Inks Lake State Park
Devil's Waterhole in Inks Lake State Park
LocationBurnet County, Texas
Nearest cityBurnet
Coordinates30°43′52″N 98°22′14″W / 30.73111°N 98.37056°W / 30.73111; -98.37056
Area1,201 acres (486 ha)
Established1950
Visitors232,690 (in 2022)[1]
Governing bodyTexas Parks and Wildlife Department
WebsiteOfficial website

Inks Lake State Park is a state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States, next to Inks Lake on the Colorado River. The landscape of the park is hilly, with many cedar, live oak, prickly pear cacti, and yuccas. The ground is rocky, mainly consisting of gneiss rock.

Devil's Waterhole is a small extension of Inks Lake, which is almost completely surrounded by rock. A canoe tour is conducted at Devil's Waterhole, and although diving and swimming may be done at the waterhole, it is at one's own risk, without a lifeguard.

Geology

Gneiss rock found throughout the park.

The park is located in the eastern edge of a Mesoproterozoic exposure within the Llano Uplift. The rocks of the park are named for the park as the Inks Lake Gneiss, a granitic gneiss dated at 1,232 million years old.[2]

A visible, slightly pinkish rock peeks through the limestone rock in the park, a type of metamorphic rock called Valley Spring gneiss ("nice"). This metamorphic rock is often mistaken for town mountain granite since they are very similar in color and texture. The small granite that only appears in the park has veins cutting through the gneiss in and around the rock.[3]

Over millions of years, intense heat and pressure are frequently applied to the original rock that eventually formed these gneiss rocks. The original rocks were sedimentary (formed from sand, silt, and mud) and igneous (likely granite). Inks lake contains many wildflowers, grasses, forbs, mosses, lichens, and ferns that grow on these rocky outcrops. Over hundreds of years, larger rocks are broken down into gravels and soil by the plants that grow in crevices and at the outcrops' base.[4]

Nature

Animals

The most common mammals are white-tailed deer, raccoon, fox squirrel, nine-banded armadillo, skunk and rabbit. You may occasionally see fox, ringtail and coyote.[5]

Common birds include turkey vultures, black vultures, great blue herons, snowy egrets, mallard and wood ducks, northern cardinals, scissor-tailed flycatchers, Carolina chickadees, Bewick's wrens, red-tailed hawks and house sparrows. There is a bird blind in the park.

Reptiles documented in the park are western diamondback rattlesnake, western cottonmouth, Texas coral snake, diamondback water snakes and red-eared sliders

Flora

Common trees here are Ashe juniper, honey mesquite, cedar elm, live oak, post oak, Texas persimmon, pecan and willow.

Native grasses include blue grama, sideoats grama and buffalograss. Many wildflowers, such as Texas bluebonnets, Indian blankets and Indian paintbrushes, bloom in the spring.

A wide variety of cacti, from the prickly pear to the tasajillo, barrel cactus and lace cactus groin the park. You will also see yucca and beebrush.

Water conditions

Conservation Pool Elevation usually stays around 888.22 ft. msl; however, this lake does fluctuate about 1 foot annually. Inks lake water clarity can be seen as clear to slightly stained mostly throughout the year. It tends to have higher turbidity during the rainy season due to excessive amounts of runoff.

Fishing Regulations

All species of fish are currently managed under statewide regulations. Bow fishers on this lake are subject matter to a special regulations which is enforced by the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority)[6]

Angling Opportunities

Inks Lake is most noted for its picturesque scenery, but the fishing here can be good as well. It includes under-rated largemouth bass and Guadalupe bass populations, along with several species of sunfish (bream). White bass are regularly caught in the reservoir, and a low-density white crappie population is present. Channel and flathead catfish occur throughout the reservoir.[7]

Species Poor Fair Good Excellent
Largemouth Bass x
Catfish x
Crappie x
White & Striped Bass x
Sunfish x

[8]

Fishing Cover/Structure

Inks Lake offers a wide variety of cover and structure for fishes species. The shoreline contains various rock piles, ledges, and chunk rock banks. Brush piles and gravel beds have been placed near fishing piers and other strategic locations to attract more fish. Several private boat docks, particularly on the west side of the lake, hold fish year-round. Watercolor in the reservoir is fairly clear.[9]

Reservoir Controlling Authority

Lower Colorado River Authority

3700 Lake Austin Blvd.

Austin, Texas 78703

(512) 473-3200 or 1(800) 776-5272

Lake Maps

Good commercial maps are available at area map, tackle, and sporting goods stores. A free, downloadable camping guide of the Highland Lakes area is available in the map section of the LCRA website.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Christopher Adams. "What is the most visited state park in Texas? Here's the top 10 countdown". KXAN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ Reese, Joseph F., et al., Mesoproterozoic chronostratigraphy of the southeastern Llano uplift, central Texas, Geological Society of America Bulletin 2000;112;278-291
  3. ↑ "Inks Lake State Park Nature — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Inks Lake State Park Nature — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Inks Lake State Park Nature — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Fishing Inks Lake". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Fishing Inks Lake". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Fishing Inks Lake". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Fishing Inks Lake". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Fishing Inks Lake". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Inks Lake State Park.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.