Gillespie County rest area US 290 | Informal Campsite

April 7th, 2024 by Hannah Y

Absolutely loved staying here. Arrived early in the afternoon ~5pm the day before the 2024 eclipse. Lots of other rigs around and felt safe enough to keep doors opened for nice breeze before night. Full flush and very clean bathrooms available. Potable water and garbage on site PLUS some outlets to plug in once it gets dark. Lots of space for the pup to run around and play fetch. Features WiFi but was pretty slow given eclipse traffic. Met a woman who works there named Kim. She was the most welcoming and kind. Pup loved her. Would have stayed another night but needed to hit a PF. Overall 10/10 experience and highly recommend if you’re passing through! Enjoy and tell Kim I say hi!

March 31st, 2024 by biehnchuck

Nice place. A little road noise but that doesn’t bother me much. We just went right to sleep
In our RV and got up at 3am to drive again. Perfect for our needs.

December 23rd, 2023 by spenced

Other posts are accurate. The only thing I’d add is that the 120v outlets have covers that got in the way of my big plug/adapter so I wasn’t able to charge my lifepo4 batteries like I had hoped.

October 16th, 2023 by simplistic1

Nice stay. A little noisy from the road but there are more quiet areas to park. There is a two day limit. There is a plug available across from the office when the lights come on at night.

October 6th, 2023 by jtsearcy

Nice stop on the way into Austin. LBJ state park in right next to this stop. Clean bathrooms. Only a few parking spots along the front. A few area with picnic tables but not really any parking in front of them. Was the only one there for the night and it was super quiet.

July 8th, 2023 by fordtransitbuild

Very lovely. The water spigot didn't have a handle but the restrooms were nice. We got water at the state park right beside (behind first picnic area)

April 28th, 2023 by anson.pac

Beautiful! Must stop here if you need a place near Fredericksberg TX.

March 13th, 2023 by ByChance

Stayed one night after going to LBJ ranch. There is a sign limiting your stay to 24 hours. Some highway noise but it was quiet after dark.

February 11th, 2021 by ccummings208

Nice and quiet. Only a handful of parking spaces, parallel parking only, but can fit maybe 2 big rigs and 2 cars. If you play Pokémon Go, there are two gyms and a bunch of pokestops here.

February 25th, 2020 by norwegianprepster

Restrooms are nice and clean (and warm). Didn’t see any signs about only staying for 24hrs. The road is fairly quiet and there were no other cars parked when I fell asleep. Got a bit busy in the morning, but still quiet enough to sleep a bit longer.

February 4th, 2020 by outdooradvanture101

Quiet Rest Area with picnic tables set on a loop of road behind the building itself.

Sign only says you cannot occupy a space for over 24 hours.

December 2nd, 2019 by instagram.com/adetailedmap

Good spot. Heated bathrooms. Limited actual parking spaces but we had no problem in our 20' van.

May 18th, 2019 by chantelhb

Great stopover. The water spigot was not operational however, but the plugs in the lamp posts do work when the lamps are on.

April 3rd, 2019 by amtravelling.nl

Nice rest area, clean toilets that are open during the night and fresh water. Quiet at night but in the very early morning some loud trucks stopped here.

February 5th, 2019 by wish-to-wander.com

Super nice rest stop about an hour outside of Austin. Very clean washrooms open 24 hours and fresh water available. Highway traffic isn’t crazy so noise isn’t too bad!

January 2nd, 2019 by fysnutrition

Very nice place to stop for the night. You’re limited to 24 hours and we did see quite a few people working on the location who I assume are monitoring it. Can plug into the light poles for power. Nice bathrooms. Water fountains. WiFi is pretty weak but it works.

March 30th, 2018 by hordago.fr

Close to the LBJ state park which is free (except the President Johnson’s house).
Rest free area near the road but you can park near the picnic tables, it’s more quiet.

March 27th, 2018 by jp.malouin

Rest area with restrooms open 24 hres. Picnic tables.

December 15th, 2017 by Two Track Travels

Stayed here overnight and felt very safe. Clean and heated restrooms, easy access to water spigot.

November 26th, 2017 by doubleav

very nice safety rest area. Sign say you are not permitted to use the facility for more than 24 hours but you are able to stay here for at least an overnight. Comfortable and quiet even though it's near the road and directly next to Lyndon B Johnson State Park.

October 24th, 2017 by destinoslaska873

Good place to stay during night, clean restrooms, bbq zones and potable water. You can't stay for more than 24 hours

July 27th, 2016 by highfish

Very nice grassy rest area with tables and BBQ places + little pkayground for kids. We didn't sleep here, just filled our water tank. But they said it is allowed to stay overnight in the vehicule or tent. For free.

The Lyndon B. Johnson state park next to it is also nice to visit and for free too.
You see how the former president Johnson lived (house, airplane, cars) and can watch a little german farm 100 years ago.