Neville

Instead of spending Black Friday fighting the hordes at the malls I decided to fight the outdoor hordes at Garner SP.

As expected the park was a bit crowded, but for the number of people I saw and the number of campsites taken I was suprised that the trails were pretty quiet. I passed the occasional large party but for the most part only a few couples.

I headed out from Dallas early Friday morning and got in around one o'clock in the afternoon. After setting up camp in the Persimmon Hill camping area I hit the East Trail area at the start of the Bird Trail. The climb is a bit rough in places but it offers some nice views of the Frio River and the Hill Country. If you look at the trail map, I spent all of my time between Horseshoe Canyon and the 'Rock Fence' as there are plenty of places to explore and to sit around and soak in a few views. After an hour or two I headed back down the Foshee Trail past 'George's Patio' and down a very jagged descent back to the trailhead. Be very careful if you do this descent with children as some portions require a bit of scrambling.

Despite the cold damp weather and the crowds it was still a better alternative to the shopping malls. All in all, a nice Thanksgiving weekend on the trail.

A note to Dallas area folks: I personally wouldn't plan on making a trip dedicated to this park. While the park is very nice, it's just too far (roughly eight hours for me) for an overnight. Try tying it in with Lost Maples SP or Hill Country SNA and make a longer trip out of it.

Here are a few photos:
Garner State Park - TX - 112307 - 112407 pictures from hiking & backpacking photos on webshots

BigBendHiker

Thanks for the pictures and trip report. One of your pictures intrigued me -- the one of Crystal Cave. Is that at Garner? If so, where? Can you go into it and what is there to see in it?

Thanks,
BBH

Neville

Yep, it's in Garner SP. It's in the area known as Horseshoe Canyon. If you go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and pull up the Garner SP section there's a detailed trail map. The trails are divided up into the East and West trail sections (each are color coded) and Crystal Cave sits right in between the two sections. You'll see it labeled on the map. You're able to go deep inside but I'm not sure how far. I didn't go in due to the large crowds around it. In fact, if you look at my photo closely you'll see a child roaming around inside so it's real easy to get into. Based on experience now I would try to venture in during the week to avoid the crowds.

There's another cave called White Rock cave that sits just off the Bird Trail in the East section. It's about half a mile from the trailhead in the Pecan Grove camping area. It's labeled as well on the trail detail map.

Troop198

How high (I know its only Texas high) is the elevation rise at Garner, couldn't actually tell well from the park map.

Neville

The elevation around the Pecan Grove camp area is about 1400 ft. I figured around 430 feet of elevation gain from there to the Painted Rock overlook.

campermom

Crystal cave is the larger of the two. It is prettier than White Rock. Crystal is about the size of my livingroom/diningroom, without cathedral ceilings. White rock feels more like the familyroom. There has been plenty of damage to both caves over the years. There are places where people have removed crystals and painted graffiti on the walls. That's sad. If you go, bring a flashlight so you won't bonk your head on the ceiling or trip on the floor.

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rockhill

I guess it has been 25 yeras since I have been down to Garner. Thanks for posting your photos and bringing back some memories for me. That long drive is one thing that discourages me from returning. Great park, but I can be at some nice places in half the time.

srds

Thanks for sharing,nice pics
srds
Have Fun

honeask

Thanks for the pictures. We will be on the Frio for the New Year's Eve holidays and although we are Garner visitors for over 38 years I have not been on those trails. We may bundle up or dress down (which ever way the weather acts) and hit the trails during our trip. Thanks again.
Sandy

happyhiker40

Brings back memories of my trip to Garner. I love the trails in this park.