Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Guadalupe River State Park - Review

Guadalupe River State Park
3350 Park Road 31
Spring Branch, TX 78070
PH# (830) 438-2656

Brief Description
Located 40 miles North of San Antonio and 80 miles Southwest of Austin Guadalupe River State Park (GRSP) is located in the Spring Branch/Bulverde area off of State Highway 46. The park offers many attractions such as swimming, tubing, canoe/kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding and birding as well as educational program for the kids at the Discovery Center. GRSP gets very busy in the peak months (anytime the weather is favorable for a swim) and is also susceptible to drought conditions.



Main Attraction
The main attractions at GRSP is obviously the Guadalupe River and it is at or near the river where you will find most of the activity. The main use area of the river features a wide stretch of the river bordered by a river stone beach on one side and 50+ foot cliffs on the opposite. Going down stream you will find a dirt trail that leads to the rapids and more swimming areas. The swimming is relatively safe due to the lack of strong currents and the shallower areas at the main day use area. The parks is both a popular put in and take out spot for canoers and kayakers who make the trek down the river and has a special location for that purpose. Of special note would be that in the later part of 2012 there was a rock fall on the cliffs that overhang the river leaving larger boulders that some may view as a hazard and others as a new place to play (picture below).

Looking down the river rock beach.
The high cliffs that border the opposite side of the river.

Looking upstream.
Kayakers on the river.

Rock fall that occurred late 2012 over night. 
Some guests reported hearing a loud crash.
No one was injured.

Hiking/biking/horseback riding - There is a large trail loop that stretches from nearly the entrance of the park all the way to the river. These trails are shared use trails and could see a lot of activity on some days. The trails vary in ruggedness from smooth dirt paths to rugged ankle breaking rocks so take care while hiking.

Park trails.

Day Use
GRSP has a large day use area with plenty of picnic tables, fire rings and grills as well as large open areas that can accommodate your own setup. At the top of the hill that leads down to the river you will find restrooms, soda machine, water fountain and a play set along with parking. Opposite the parking and further from the river you will find the bird blinds (look to the west side of the parking lot for the trail) and the discovery center (more on that later).

Looking down the hill to the river.
Picnic tables.

Restrooms at river.
Playground at river.

Fun for the little ones!
The fun and educational "Discovery Center".

Amphitheater behind Discovery Center.
Bird Blind.

Other side of bird blind.

Camping Facilities
There are 3 camping areas at GRSP, W/E, water only and walk in dry camping. All are well laid out and respectably private. We stayed in a Water/Electric site that was surrounded by trees that offered a decent amount of privacy from both the road and our neighbors. The 2 main camping loops only have 1 restroom each so if being close to the restroom/showers is important then get their early and look for sites 44-51 and 72-77 in the W/E loop and sites 18-21, 27-30 in the water sites. If you are in the walk in camping area you have a pair of composting toilets near the parking area. For campers in the water and walk-in loops you will also find a playground for the kids, there is no playground in the W/E loop.
PIC

Water only site.
W/E sites are deeper to accommodate campers.

Fire ring.
Tent Pad (tents allowed on tent pads only.

Restroom/showers at W/E loop.
Playground at water only loop.
Restroom/Shower Facilities
The restrooms/showers were very clean and well maintained. The facilities themselves appeared to be somewhat old but that was a moot point as the staff obviously takes great care of them. The showers are adequately private using a curtain, dry area and a wet area. I would give these restrooms a solid 4 out of 5. Keep in mind that there is only 1 building per loop so they can get rather busy at times.

Personal Experience
We had a pretty good time camping at GRSP. This was our first trip of the year and our “shake down” trip for the camper so we kept it close in case we ran into trouble or forgot something. We had invited a few people to join us but in the end only my sister was able to make it so we ended up with a lot more food that we needed. We also brought our dog Lucy with us and even though this was her first camp out she handled it like a pro. We never went swimming, the water was a bit cold for us, but that didn’t stop others and on Saturday it was pretty busy at the day use area but not yet crowded. My sister and I did a little fishing and she managed to catch the only fish of the day, a very tiny bass. All in all I was pleasantly surprised because for some reason I had low expectations of GRSP.

Our camper all set up.
The living room =)

The kitchen =)
Lucy on her first camp out.

Fire just waiting to happen.
Sister with her little dog Petie in her lap.

Petie and Lucy
Lucy was exhausted.
Conclusion
An easy to access park with lots of swimming and other activities Guadalupe River State Park should definitely be on your list of parks, especially for camping.


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