to blend the buildings into the landscape. The CCC-built cabins are still available to rent.

The park has seven miles of hiking trails, camping, swimming, fishing, biking, and geocaching. Daily entry is $5 for adults. Children 12 and under are free. The 2011 wildfire badly damaged the park. Forest recovery is still ongoing. TPWD started replanting genetically distinct, drought-hardy loblolly pine seedlings in 2013.