Guadalupe River State Park

When you have boy scouts in your family, visiting state and national parks becomes a normal encounter.  Our family has made it a point to visit as many parks in Texas as we can.  On a gorgeous Saturday morning during Labor Day weekend, my husband and I got the kids in the car, packed up, and drove to Guadalupe River State Park.  On this blog, I review the state park and will include some highlights of our trip.

Before leaving, we stocked up the cooler with burgers, hot dogs and drinks.  Instead of a picnic, we’re going to grill for lunch.  Guadalupe River State Park is 45 minutes from San Antonio, Texas.  It’s not that far for a day or half-day trip.  There was a pit stop on the way there to Naegelin’s Bakery in New Braunfels. This is the oldest bakery in Texas, and you can read all about our experience on my blog page.

Guadalupe River State Park is located at 3350 Park Road 31 in Spring Branch, Texas.  The entrance fees are $7 daily for adults, and children under 12 are free.  The gate is open from 8am to 10pm.

Many visitors go to the park to swim.  The state park has over four miles of river frontage.  On the river, you can swim, go tubing, fish, and canoe.  I read online that they loan out fishing gear for use in the park.  We arrived early, which is what I recommend for a finding a good spot.  The earlier you go, the less crowded it is.

The kids spent the rest of the morning swimming, splashing around, and floating on the tubes.  I was surprised at how shallow the water was in the area we were in.  My youngest kids had a big area to swim around without it getting too deep.

I floated and swam with the kids, while my husband started lunch.  The water was so warm.  It’s very relaxing to sit in the water and watch everyone enjoying themselves.  I let the river guide me downstream.  I didn’t go too far, because all of that swimming created an appetite.  We sat down and enjoyed our grilled cheeseburgers and hot dogs.  A perfect lunch for a Labor Day weekend getaway.

We did not get to enjoy the land activities at Guadalupe River State Park, because we had to head home after lunch.  The park offers camping sites, 85 water and electric or 9 tent sites.  You can explore trails by hiking or biking also.  The kids want to camp when the weather gets cooler, so we’ll be back for a weekend camping trip in October.

We only spent half a day at Guadalupe River State Park.  This area is a beautiful place to spend a day, weekend or week.  Have you visited this state park?  What was your favorite part, swimming, hiking, or camping?  Leave a comment below.