Destination :: Buescher State Park

  • Buescher State Park: A dead pine tree branch is visible, branch and pine needs an ashy gray color. Green pines are visible in the background.

    Dead Pine Tree. June 2017. Image 1/2

  • Buescher State Park: Cone-shaped fungus grows on a log.

    Fungus on Log. June 2017. Image 2/2

Buescher State Park in Texas is located only 12 miles from Bastrop State Park and is popular for hiking, fishing, and non-motorized boating.

Brief History

1933-1936
Emil and Elizabeth Buescher donate 318 acres to the state.1
1933-39
Civilian Conservation Corps builds many of the park facilities.2
by 1940
The Buescher heirs donate another 318 acres; additional land is acquired from the city of Smithville.
1940
The park opens with 1,738 acres of land.
1965
700 acres is deeded to MD Anderson and the UT Cancer Center.3

Location

100 Park Rd 1-C
Smithville, Texas, 78957
United States

Website

Evaluation

If you are in the area…

Worthwhile side trip from Bastrop State Park, but most trails were closed when I visited and within a couple hours I was ready to leave.

Visits: 1 Visited: June 2017

Quick Statistics

Size
Nearly 1,017 acres4
Trails
8 miles mountain biking/hiking trails

Related

Bastrop State Park: A small lizard pauses on a pile of dirt and rocks. The body is green and white striped fading to red.

Bastrop State Park

Notes

  1. Unless otherwise noted, information about the park and park history is from "History," TPWD.
  2. "Buescher," TPWD.
  3. "Buescher State Park," Wikipedia.
  4. Statistics are from Buescher State Park, TPWD.

References

  • "Buescher." The Look of Nature: Designing Texas State Parks During the Depression. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Accessed October 11, 2017. Link.
  • Buescher State Park. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Accessed October 11, 2017. Link.
  • "Buescher State Park." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. January 17, 2017. Accessed October 11, 2017. Link.
  • "History." Buescher State Park. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Accessed October 11, 2017. Link.