Making our way from Arizona to Alabama, we decided to scope out Sandy Creek Park in Leander, Texas.
Our mission was to score an inexpensive campsite near Austin, Texas; which was bustling with the energy of SXSW, and the nearby campgrounds were swamped with spring breakers. We spent longer than usual searching for a scenic, yet affordable campsite.
We landed at Sandy Creek Park, 25 miles north of Downtown Austin.
Here’s our personal experience of Sandy Creek Park:
Location: Leander, Texas
GPS: 30.46957, -97.90533
Price: Tent camping is currently $20/night and RV camping is $30/night. Here’s the rate page in case anything changes.
Date/Temp: March 15-17, highs in the low 90s and lows of 70
Amenities: Sandy Creek Park offers flush toilets, a dump station, trash receptacles, and water. None of the sites provide hookups.
However, they’re very spacious, and each has a picnic table and grill. On the waterfront, there is a boat ramp and many fishing areas.
Noise: It was tranquil in the evenings. During the day, boat traffic and day users increased the noise, but it was never a loud environment.
Wifi/Cell: Our AT&T and T-Mobile services received full bars of 4G data. We never struggled with connectivity at Sandy Creek Park.
Grocery/Errands: There is a substantial suburban town (Leander, Texas) five miles from the park offering all the shopping and dining options we needed. If you want to drive further, specialty stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are available.
Dog Friendly: Sandy Creek Park welcomes dogs on a leash. River (our pup) enjoyed playing outside on her line and dipping in the lake. There are plenty of roads and trails to walk, as well.
Entertainment: We drove into Downtown Austin to explore the city for a day. It was a 40-minute drive with heavy traffic (due to SXSW, a huge music festival). Hanging out at our campsite was great, too – there’s a beautiful waterfront and fast internet. What more could we need?!
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You’re making me miss home! Are you guys glad you went, even though it was SX? ($70 at Pecan Grove?? They were really capitalizing on the demand.)
We had a fun time and really enjoyed the food we ate during our visit. Pecan Grove’s $70 rate was a total turn-off, but our campsite turned out to be a good option
Definitely! We only spent one full day in the city because of the crowds, but we really enjoyed our time there. We loved our quiet campground on the lake.