Get out and explore the incredible Texas Hill Country and enjoy the Texas state parks. Most of the state parks offer overnight camping in primitive as well as full hookup sites, and many offer cabin rentals.
There are plenty of great outdoor activities, and a few offer unique options like exploring underground caves, fishing, horseback riding, and dancing.
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Visitors to the Texas state parks will be glad to know that you do not need a fishing license to fish within the state parks. As long as you stay within the state park boundaries, you won’t need a fishing license, but you might need to pay a state park entry fee.
The state parks mentioned here offer a junior ranger program for kids. Kids pick up a Junior Ranger Activity Journal from the information center, complete the tasks inside, and receive a Junior Ranger badge.
If spending time in nature, exploring outdoors with your family, and taking time to recharge your batteries sounds good to you, then read on. Discover these seven beautiful Texas Hill Country State Parks that you should definitely visit.
South Llano River State Park
You’ll find the South Llano River state park on the southwestern side of Texas Hill County. It is 67 miles northwest of Fredericksburg or 120 miles northwest of San Antonio. It’s a popular park for hiking, camping, and playing in the South Llano River. There are over 20 miles of trails for hiking.
This Texas Hill Country park is great for families with small children, as the river is spring-fed and slow-moving with fantastic spots for playing in the water with your water toys. Bring your own tubes to float the two miles of river, or rent one at the park.
Most of the campsites here have electricity and water hookups. A restroom with showers is close by. Primitive camping is also available, with six walk-in sites and five hike-in sites.
Garner State Park
Garner State Park is 1,774 acres in the scenic Texas Hill Country that surrounds 2.9 miles of the Frio River. Families have come here for decades to go swimming or to float the river. Garner is located in the Texas Hill Country, 98 miles northwest of Fredericksburg and 92 miles west of San Antonio.
There are over 343 campsites in six campgrounds. Still, they fill up fast in the summer, so reservations are highly recommended. Screened shelters and cabin rentals are also available at Garner State Park.
There are plenty of outdoor activities, including mountain biking, canoeing, fishing, miniature golf, and 16 miles of hiking trails.
Equipment rentals are available from the park’s concessionaire and include:
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Paddle boats
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Kayaks
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Inner tubes
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Tables
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Barbecue pits
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Heaters and fans
Unique to this Texas Hill Country state park is a summer dance. Since the 1940s, the park’s concession building has been used for a jukebox dance on summer evenings. Dances are held nightly from June through August, and occasionally in the off-season.
Hill Country State Park Natural Area
The Hill Country Natural Area is one of the best Texas Hill Country State Parks to escape the rat race and return to nature. The park is a former ranch that encompasses over 5,000 acres of rugged canyons, rolling plateaus, and babbling creeks.
Horseback riding is available for riders who bring their own horse with everything from flat open prairie to steep rock canyon trails. You’ll also find plenty of multi-use mountain biking and hiking trails.
Primitive camping areas are available, including an equestrian campsite. Camping areas are by walk-in or hike-in and include vault toilets, but no showers or running water.
You’ll find this scenic Hill Country state park 60 miles southwest of Fredericksburg or 64 miles northwest of San Antonio.
Colorado Bend State Park
Colorado Bend State Park is one of the larger Texas state parks. The park offers 35 miles of biking and hiking trails on 5,300 acres of wilderness along a bend in the Colorado River.
Camping is primitive and back to nature. There are drive-up and hike-in sites with water nearby but no hookups. You’ll find composting toilets at the main campsite area and one at the trailhead for hikers.
Outdoor activities include visits to Gorman Falls and Spicewood Springs, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, or taking a cave tour. Book a tour guide to explore the cave system under the park.
You’ll find this Texas Hill Country state park 75 miles northeast of Fredericksburg or 95 miles northwest of Austin.
Blanco State Park
Blanco State Park is one of the smaller Texas Hill Country state parks. It’s just 105 acres along one mile of the spring-fed Blanco River.
There are campsites with full hookups or sites with just water and electricity.
Outdoor activities include swimming and boating. Kayak and tubes can be rented at the park store. Fishing is very popular here, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stocks the Blanco River with trout each winter.
You’ll find this beautiful Hill Country state park 35 miles southeast of Fredericksburg or 50 miles southwest of Austin.
Guadalupe River State Park
You can swim, fish, hike, bike, kayak, canoe or float the Guadalupe River in a tube at beautiful hill country state park.
Didn’t bring your fishing gear? No problem, this state park has fishing gear you can borrow to use in the park. Hiking is available on 13 miles of hiking or biking trails.
There are 85 campsites for overnight campers with water and electric hookups or nine tent sites. The Guadalupe River State Park is one hour southeast of Fredericksburg, just 30 miles from San Antonio.
Lyndon B. Johnson State Park
Take a step back in time and experience what life was like for German immigrant farmers during the era of the first World War. At the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park, you can explore the Sauer-Beckmann Farm historic site. Rangers here dress in period-style clothing, raise crops, care for farm animals and cook as they would have back when this was a working farm in the late 1800s. Tours are self-guided, and rangers are on hand to answer questions.
Perhaps the biggest draw of the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park is a self-guided tour of the LBJ Ranch. You can see LBJ’s birthplace, the one-room school he attended, and the cemetery where he is buried. Stop by the visitor’s center to see memorabilia from President Johnson’s time in office.
The only camping here is a small area for youth groups. There is an Olympic-sized swimming pool open in summer. Two tennis courses and a baseball field are available year-round.
Lyndon B. Johnson State Park is 16 miles east of Fredericksburg.
Explore The Texas Hill Country With An Expert Local Guide
Let us show you the hill country through the eyes of a local. Our guides are friendly and knowledgeable about the area and love to share it with visitors. Let us take you on a guided tour of the LBJ Ranch and offer insightful commentary on the life and legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson, our nation’s 36th president. You’ll even get a glimpse of the glimpse into the presidential jet known as “Air Force 1/2.”
We also offer excursions in the Texas Hill Country vineyards and tours of the historic town of Fredericksburg TX.
We are excited to meet you. Go online or call us today, to book your next great tour!