One of my favorite tx state parks. Beautiful place, looking more like Big Bend area every year…read more Lots of Pinyon Pines. Only open Friday to Monday I guess because of remoteness. 5 or 6 full hookup rv sites and lots of other camp sites with community water. A bath/shower house. You can get cell service if you take one of the hilltop trails. The bats come April thru October and are spectacular. Went down into a different cave a few years back. They lead the tour and give you a helmet but you need to bring your own lights. Make reserves for this. Lots of trails and great western birds. Pack all your trash out, no dumpsters. Not sure how much longer they will be open because their water well is scrapping the bottom. Wish our gov $$ would help the parks a little more. Saving some of our precious water rather than letting all the crypto and ai data centers use it all up. What a waste. Better hurry and enjoy this gem before it is gone.

What used to be a ranch between 1920s to the 1980s, a rancher by the name of Seagram donated his…read moreland to the state of Texas creating the Kickapoo natural area. It wasn't until 2010, that it became a state park. The state park is unique from the others; whereas the CCC didn't take part in building certain areas. As you walk on different trails you will find a water trove I used to feed the animals that lived on the land. There's a loud creaky windmill that moves when the wind blows; you would think that a spaceship is landing because of his loud screeching noise. If you are a birdwatcher, you are in for treat since there is a variety of birds that live in the park. Stop by the headquarters to pick up birds of the park booklet. If you like strenuous long hikes, there are two trails: Arroyo Camino and Barbados. Both lookout trails, a rocky and rugged with a incline going upward. It is best to bring trekking poles to keep your balance. If you rock hounder like me, you would absolutely need to go on the cave tour. I would suggest that you are regular hiker and somewhat fit to keep up the endurance of the tour. There are some loose rocks that can hinder your balance if you step on them and incorrectly. You don't have to be super physically fit, but it is recommended that you are active in your daily life to be able to handle the cave tour. I would even suggest healthy elderly folks; there was a couple in their 70s that hiked for four hours in the hot and humid climate of the cave. I wore my Columbia hiking boots and felt secure when climbing over the thick rocks. The tour was delightful and very cool! The website will tell you to bring a headlamp but is recommended that you bring a flashlight. The headlamps are good when you're going into the smaller holes. If you are up for the challenge! Don't forget your flashlight! Because you will not be able to see where you are stepping without it. You will see scorpions crickets daddy long leg spiders, you will hear the barking frog and pitch blackness of nothing. This was the coolest cave tour that I've been on outside of the caverns of Sonora. I will even have to say that it tops natural bridge and inner Space Caverns. And the reason why is because you will see graffiti dating all the way back from 1887 from people like you and me who got to explore during their time. Another fun thing about the park, is that they have a bat cave that at around 7:45 p.m. the bats fly out of the cave. That's pretty gnarly rad!! If you're wondering well where do I sleep, I love the campsites here because some are secluded. Unlike at Blanco State Park, you'll enjoy peace and relaxation knowing that you could kick back in your chair read a nice book and listen to the birds sing without anyone watching you. Of course there's only a few campsites that have that option. Some campsite come with the picnic table covered which is an added bonus if you ever have to go through the extreme rainstorm that we had yesterday evening. Don't expect to roast more over the fire, because there's a burn ban. However they do allow propane grills and other options for you to cook. Desert terrain with its dryness, driftwood, dry heat, you got to love West Texas. With all of that in mind, Kickapoo Caverns State Park is still considered the least visited state park in the state of Texas. Unfortunately it is underrated, come visit this bomb.com ass park!

The Hill Country SNA provides for a scenic and tranquil experience of the area; it is often viewed…read moreas the boundary between the American South and Southwest regions. The Brazos River is the unofficial divider of East and West Texas, but the Hill Country serves as the physical boundary of two regions and not simply the state. Its defining characteristic is the karst topography that permeates the landscape. I recommend purchasing the Texas State Parks annual pass which allows for access to all Texas SNA for one year and supports the natural areas in the State of Texas. I really appreciated the staff at Hill Country SNA; I found numerous examples of the trail being maintained to prevent erosion and overuse using natural barriers like tree limbs. On Saturday, February 28th, 2026, I encountered a bobcat on Cougar Canyon Overlook Trail. Cats are very infrequently encountered in the wild by humans; I have seen many black bears in the Appalachian Mountains, but never a cat. If you desire to see a cat, I would recommend hiking in the morning or evening as they are crepuscular.

