BASTROP, Texas — Texas is fortunate to have 80 state parks in virtually every part of the state. And one of the most unusual ones – a park that celebrates the "Lost Pines" – is located in Bastrop County.
Bastrop State Park has a long, colorful history.
During the Great Depression, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps came to Bastrop County to create a new state park near historic Bastrop, the third-oldest settlement in Texas. Some of the park's best features are the historic cabins built from stone in the 1930s and still used by park-goers nearly 90 years later.
Bastrop State Park is set among the "Lost Pines" of Texas, the westernmost stand of loblolly pines in the U.S. They're called the "Lost Pines" because they're cut off from similar stands of pines that populate East Texas.
In fact, the park is a mosaic of pines, oaks and savannah grasses.
But all of that was nearly lost a decade ago. In 2011, a devastating fire tore through Bastrop County, dramatically altering the landscape.
But today, park visitors can witness a new forest rising from the ashes and find regrowth with new grasses, flowers and shrubs popping up, plus plenty of those 80-foot-tall pines.
Whether it's for a picnic, a camping trip, a stay in a historic cabin or simply a hike on one of the many trails, thousands of people visit each year to enjoy the serenity of a true survivor: Bastrop State Park.
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