Garner State Park is a state park in Concan, Texas right on the Frio River. If you’re from Texas, chances are you’ve heard of the famous Frio which boasts temperatures of around 68 degrees even in the heat of summer. Garner State Park is the most popular state park in Texas for overnight camping and I know understand why! We spent a long weekend here in April and enjoyed some of the last cool weather before summer. Garner books up really quickly and sometimes months and months in advance, so be aware of that.
Where to stay?
We scored reservations for the River Crossing Loop and set up camp there with our travel trailer. The site was spacious with a picnic table and close access to restrooms and trails. One of our favorite things about State Parks is how affordable and dog friendly they are, and Garner was no different. We saw so many people with their dogs out on the trails – it was great!
What to do?
With only two days to spend at the park, and a newborn in tow, we chose to explore some of the parks more kid friendly activities. We did several easy walks close to the campground, the river is only a 5 minute walk. And while it was too cold outside for us to swim, we enjoyed walking along the banks and admiring the Cypress trees. Another really cool aspect of the park is the little grocery store and souvenir shop within the park. This was something we haven’t seen at any of our other State Parks yet, but it was great because you are pretty far from the nearest town once you’re within the park.
They also have really affordable kayak, boat and paddle board rentals right on the main portion of the river. We decided to rent a pedal boat for an hour because this was the most baby friendly activity but it was amazing. The water is so clear and so clean! If you’ve been to other Hill Country rivers, you know that this is usually not the case. It was beautiful!
While the baby and I rested in the camper, my husband, 6 year old and our dog ventured out to explore some Crystal Cave via the Old Baldy trail. My 3 week postpartum body wasn’t quite ready for an uphill hike but I was very jealous because the views looked spectacular!
Overall, I can see why this is one of Texas’ most beloved State Parks. The combination of mountain vistas and the clearest river I’ve seen outside of Europe, with lot’s of built in activities makes it a no brainer to come and vacation here. We will definitely be back!
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Thanks so much for this post! Heading to Garner State Park this fall.