Summer 2020 Update: After much consideration LCRA Parks has revised their camp programs, now offering small group Nature Days. Read on for details and learn how to register your kids.

LCRA Parks Nature Days is a new half-day program held at LCRA parks in Matagorda and Bastrop counties. Kids can enjoy four-hour sessions will include nature-based education and recreation such as exploring for oysters and scavenger hunts at Matagorda Bay Nature Park, or fly fishing and learning survival skills at three parks in Bastrop County (McKinney Roughs Nature Park, Lake Bastrop North Shore Park and Lake Bastrop South Shore Park). All sessions will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

LCRA Parks Nature Days are offered three days a week, and participants may register for any or all days. Maximum group size is five people from the same household, including at least one person 18 or older.

Participants will be required to wear face coverings and complete a brief health questionnaire upon arrival.

For additional information, please read the FAQs or call 512-303-5073.

Photo from the LCRA Facebook page

Nature Days at Bastrop County Parks: Choose from three parks in Bastrop County – McKinney Roughs Nature Park, Lake Bastrop South Shore Park and Lake Bastrop North Shore Park.

  • Life in the Roughs — Activities at McKinney Roughs Nature Park
    June 15, 17 and 19; July 13, 15 and 17 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Learn about the world’s biomes and factors for supporting life. Explore the park’s riparian, pine forest and Post Oak Savannah ecosystems on guided hikes and discover the plants, trees and creatures that live there. Conduct a field bioblitz looking for signs of animals, then hone your awareness skills at personal sit spots. Use dichotomous keys and field guides to identify wildlife and record your observations online as citizen scientists through the iNaturalist app.
  • Water Wonders– Activities at different parks each day
    June 22, 24 and 26; July 27, 29 and 31 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Dip into the aquatic world and experience its macro and micro wonders. Use dip nets to understand a pond’s water quality and peer through microscopes to view water teeming with life. Learn fly fishing casting techniques and create an artistic memento with natural materials. Explore Lake Bastrop from canoes, kayaks or stand-up paddle boards.
  • Wildlife Detectives — Activities at McKinney Roughs Nature Park
    June 29, July 1 and 3; July 27, 29 and 31 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Delve into the mysteries of adaptations in mammals, fish, birds and plants. Learn about animal survival and view a live reptile and bird presentation demonstrating the animals’ unique hearing and sight. Investigate the hidden habits of animals through a careful study of their tracks and skulls. Set up wildlife cameras to capture images of nocturnal animals and cast your own animal track to take home.
  • Outdoor & Wilderness Skills — Activities at McKinney Roughs Nature Park
    July 6, 8 and 10; Aug. 3, 5 and 7 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Build shelters using natural materials, purify water, identify edible and medicinal plants, make emergency signals and start fires without matches. Learn how to navigate backcountry, snack on edible insects, read the landscape to find water and make rope from natural fibers.

Please click here for much more detailed information. Pricing is $35/person per day or
$90/person per week. You can register online here.

LCRA Parks has more than 11,000 acres of parks along the lower Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. It offers more than 1.6 million visitors annually the opportunity to engage in outdoor adventure and recreation through hiking, camping, paddling, zip lining and more. Visit www.lcra.org.