In May 2024, the Austin American-Statesman took a ride across RGK Ranch in an all-terrain vehicle. Longtime ranch manager John Barber drove past fields of Indian blanket, sycamore stands and a black walnut scarred by lightning, then down rocky slopes to Bee Creek. The land is so hilly, Barber joked, that "it would be 3,000 acres if you flattened it out." That Statesman column also reported that spring-fed water keeps Bee Creek from ever running dry.
Two and a half years on, the public still can't get in. Travis County owns the ranch, and it can't be developed. What hasn't been settled is how people will reach it, what will be built there and what the hilltop house will become. Those choices are being made now, and the county's public input survey is open through Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Paid For, Protected, and Still Closed
RGK Ranch takes its name from the initials of Ronya and George Kozmetsky. The family used the land as a private retreat for more than 50 years. It covers about 1,500 acres off Texas 71 between Bee Cave and Spicewood, east of Milton Reimers Ranch Park. Right now the only way in is Reimers-Peacock Road.
The financing explains why the county is planning for a park and nothing else. According to the Statesman and KUT, the $90 million price broke down like this:
Piece of the deal | Amount |
|---|---|
2023 Proposition B parks bond, west-county land share | $60 million |
Certificates of obligation, no voter approval required | $30 million |
Purchase price paid by the county | $90 million |
Nadya Scott's donated family share, which lowered the price | About $30 million |
Unsolicited developer offers, per the family | More than $130 million |
Development was a real possibility. Jeff Francell of the Nature Conservancy in Texas, who helped negotiate the sale, told the Statesman the ranch had entitlements for about 1,400 homes, plus extensive commercial development along Texas 71. KUT reported Commissioner Ann Howard's explanation that the county bought the land on the condition that it stay wilderness parkland in perpetuity. That condition takes the biggest question off the table. Whatever comes next is about access and how the land gets used.
One Road In, and a Debate Over a Second
On Oct. 7, Travis County held an open house in the Lake Travis Middle School cafeteria on Bee Creek Road. Neighbors met the planning team there and reviewed early ideas. Community Impact reported that several people supported mountain biking trails and hiking access. Opinions split over access points, though, and especially over whether to open an entrance from Hwy. 71, since the land is reached today only by Reimers-Peacock Road.
For anyone living along that corridor, this is the decision that will matter most once the park opens. The entrance determines which roads carry park traffic on Saturday mornings, where trailhead parking ends up and how a 1,500-acre preserve fits next to the homes around it. The county's RGK survey asks respondents to rank potential uses and preferred amenities, and its Reimers survey asks separately which access points people use now and which could be improved.
Charles Bergh, a former Travis County Parks director, described the basic constraint to KUT in 2024: "You can't just buy a piece of property and just open the gate and let the public go all over it. You have to have facilities for parking and restrooms." Where those facilities go depends on where the gate goes.
What the Ranch Could Hold
The planning team includes RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, Civilitude, Hicks & Company and Second Spatial. The county describes RGK as rocky uplands, limestone bluffs, creek corridors and wooded madrone stands. Two places on the property will be kept as the park develops: Casa Blanca, a hilltop house overlooking the ranch, and the Memorial Garden.
These are the uses under discussion. They are input concepts, not commitments:
- Backcountry hikes and conservation areas for environmental education, as the county's own page frames them
- Hiking trails, mountain biking trails and scenic overlooks
- Camping and an outdoor adventure course
- Equine facilities
- A restored visitor center and a nature and science center
- A possible venue at Casa Blanca or in other significant spaces, which the survey asks about directly
The Casa Blanca question is the one with the most room left. A hilltop house could become a quiet overlook or a bookable venue, and each choice brings a different level of activity to the ranch.
Reimers Is Growing on the Same Timeline
The same planning effort covers Reimers Ranch. The county is adding about 475 acres of new parkland southeast of the existing park, which brings the combined planning area to 3,689 acres along the Pedernales River, just north of Hamilton Pool Preserve. The Statesman identified that addition as the Castletop property. The county paid $40 million for it in a deal that closed in April 2024, a month before RGK.
Ideas for the larger Reimers include new hiking trails, river and fishing access, overlooks, night-sky programs, mountain biking and camping. Habitat restoration and wildlife observation are on the list as well. Reimers has a separate survey.
The two parks sit close together but don't touch. Linking them is part of the Travis County Parks Comprehensive Plan, but the county would first have to buy land from a willing seller. Community Impact reported that the link probably won't arrive by the time both parks are finished, though it could happen within the plan's 2026 to 2036 window. So for the foreseeable future, each park will have its own entrances, which makes the RGK access decision more important.
The Calendar From Here
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: Online comment closes for both parks. Questions go to [email protected].
- Early 2027: Travis County Parks presents a final vision plan, which sets how much funding the work will need.
- The following two to five years: A Travis County Parks Foundation volunteer gave Community Impact this estimate for completing the improvements. It is a volunteer's estimate, not a county schedule.
Bergh told KUT that the pace would depend on funding decided in the county's annual budget process.
Reimers in the Meantime
Until RGK opens, Reimers at 23610 Hamilton Pool Road remains the nearby option, and several things have changed this fall. The county's park page lists:
- Beach road: Open seven days a week for dropping off people and gear, with no parking at beach level. The county expects to close it on busy swimming weekends and holidays starting in late spring 2027.
- Granite Hiking Trail: Parts of the trail closed for an improvement project that began Oct. 14. The county estimated about two weeks of work, so it's worth checking the page before a hike.
- Burn ban: No wood fires, ground fires or charcoal grills. Only covered propane grills set above ground are allowed.
- Entry: No reservations. The park is first come, first served and open daily from 7 a.m. to civil twilight.
Reimers Observatory lists public programs on Friday, Nov. 6, Sunday, Nov. 8 and Wednesday, Nov. 11. Reservations are required, and the county notes that programs usually fill within a few days and drop off the site once full. The observatory asks visitors to pay in cash so fees can be collected before the program starts.
A gated preserve of about 1,500 acres will change daily life along Hwy 71 and Reimers-Peacock Road once it opens, and the routes and buildings chosen now will set much of that. If you own land near RGK or Reimers and want to talk about how the plan may affect your property, Susan Barringer is glad to go through it with you.
