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Several isles of gravel and silt mound up in the Colorado as it flows away from Austin and toward Bastrop. At 9 acres, so-called Boy Scout Island is particularly popular for paddling breaks and overnight campouts. But why the abundance of islands here? Look to the dams in Austin, just upstream. “When you dam up a river, the flow drops,” explains Melissa Parker, a river conservationist for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. “The Colorado near Bastrop doesn’t have enough flow to flush the sediment”—the main ingredient in Texas’ river islands.
A great island for an overnight campout with the troop. Our troop was 24 people, with another troop of a similar size on the island, and there was plenty of room. Firewood on the island. A few trees for hammocks (but not many). Had a few issues keeping pegs in the sand for the tents as it was windy. And it's primitive! Arranged the canoes with Bastrop River Company and Lee was fantastic, and river conditions were perfect for us.
Nice large island, lots of firewood. SAVE yourself the trouble of lugging your camping equipment far (like really far and uphill) and paddle up the LEFT side at the river fork. I originally went right and ended up carrying camping equip all the way across the island to the perfect spot on the LEFT side when paddling south. I had to paddle back up against current to bring the canoe around. Camping spot on left side had perfect canopy of shade a fallen tree to place my Coleman stove on and close enough to the river where you can watch over your canoe/kayaks. Nice flat spot to make getting out easy then once your gear is removed you can pull it a bit more on shore to keep safe from rising waters overnight. Literally THE BEST camping spot on the whole island cause the heat can be harsh this time of year and the shade here couldn't be any better. We did a one night trip from Uteley Bridge to fisherman's Park and this is a great halfway point. Bastrop River Company did an excellent job of informing us of rapids areas and also where to camp. Halfway between Uteley Bridge and this island is the best rope swing on the LEFT side paddling south if looking for adventure. There are ones closer to fishermen's Park past the island but they all seem private residential areas so not recommended. No rapids at all from Uteley Bridge to boy scout island but just two different spots past the island. First area is extremely mild. Second area is only a tad more worrisome. But still both are easy enough for amateurs. We stayed right side against first rapids and then far left against the 2nd. As long as you hug the left corner you'll be fine from possible tipping. Park your canoe on the island straight ahead of the 2nd rapids and cool off a bit in the water and have some lunch. Last thing I cant stress enough is Sunscreen Sunscreen Sunscreen. Checking back in with Bastrop River Company was easy peasy and we were back in the A/C of our vehicle within minutes.
This looks like your best bet for camping on this stretch of river. There's quite a bit of room - not exactly level, bring a good sleeping pad. You'll see the water intake (marked by round orange buoys) on river left a few hundred yards upriver, that's your clue to look for the island just downriver.
We camped there for one night. Our club made dinner and breakfast to eat. The food was excellent! It's a great spot to camp. We were there 01-19-2019. It was super windy. Around 8pm it does down. The temperature was dropping fast. It got down to 32 degrees or lower. There was frost in and on my tent. While we were sleeping we heard coyotes howling @ the moon. Good times!
Great little island with plenty of room for camping. Rocky as they say.. Some sand. Little River beaches. Good fishing. Pay attention for snakes especially after dark, but don't let that deter you. This is a great place to stop and camp
