Major let down
Garner State Park
- 3/19/2011
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20 minutes north of Garner SP is Lost Maples SP. The trails are better, the views are better and the trees are better. And, unless it's fall, it is much less crowed. However, if you're looking to go swimming, stay with Garner. My husband and I went hiking at Garner last weekend (3/19/11) and were horribly disappointed. The trails are pretty bad, the crowds were loud and there was litter/graffiti all over the park. Even after an hour of hiking we could hear the obnoxious music of the pavillion. The trails were crowded with people who could not read hiking maps, were ill equiped for trails made entirely of loose rock, and did not seem to be enjoying nature at all. Go to Garner SP to enjoy the river and the "party atmosphere", but not to enjoy quality hiking.
One of the best hikes in the area
Inks Lake State Park
- 3/12/2011
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Distance: 7.00 Miles
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My husband and I have spent several years hiking around south and central Texas (as well as New Mexico, Colorado, west Texas, etc). While I would not rate Inks Lake with some of the bigger National Parks that we've hiked, it is one of the best state park hikes we've had in the area. Even on a crowded spring Saturday, the farther trails were pretty much empty, and most of those we saw on the trails were there with dogs and good attitudes. The trail markers were easy to identify. I would take a few highlighters and mark up your map to the color-coded map posted at the trail-head, as these colors will correspond to the trail markers.
For a post-hike cool down, be sure to check out the Devil's Watering Hole.
Overall, I was surprised by how impressed I was with Inks Lake State Park.
Panther Creek NT
Panther Canyon Nature Trail
- 1/30/2011
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Distance: 1.50 Miles
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My husband and I are locals to the New Braunfels, Canyon Lake areas and hiked Panther Canyon NT last Sunday. FYI as of jan 2011, all of the markers and half the bridges are gone. I would assume it was from last summer's flood. It is still navigable (and honestly should be refered to as a "walk" and not a "hike"), but if you were looking to take advantage of the interpretive map to learn about the nature trail, I would wait until the markers are replaced. Another heads up, without the markers identifying the end of the trail is not easy. All of the sudden you end up walking next to someone's backyard with their dogs going crazy.
Texas State Parks
Bastrop State Park
- 12/16/2010
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Keep in mind that you can also become a member of Texas Parks and Wildlife. My husband and I have been members for over five years and absolutely LOVE IT. When you become a member, you are not charged enterance fees (except to some of the cave tours like Longhorn Caverns), the membership fee goes towards park conservations, you receive 50% off camping coupons, and members discounts at the state park stores. Bastrop/Beuscher SPs are among some of our favorites, including Pedernales, Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples, and Garner State Parks. Also, as of right now, you do not need a state fishing license to fish inside a state park. So instead of buying a fishing license we buy a state park pass and go fishing in all the different state parks. This policy is not garunteed to continue, but has been active for the past several years.
Trail Name
Guadalupe Trails (South and North)
- 12/15/2010
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There will be confusion because you have labeled this trail under Guadalupe Park. I live a few miles away and to the best of my knowledge, this "trail" does not have a name, it is simply known as the "Nature Trail". It is on the Guadalupe River and is a pleasant and short walk through the trees. The confusion comes from the neighboring Guadalupe State Park which is about 20 minutes away on the other side of Bulverde. Some of the posts I read were refering to the trails at the State Park while the map and other posts were refering to the Nature Trail. If you are going to visit the Nature Trail make sure you stop off across the street at the Canyon Lake Dam. While not an official trail, if you will follow the shore away from the dam you can hike your way over and around bolders, away from the summer time crowds and get to a seldom visited cove that is great for swimming or fishing.