Dana Peak Park

Dana Peak is hands-​down my favorite spot near Killeen to get a taste of nature: lots of trails, hills, scenic views of the meadows and Still house Hollow Lake. Big plus to the Eagle Scout who put up a map of the trails near the parking area. However, be warned that in several places, the trails are horribly eroded, rutted, and rough. The rains this spring caused a lot of damage that has not been repaired yet. I was jogging last week and watched a mountain biker do a full face-​plant when his front wheel was swallowed into a huge pothole/​rut on a downhill section. The Corps of Engineers administer the park, but the trails area can be accessed without paying an entry fee — perhaps it’s simply lack of funding that prevents them sending a skidsteer down there to smooth out the worst spots.

Did a trail run this morning with my platoon and it was incredible. Beautiful views, great trails, great opportunity to break up the monotony of a normal run day. Amazing weather! What a great way to kick off the second half of the week!

Love it out here. The hiking trails and water always leave me feeling refreshed and is great to have in our community. It’s never too crowded and is a good get away destination for the day.

With all the storms we’ve been getting lately I’m glad to see it being translated into something positive. The lake has definitely risen since my last visit here. The rocky shores and sandy muddy beach was patched over by water.
I really appreciate that active military gets in free and that they do a very good job of keeping the place clean. We’ve been having a BBQ once a month for our soldiers while at the same time docking some volunteer hours picking up recyclables and dangerous objects such as broken bottles around the lake.
The best time to come on Saturdays is before nine before it gets too hot and before the crowds show up.

A nice park for camping. Large sites with 30 and 50 amp electric and water hookups for RVs. There are no sewer hookups but there is a conveniently located dump station. There are also several tent sites that also have water and electricity available. All of the sites are close to the lake and offer great views. There are other amenities for picnics, boating, swimming, etc. and there are hiking trails.
The biggest draw back is the lack of mature trees for shade.
The park is run by the Army Corp of Engineers and the price is definitely right.

Oh my goodness, my husband and I did not like this park. We really enjoy the peace and quiet of camping. We also really like trees when camping… this park has no trees and no peace and quiet… All campsites are right on the lake which is nice, but they are lined up in a neat little row with no trees in sight. There doesn’t seem to be any rules about how many people to a campsite or how much noise you can make. To one side of us there was a family reunion of sorts with about 50 people at 1 campsite… they had a PA system with a mic and a full band and partied all day long. It was amazing how loud it was. When they quieted down, this queued the folks to the other side of us to take out their strobe light and music system (no joke) and belch and drink beer while screaming along with country and late 90’s rap music until about 1 am. There was about 20 of them and they had reserved all the sites to the left of us. The camp host seemed to enjoy it all. I suppose if this is what your expectations are of camping, then this is a great place. It was never a dull moment between the 2 parties… Someone even almost drowned so when the paramedics and cops came, that added a whole other level to the «excitement» (the guy is ok)…My husband and I still tried to enjoy ourselves by kayaking and fishing, though it was all pretty lousy. My dog had a good time, so that’s something…

Great for mountain biking and trail running. Have a blast everytime I go

I went there on a Sunday afternoon. I got a late start and didn’t want to wander around in the dark, so only got to see a small portion of the trail. What I did see of it I was very impressed. I liked the hils; not too steep but just enough of a challenge for my mostly sedentary body to enjoy. I intend to go back when I have more time so I can see the rest of it.

I’ve been to Dana Peak Park a few times and it really is one of the best days you can spend a day outside in this area. I have it four stars simply because in the area I’m talking about, the parking is very limited and there are no water or restroom facilities. In the larger part of the park (past the pay gate) there are restrooms and picnic areas as well as a boat ramp.
When you enter the park off of Comanche Gap Road, you will see the entrance gate. If you drive through this gate, it will cost you $ 4. However, if you park at the small parking area before the gate, you will not be required to pay a fee to enter. This area is approximately 2.4 miles from the turn onto Comanche Gap from FM 2410.
We spent an afternoon here recently and hiked for an hour but didn’t see even a fraction of the trails. Biking is allowed but vehicles such a motorcycles are not.
You’ll get plenty of hills (varying degrees of difficulty) to explore. Your canine friend will enjoy the trip as well. There are even some places you could let them off the leash if you were so inclined. ;)