We decided to hike here on a gorgeous Sunday before the cold front hit, and so glad we did! Located…read morenear Bandera, the drive was nice through winding hills and views of exotic animals along the way. Upon entrance to the park, you'll notice a change in the road, not paved whatsoever. A bit of a rugged drive, but not outrageous. Parking was plentiful and we walked toward the visitor building. Inside that building was the most helpful and friendly park ranger, Ms. Juarez, happy to help and spend time to answer any questions. She gave us a nice big legible map and gave us suggestions on trails. Being our first time here, we opted for the "challenging " peak trail. It was a beautiful hike- plenty of signage, plants were labeled, and many variations of yuccas landscaped the area. The hike up to the peak was not that bad actually, not sure I'd call it challenging, but more moderate. It was very doable and there were quite a few benches along the way for beautiful views and/or to take a break. Coming down was easy and we took a few other trails back to the parking lot for alternate scenery. Horses and bikes are allowed. Bathrooms are located at the visitor center and at a few of the other parking lots. We had a pass- free entrance for military and for me as a family member $6 Wonderful place to hike! Approx an 1 1/2 drive from SA

Old Baldy Mountain is part of the Garner Park, one of the thing we didn't know is we need to pay a…read morecamping site and get a permit going in even we will not go for camping and we also need to pay the entrance fee. So the camping site fee is 15$ and then 8$ per person for the entrance fee. It's new to us because we are new to the area. So the baldy trail was for sure a steep one, it's a quick trail but steep and a little confusing. We have managed to hike to the peak and see the beautiful view. I advised to give them a call before going and wear close shoes to avoid any injuries. The place was really nice and clean.

I've been coming here since I was a kid. Now i take my kids. I've stayed in both the old primitive…read moretent sites, shelters, RV site, and the newer tint sites at the top. This is a family tradition at this point. My Kids and I love the dance and the hiking and the river. It used to be a yearly thing, but since it's gotten so busy and the kids have gotten bigger, we go about every other year now. I now have a daughter that is an adult herself and she still plans on coming.

Nice place to disconnect for a weekend. The grounds are clean and well maintained. There are lots…read moreof hiking options around the camping grounds. The camping sites are clean and spacious. The screened shelters are nice if you want to make a room inside or just to store things. Surprisingly enough, the bathrooms always seem to be clean and well stocked. They are also cold which is nice when it's hot out. The store offers lots of basic essentials in case you forgot anything and the gift shop is stocked with merch. There is currently some construction which can cause some headaches, but it's pretty minimal.

Nice quiet and clean park to walk or run along the San Felipe Creek. Along the trail you find spots…read moreto BarBQ, playgrounds, a pool, a bike lane and interesting historical markers. I went for a morning hike and storm Harold caused it to be cloudy, and a nice temperature to make the room even better. This place is pretty relaxing and on this morning @8AM only a few walkers on the trail.

6$ per day pit toilet no sinks or showers. Beautiful and clean. Much better than the rv sitesread more

This review is of the Amistad National Recreation Area Visitor Center. It is open 7 days a week and…read morealmost every day of the year. When we visited, the rangers/staff were happy to see us and were very kind. The displays take up most of one room but were definitely worth a quick stop and check. We especially liked the artifacts and reproductions of artifacts. Those are always interesting to see. They also had a display of animal skulls and tracks that I'm sure younger kids would have been even more fascinated than me. Well, my 12 year old brain enjoyed them and was amazed at how fierce something that size seems. If visiting the area, check it out next time.

EMILY Vickers writes: OK people.... Book your stay at this…read morewondrous "Out of Africa" experience ASAP before it gets 'discovered' and hard to get into! You'll feel like Isak Dinesan, Beryl Markham, and Denys Finch Hatton all in one! Uniquely beautiful and comfortable, Longhorn Guest Cabin has everything from dueling fireplaces on either end of the great hall, to sumptuous bedrooms with windows on either END of the beds... open behind the headboard to the interior space (with privacy blinds if needed) and at the footboard looking out over acres of luscious Texas cattle pasture... complete with wandering Longhorns just as gentle as they are (impressively) huge!... Kitchen is marvelous, as are the two bathrooms. Owners Debbie and Don Davis have spared no expense in up-dating this former hunter's cabin to accommodate the most discerning travelers and their cohort of adult family and friends. So many adventures to pursue around this 1800 acre property, but the cabin itself if hard to leave once you settle in to its intoxicating ambiance of age-old tradition and modern convenience. Did I mention the lovely pollinator garden or the spacious front porch from which you can watch the winged world of birds and insects float around just waiting to star in your telephoto lens masterpiece? There's no hunting on the property, so it's safe to hike or mountain bike the miles of trails crisscrossing land where the cattle (not buffalo) quietly roam. Quiet, by the way is the prevailing mood as the Cabin is some miles from any main road and even further from the nearest town, Tarpley, which is nonetheless charming and accessible. And don't get me started about the chance for those physically fit and intrepid individuals to explore one of the amazing underground caves recently discovered on the ranch. https://devinenews.com/exploring-a-treasure-beneath.../... The rental rate is so reasonable, we plan to go back for a longer stay... soon! Rating: Five stars!! Thanks, Don and Deb for opening up this treasure to people who will undoubtedly appreciate it as much as Tom and I did!!

From the owner: Specializing in birdwatching, hiking, nature photography and heritage Texas Longhorn cattle…read moreviewing, this quiet rural guest house is offered to adult guests and well-behaved dog guests.