Although our trip got off to a pretty rocky start, we ended up having a great time hiking and kayaking at Canyon of the Eagles Resort on Lake Buchanan . The camp sites were gorgeous and were a short walk to the cove where we could put our kayaks in or let the kids play on the shore. It is a beautifully maintained property with tons of hiking options, water access, and a restaurant overlooking the water serving lunch and dinner. The camp sites are grassy, spacious, and offer a bit of privacy with a few trees separating each site.
We originally booked at a different camp site, and after that didn’t work out, we decided to book a hotel for the night and try looking for a different camp ground the next day. The only problem was that every hotel in the area was completely booked. We ended up finding a room an hour and a half away in Dripping Springs. Although we were initially disappointed that the first camp site didn’t work out, a strong wind storm came through the area that night and we were thankful to not be in a tent through that. There was plenty for us to do in Austin, and it was kind of fun having a completely spontaneous, unplanned day. We had ice cream, visited an aquarium, and found a charming local book store. Even the burger joint we found for dinner had an outdoor playground that the kids all had a blast running around on. Once we made it to our camp site, there were plenty of hiking trails, water access, and a restaurant overlooking the water where we had lunch and dinner. The restaurant was a life saver since it was too windy for a fire most of the trip and there wasn’t a good way to cook dinner at camp without a fire. Our site overlooked the cove and with just a short walk down, the kids had a blast skipping rocks on the water. We were able to put our kayaks in the water right from our camp site, which was really nice to not have to load and unload them off of the trailer every time we wanted to ride. We will definitely be back later in the season.
Where we stayed
Holiday Inn Express at Dripping Springs
We stayed here for two nights after the first camp site we booked didn’t work out. It was clean, conveniently located, and the room was very spacious. We even parked our kayak trailer here without issue. All 6 of us comfortably slept in a standard double queen room.
This was the camp site we ended up staying at. There was plenty to do on site. We never even left the camp grounds once we checked in. Highly recommend.
What we did
AUSTIN AREA
- Austin Aquarium– This was a fun little activity that the kids enjoyed. It was pretty small and crowded, but the kids had a good time petting the animals. They also offer free admission to children in foster care, which I always think is a great thing for places like this to offer.
- Amy’s Ice Cream Shop on Burnet Rd– This was a super cute ice cream shop. They had tons of flavors and toppings, and the guy running the shop made something as simple as buying ice cream a ton of fun. He was engaging and funny, and ordering was an entire activity. A cool bonus was the outdoor playground. We really just stopped here to kill a little time while we found our next activity, but we had so much fun we ended up staying for at least an hour. We’ll visit here again the next time we’re in the area.
- Book People– We stopped at REI for some camping gear, and right next door was a super cute local book store. The kids had a great time shopping for books and it turned out to be great timing since we’d be spending so much time in the car driving home later that week.
- Hat Creek Burger Company in Dripping Springs– We happened to pass this burger joint with an outdoor playground and decided to stop. It wasn’t our favorite burgers, but they did have a huge outdoor dining patio and a great outdoor playground for the kids. Joben and I were even able to snag a couple of chairs right by the play equipment and sneak in a break and some adult conversation. We probably spent an extra hour just letting the kids play (and the parents rest).
CANYON OF THE EAGLES
- The first afternoon we were there was spent setting up camp and getting familiar with our surroundings. The big kids helped get things set up, and while Joben and I finished getting the last few things organized, they walked down to the cove and skipped rocks, dug in the sand, and climbed whatever they could find. Jeremiah played in his travel play yard until we were ready for dinner. (The travel play yard was a LIFESAVER. We’ve gotten tons of use out of it.)
- The next morning, we kind of just scrounged what we had for breakfast. Since things didn’t go as planned at the beginning of the trip, we still hadn’t done our grocery run for camp food. We did, however, happen to have some Little Debbie honey buns which we decided to roast over the camp fire. Let me tell you, friends, THIS WAS A VERY GOOD PLAN. If you haven’t had Little Debbie honey buns roasted over a camp fire, you need to start living. I don’t want to hear about how you don’t like them.
- We spent the morning skipping rocks across the water and exploring the cove. There was tons to dig in and climb on right there at our camp site. We took a quick break to eat lunch at the resort restaurant (which was delicious) and then explored a few of the hiking trails on the property.
- While the baby napped in the tent, Joben took the big kids out on the kayaks.
- We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the cove and then finished the evening up with dinner at the restaurant and a quick campfire for s’mores and relaxing before bed.
- The next morning we slept in and opted for an early lunch instead of breakfast. We went ahead and broke down camp and packed the truck so that we could spend the rest of the afternoon on the kayaks before heading home. The baby did surprisingly well riding shotgun in Joben’s kayak and the big kids were paddling around the cove like seasoned pros (ok maybe not *seasoned* pros, but at the very least like regular pros)
GEAR WE LOVED
- Hands down the most helpful item we brought was the travel play yard. We’ve had it for a little over a year and have gotten tons of use out of it. It’s great for soccer games, camping, the beach, or anywhere that you need to have a safe place for your toddler to move around. We’ve had as many as 5 toddlers in it at a time, and I can comfortably sit in it with him and play. We have this one from Summer Infant that we ordered on Amazon.
- Disc-O Bed cot bunk beds made it possible for us to sleep our large family in one tent. We ordered these from Amazon and they’re a pretty comfy camp bed. We’ll order at least one more set for our next trip.
- We loved our Columbia Soft Sided Cooler. I bought it to carry in my Kayak for picnics, but we actually ended up using it to keep a few cold items in the tent. It was super handy to have the baby’s milk and juice right there for easy access at nap time and night time. But it also fits perfectly behind the rear seat in my Crescent Crew.
- Coleman 10 Person Tent This tent has served us well. The cabin has plenty of space and the hinged door is really helpful for families who will have kids going in and out. I can personally confirm that getting kids to zip the tent door behind them is a pain. The hinged door almost always got shut behind them with minimal nagging from their mother, but be warned that this tent is huge. We had to leave our first camp site because this wouldn’t fit in their space. (This was the only time we have ever had that problem, but lesson learned, know the dimensions ahead of time)
- We were really happy with our Crescent Crew kayaks. They were super stable for beginner paddlers riding with kids. Zero riders ended up in the water. We got ours from H2GO Paddle in Monroe, Louisiana.
- The little ”boogie board“ drawing board was a great find for the car ride. All the kids love using it but the toddler spent A WHILE being entertained by this. My mother in law got him this for Christmas, but you can find a similar one Here
