5 Stars for its history!…read more Wish I could remember all that our NPS tour guide explained to us. What I do remember the guide saying it's the only Ranch of its kind left in the world, although the details on that claim have escaped my memory. Also none of what the 1936 historical marker is true but they leave it as it's historical maker in itself... which I find a little more hysterical than historical. The mounds in the area that I have many pictures of, are of the original Mission walls that were covered up to preserve them. In the center where the marker is located, is where the church would have stood. Mission Rancho de las Cabras is only open to public a few times a year. I joined a group from Yelp for an Unofficial Yelp Event to meet up and explore together. Although I arrived late, I arrived just in time for the archeological and history tour which is exactly why I wanted to head out there in the first place. I have been enjoying my history lessons of the local missions that I've been on lately. This really is more of a just an old Texas ranch more than anything else. It's great for some that have never had a chance to be on a ranch before plus the historic value of the ranch itself. I hope the best for the NPS keeping the ranch preserved for future generations.

Written on National Trails Day, 06/02/2018:…read more Rancho de las Cabras is part of the Missions, deemed a World Heritage Site, and is rarely open. Before visiting I kept reading articles about how it was a "forgotten World Heritage gem" and now I understand. As I write this review and reflect on my visit, I'm feeling a bit sad. I mean, I am glad to have had the opportunity to finally make it to an event when it's open (only open twice this year), and I really enjoyed the three tours I went on learning about birds, the architecture, grounds, etc... but it's so sad that there is much work to be done to preserve and restore this historic site, and yet there is no funding, no resources, and no solutions. Ruins buried (literally) and forgotten.

The family and I went out to catch fireflies. There is a gravel walkway to take a nice stroll…read more Along the path are markers of the nature in the area. Parking is close by or close to the bridge. Visitors can also fish near the bridge as well. There are also water fountains for humans and pets next to the public restrooms. There are benches along the path and trash cans. Also, this place is great for capturing photos of nature. The area is a flood zone so be careful when it rains. Check out the Schertz Parks and Rec website for more information.

Someone moved the boulders to keep people from driving in the creek. They destroyed fish spawning…read moreareas doing this. Would you want to fish where cars drove in?

Emmitt park has a huge playscape, a basketball pavilion, pickleball and volleyball areas. This park…read moreis inclusive for all children. They are open Monday - Friday from 7 am - sunset. Check times for Saturday and Sunday, they close the park for service times. Emmitt park is clean and well maintained. You can have a picnic at any of their tables. Some of the tables are covered and some have trees covering them. I will be coming back soon!

This is such a cool park! My family was trying to find a halfway point to meet up at and this came…read moreup. It's large and enclosed and I love how the big kid area at the top is only accessible by ladders or hanging rings so some toddlers can't accidentally wander up. There are slides of all sizes and a part that is wheelchair accessible. I do wish the splash pad had an on/off switch. It was in the 40s this morning and so many parents were chasing their kids to keep out of the water. Also, while the ground at the playground is soft, it is not level- there are dips and random potholes. I almost twisted an ankle- twice and kids kept tripping and falling. Other than this, it's a great place! There is ample parking, ball courts in the back, clean restrooms and a water fountain with a bottle filler on it (yes!).

Camped here with a group over Veterans Day weekend. Starting with the pros.. our campsite was huge!…read moreWe had enough space for three tents, plus could have fit at least one more. The bathrooms were clean, and each campsite had a nice cover over the table. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. However, the hiking trails were really just walking trails and weren't that exciting. We were also woken up every morning at 5am because the duck hunters would unload near our site and walk down to the lake. If you did manage to fall asleep you were soon woken up to gunshots starting around 6:30 for hunting. The first night, right at dusk, we were attacked by some sort of nasty flying bug.. I think maybe industrial terminates because they came from the ground. It was terrorizing. But didn't happen the second night. And the Javelina's were really cool to see, but an absolute nightmare for our guardian dog. They do get close to the campsite, even if people are out, and our dog declared them as public enemy number one. So we were always on edge and looking for them before he caught wind of them. If you are looking for a chill spot to just hang and camp, I recommend. But if you are looking for more activities in a park, this honestly wasn't the place. The kids activities that were scheduled for the Saturday were cancelled, which was disappointing.

Honestly Disappointed, was wanting to go fishing couldn't find a good place because there was no…read morewater where the dock is. We ended finding an okay spot in the south of choke canyon state park however, we had to walk through the tall dead grass was getting thorns in my shoes went to my feet. Just was a huge disappointment to me in my opinion.

