There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in Texas and I just found my new favorite. Garner State park looks like a screen saver when you are there. I was so blown away by the beautiful water and scenery. A view of green hills that look to be endless as a backdrop to the blue water of the Frio River. There were people Kayaking, swimming, fishing and floating down the river in tubes and several scenic hiking trails so there seems like a lot to do. There is even and outdoor miniature golf course.
Luckily I was able to spend the day with not only my best friend but a nice family that we ended up spending the day with sharing snacks and stories. There are little stores within the park where you can buy snacks and drinks and last minute supplies. It was so nice to talk to a family where you could tell the dad was so involved in his children's lives. The children were respectful and well behaved and really liked being included in our conversations with their parents about sports and how Texas has evolved over the years them being Native Texans themselves. They mentioned that they go to Garner State Park every year and spend a week camping on the park grounds.
Personally Camping is not my thing I always feel like I am going to have spiders and other bugs crawling in my ears. Then I start getting paranoid about wild animals. Luckily there is an alternative you are able to rent log cabins which I definitely want to do. I imagine it would be so peaceful to rent a cabin and just spend a week away from all the busyness of living in a huge city.
We were told you can see every star in the sky at night since the park is far from any large cities or even small cities. We didn't stay late enough for it to get dark because we did not want to drive through the hills at night with no street lights. The surrounding towns make you feel like you have time traveled because the buildings are old and everything seems so cozy and peaceful. There was an American and Texas Flags in front of almost every house and a church on every corner a reminder these people love God and their country. I thought it would be a cool project to do a collage of photos of all the Art displaying the American and Texas flags and all the actual flags themselves.
We only took a day trip so we didn't get to visit all the different swimming holes or the rapids where people tube the river. I can't wait to go back and explore the park. We did get to hike a trail that had a beautiful view and spent the rest of the day swimming to cool off. Nearby you can try the Gardner Grill we had burgers that we surprisingly really good. They tasted better then a lot of the burgers I have had at restaurants. Also if you ever wanted to try deer they sell deer meat burgers there. They do accept credit cards in case you are wondering. There is also a place to buy ice-cream and a dance hall where people who are camping can go to dance the night away.
There was music playing from the dance hall when we arrived at the park and the man that was working at the candy shop accepted a dance offer from one of the guests. He had just started working at the park and told us he already loves his job when we had talked to him earlier in the day. I could easily see why he felt that way. I snapped a picture because I thought It was sweet. The guest was leaving and my guess is she just wanted one last dance before going home.
*Click on any of the photos to mentioned supplies if you are interested in getting details about them or place an order. *
I will leave you with a few tips to end with:
- Get to the park early. They let a certain amount of people into the park everyday so if you get there late you might not get in. Don't try to skip the line not only out of being considerate but the park employees will completely ignore you they wont even look at you car. If you lose track of time just call the park to make sure they are still allowing people in. Click here to visit the park site for contact info.
- Grab a Map. Ask for a map when you pay for park entry. There are a lot of trails that take you to different places and you want to get on the right one. Its also a good idea to keep the map with you while you are hiking so you do not get lost.
- Bring Plenty of Water. Don't go hiking without water. Some of the trails are long and the heat makes you dehydrated quickly. I always take my Alaska Life canteen with me and fill it with ice and water. I keep extra water in my bag and just refill my canteen since it keeps ice the whole day. We went on a hike in 110 degree heat which probably was not the greatest idea even though the hike we took was shaded with a lot of trees and my canteen still had ice in it at the end of the day.
- Bring cash. You will need cash to pay for park entry. Also some of the shops don't accept credit cards.
- Bring a blanket for someplace to sit. There are ants and spiders on some of the rocks so you don't want to put your stuff or sit directly on the ground.
- If you plan on tubing bring a good air pump. I would assume if you do plan on going tubing you won't want to spend the whole day trying to blow air into it the old fashioned way. For people living in small spaces or small cars that like the outdoors typically inflatable kayaks, and paddle boards are great to have. A good air pump will save you a lot of time when using these items. The inflatable kayak in the link below is on sale and surprisingly affordable.
- Do NOT hike in Flip Flops! You wouldn't think this is a common mistake but the EMT at the park told us she has seen people with broken ankles for not wearing the right shoes. Wear hiking shoes and if you don't have any wear tennis shoes. I wore tennis shoes and still slipped and fell on my butt.Considering how much I like hiking I will be buying some new hiking shoes before I go again. Merrell, Keen, and The North Face make great shoes for outdoor activities. The North Face usually makes more stylish designs. They are always the most comfortable when I try them on at REI but they can get pricey. I saw the same water shoes I bought at REI online for 30% less.
- Bring Water Shoes. For almost any swimming hole you visit in Hill Country you will need water shoes. The same rocks that filter the water to make it beautiful and clean will hurt to step on. I bought some that are closed toe since you might not want to stub your toe on larger rocks underwater when you are walking. Plus at Garner State park there are these little spiders that blend into the rocks and you probably wont want to walk around barefoot on those.
Original Article with additional pictures can be found here: NativeTexanTravel.com