Every guest room at the Canyon of the Eagles Nature Park and Resort comes with a pair of white rocking chairs outside, many with a view of the nearby picturesque lake. This tells a lot about the kind of place it is — one that encourages its guests to get outside, enjoy natural beauty and take a break from a high-tech world. Located 74 miles northwest of Austin in Texas Hill Country, guests can easily fill a few days with on-site fun or venture into surrounding Burnet County.
Lake Buchanan is the biggest draw. Visitors can rent kayaks at the camp store or take a guided pontoon boat cruise. The boat seats about 10 and offers close-up views of waterfalls, herons, Spanish goats and, in winter, American bald eagles. About 25 of these iconic birds nest there every winter and early spring. Binoculars help guests see every feather, and the captain readily answers questions about geography and wildlife.
The nature park and resort encompasses 940 acres; visitors can hike over 14 miles of manicured trails suitable for all abilities, including one path planted to attract maximum birds and butterflies. There’s even a labyrinth for meditative walks and specialized walks that allow you to bring along your dog.
By night, guests who want to trade their little screens for a peek at the really big picture can visit the on-site observatory. Astronomer Jim Sheets is there at least five nights a week, guiding visitors’ telescope-gazing and answering questions about celestial bodies. “Stars all live a life span,” he explains, bringing outer space alive for guests of all ages. “They all do the same job of turning hydrogen into helium. That’s what every star does for a living. All die. Some have puny little deaths, others huge explosions.” In this dark sky country, it’s easy to fall in love with astronomy, especially after getting a good look at Jupiter and its four moons, or at Saturn, rings and all.
Meals at Canyon of the Eagles are incredible, both for quality and for the lake views from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s an easy place to plan a health-conscious getaway. Call ahead if you have a special diet and they’ll make sure something special awaits you. For example, a vegan might be served a special four-course dinner of watermelon gazpacho, hummus with chips, ancient grains with mushrooms and cantaloupe sorbet on basil leaves. The breakfast buffet offers healthful choices such as fruit and oatmeal.
Kayaking Inks Lake State Park
Visitors who want to leave the resort and visit the surrounding area will find beautiful, scrubby Texas scenery. Buchanan is the first and biggest of six highland lakes that stair-step down to Lake Travis near Austin. Texas decided to build these man-made lakes after 15 raging, destructive floods hit the Colorado River between 1843 and 1937.
Inks Lake State Park curves around the second lake in the chain. It’s known for a rock called Valley Spring Gneiss, which is the German word for sparkly. Kids swim and dare each other to jump off the high rocks at Devil’s Waterhole, a natural hot springs where early settlers came to bathe. Visitors who want to explore on their own can rent kayaks or pedal-powered boats by the hour. For a real steal, join one of the park’s interpretive paddles for only $3, kayak included.
Exploring Longhorn Cavern
Dripstones, flowstones, stalagmites and soda-straw stalactites are some of the amazing stones visitors will see while hiking through Longhorn Cavern. A trip to the 68-degree, naturally air-conditioned caverns at Longhorn Cavern State Park, about 30 miles south of the Canyon of the Eagles, is especially enjoyable on hot summer days. A standard guided walking tour takes about 1.5 hours and covers 1.5 miles round-trip over easy footing. Those who want more excitement can shimmy through dark tunnels and wade in mysterious puddles on the wild cave tour. If you’re venturing into Longhorn Cavern, an appreciation — or at least tolerance — for bats and daddy long-leg spiders is highly recommended.
