Garner State park - Review

Garner State Park
234 RR 1050
Concan, TX 78838
830-232-6132
Main Website
Google Maps

Brief Description/Location of Park
Garner SP is a beautiful park located 92 miles west of downtown San Antonio and about 30 miles North of Uvalde in Concan Texas. Garner is one of the busiest State Parks in Texas no doubt due to the beautiful, crystal clear waters of the Frio River, the excellent hiking and multitude of other activities that we will talk about in this review.

Main Attraction
There are many activities at Garner but the #1 draw is the 3 mile stretch of the Frio River that runs through the park. The only words that I can use to describe the Frio are Emerald, Crystal, Cool and Clear but in reality a picture says so much more.



The busiest part of the Frio River is in old Garner where the dam is located. Here you will find kayak and paddle boat rentals, rope swings volleyball courts, concessions, and the day use areas. I have heard that when it is quit this area is even good for fishing as the TPWD stocks trout in this area.


Like I mentioned earlier there are 3 miles of riverfront in Garner so for campers finding a good swimming or fishing spot may be just a short walk away from your camp loop. Our site was located in the Rio Frio loop of New Garner and an excellent swimming area was only a short hike away.



Besides fishing one may also enjoy hiking, mountain biking or birding and Garner offers and extensive system of trails to satisfy just about any level of proficiency. I can not speak much to the trails on this review because about 1 mile into my mountain bike ride I had a catastrophic tube blow out and I had forgotten my spare... sorry. One of the most popular hikes is to the top of Old Baldy but care must be taken as accidents have happened in this area in the past. The views from atop Old Baldy are nothing short of spectacular.



The fishing at Garner is a little unique in that the water is so clear the fish can see the bait/lure perfectly and if its not what they want then they are not interested. I personally managed to catch a few small and medium Perch but what I saw had me moving up and down the bank of the river begging for a bite. I saw Brown Bass as long as my forearm and a school of 8 Catfish just loitering in the clear waters. Come prepared with light and ultralight tackle and be prepared to change up your presentation, and good luck. **The park host (my cousin) mentioned that trout in the park LOVE corn. I didn’t try this but it may be good to know.**


Day Use
I described the day use area above so all I can really add is that this area can become very very crowded during peak hours especially during the summer months.


Camping Facilities
Garner has A LOT of camping areas, more than any State Park I have ever been too. Garner is broken into 2 sections, Old Garner and New Garner. From the main entrance anything to the right is Old Garner, this is where you will find the camp store, pavilion, restaurant and dam. To the left after the park entrance is New Garner newer sites but farther away from all the amenities of the Park.



Our site (pictured above) was located in New Garner about 2 miles away from the day use area and all the goodies mentioned above in Old Garner but the site was level and the restrooms were close by while a nice swimming area was only a short walk away.


All campsites have a vehicle pad, picnic table, lantern post and fire ring. The campsites at Garner are what you would expect from a State Park and we had no complaints. Garner had far too many sites for me to offer any recommendations on what sites are best so I would recommend heading to the website and checking out a Park map.

One of the most interesting things I noticed about Garner was the number of tent campers. Usually at a SP you see the water/electric sites dominated by travel trailers, 5th wheels and Pop Ups but not this time. There were without a doubt more people camping in tents than anywhere I had seen in some time.


Restroom/Shower Facilities
The facilities were adequate in cleanliness though not as clean as the Inks Lake facilities (standard for rating SP restrooms) and it did not help that there seemed to be an outbreak of crane flies that seemed to all migrate and become trapped in the lighted restrooms. The showers had a wet and a dry section and a curtain for privacy in some while other facilities has separate rooms with lockable doors (we had the prior). I will have to give the facilities a 3.5 out of 5, without faulting the bugs the restroom did have a “smell” and the curtained showers may put some people off.


Conclusion
Garner is a must visit park for everyone in the State of Texas and if you have not been its about time you go. I highly recommend this Park for camping just be aware that it can get very crowded so if your intention is to escape the crowds this may not be the Park for you.