Helton Nature Park has an access point to the San Antonio River for paddlers--canoes and kayaks…read more The park has a lot of other amenities, whether you go for a hike under the tall pecan trees on a quiet morning, or you reserve the pavilion for a celebration. The playground has lots of shade, and there is a fun zipline ride and a basketball ball court nearby. There are benches and a reading nook under a giant live oak tree. The park has lots of campgrounds and picnic tables. It's also part of the historic Camino Real. Helton Nature Park is worth a trip.

We camped in this place for the first time . It's a beautiful park where you can practice your…read morecamping skills. We brought tents and everything we needed and we are about to spend the night here .

Love this park if people actually kept up with it and didn't let it go to crap! I have been to many…read moreevents here and the water they have going though the park is so beautiful just ties everything together. They have a running trail and different little activities to do. Like workout machines or monkey bars. It's one of my favorites tucked away on the southeast side of town I just wish people wouldn't let it go to crap

This is just the most fabulous park. We stayed in the hotel across the street and just happened on…read morethis gem. There are electric bike rentals, at the beginning and end. If you want to take in all the sights you might want to take advantage of these. In the park there are green spaces, artwork, dog parks, ping pong tables, exercise equipment and so much more. We can't wait to visit this beautiful park again.

Beautiful! Nice area for a picnic, a little walk, or a dip in the river! Visiting in October, the…read morewater is still pleasant- not too cold- and the park isn't too crowded. Well worth a look-see!

The weather was perfect for a day of fishing and even swimming, if you can believe it! My daughters…read morehad a wonderful time at this park. It is maintained well and has restrooms and picnic tables for visitors. A friendly reminder: make sure to utilize the grills provided instead of bringing your own.

Took a short hike on my lunch break after eating in my car. I hiked about a mile down an elevated…read moretrail, which ended at another park. Also took a short walk down to the river on a trail that was fairly steep. The main trail is paved and easily handicapped accessible. There are placards on the trail, displaying wildlife, early inhabitants, etc. it was pretty interesting . The park also has an old farmhouse and area around the house with display set up and placards describing each item, nice trip through history.

Nice little green space tucked away across from a subdivision near I35. There are two parks side by…read moreside with a playground, splash pad, pavilions, and clean bathrooms. The trail map shows two very short trails (.04 and .05 miles), but we managed to get in 4 miles by veering off the dirt trail onto unmarked trails. The main paved trail is shaded about 50% of the way and the dirt/rock trail is not shaded at all (unless you veer off into the woods like we did). There's a small creek that runs along the dirt trail so we saw lots of people fishing. (The water is gross so it's not suitable for swimming.) Lots of parking and some historical buildings to see. Overall a great find--we'll be back.

Great, secluded state park next to a neighborhood. I'd consider Palmetto a hidden gem in Texas. I…read moredrove here from Austin and it took me about 1.5 hours. The way I took lead me down a neighborhood street, which led me straight to the park's headquarters. They had a small and very limited selection of gifts for purchase, but the park ranger there was friendly and recommended a couple of trails and points of interest. I hiked a series of trails along the outside perimeter of the park, which combined was about 3.5 miles. Each new segment had a different ecosystem and it was interesting to see different sights and hear new sounds. The trails are mostly shaded, though I went on an overcast day. There's also a low river crossing where I saw some people fishing on. At all Texas state parks, no fishing license is needed to fish. The sound of the river was soothing and refreshing. I genuinely enjoyed my time here and would love to return here to visit again someday.

We really enjoyed our time at Palmetto State Park, despite the inclement weather we experienced…read more The park is beautiful and well maintained. Lots of families get day passes for the playground, swimming, and fishing. We stayed at a water only campsite right next to Oxbow Lake, that was also within walking distance to the park headquarters. There were TONS of gorgeous trail options and we were able to hike about 4 miles around the park. Although the park no longer offers boat rentals (you can bring your own), they do have a fishing loaner system, which we took advantage of. All the park rangers and volunteers were lovely. April was our Park Host and she was on top of it! She patrols diligently and even helped clear a water moccasin from the roadway. The only reason for this four star review is because of the parks bathrooms. The campgrounds aren't huge, but there are only two family style bathrooms in each campground. Each bathroom is a toilet/shower combination, so during peak season, I could see campers waiting a long time for the facilities. The bathrooms were also poorly maintained (dirt, bugs, critter poop, etc) plus day visitors have access to the campground bathrooms, which also poses a problem for accessibility.