Is Inks Lake State Park dog-friendly? You better believe it is – and we absolutely loved it! Dogs are welcome at Inks Lake State Park, as long as they’re on a leash that’s no more than six feet long.
We recently got to visit Inks Lake State Park near Burnet, Texas with our humans. This huge park has miles and miles of trails running through the woods, skirting huge granite boulders and hugging the crystal clear water of Inks Lake. Here, people can rent paddle-boards, kayaks and canoes. There’s even a park store that sells ice cream (which looked delicious!)
Camping at Inks lake With Dogs
At Inks Lake, you’ll find more than 200 campsites and 20 cabins. If you want to “ruff it”, there are also hike-in, primitive back-country camping sites. If your humans need access to water and electrical outlets, they’ll find a variety of RV sites and tent sites with these amenities.
It was a little chilly when we visited in March and even though the cool weather didn’t bother us dogs, our humans got a little bit cold at night. They said they’d prefer to come back later in the spring on our next trip to Inks Lake State Park.
We dogs were allowed to wade in the water with our leashes on and it was super cold! The summer really is a great time to visit, when our people like to go swimming in the lake, or at Devil’s Waterhole. The water is so clear there that we even saw a big bass swimming near the shore. Back at our campsite, our neighbors were frying up some fresh fish that they’d just caught in the lake and it smelled mouth-watering!
Keeping Your Dogs Safe at Inks Lake State Park
- Watch out for snakes, especially in summer, since they like to lie on the warm granite rocks. There aren’t many snakes here, but be careful anyway.
- Be aware of steep drop-offs. The terrain is rugged here, and there are some steep cliffs and drop-offs beside the lake where one could fall if they weren’t careful
- Watch out for grass-burrs or stickers. There are some of those awful “goat heads” or grass-burrs here. Your dog might pick one of those nasty things up in their feet, like I did. If your dog has sensitive feet (or at the height of summer when the rocks soak up the heat) you might consider having your dog wear booties.
- Keep your dogs on a leash. We dogs would much rather run free, but this isn’t a good place for that. We might get lost in the hundreds of acres of dense woods that surround Inks Lake State Park.
- It gets really hot here in the summer, so make sure to bring a water bowl for your pet and keep it filled when camping. Don’t forget to bring lots of water for the humans as well as for your dogs if you go hiking, because there isn’t water access on the trails running through the interior of the park. Also, there isn’t much shade at Inks Lake State Park, so people should wear a hat and sunscreen and limit exposure for sun-sensitive breeds (like me, a border collie-Australian shepherd mix).
- Ticks can be a problem here for both dogs and humans. You’ll find them mostly in the juniper woods and tall grass. Make sure that you check for ticks each day when camping at Inks Lake with your dogs.
For more info on Inks Lake State Park you can visit the park website, where you can find a map and park rules.
There are many dog-friendly places to camp in this area of Texas. Another favorite of ours is at Muleshoe Bend Park. It’s located near Austin, and has lots of great trails for walking dogs, as well as some nice campsites. Pace Bend Park, a bit closer to Austin, also has some wonderful trails
Happy Travels!
