campin_family

I am going on my first trip to Garner June 15th with husband and daughter(14) and we are camping with two other families.

Tell me all the good and bad things you can think of regarding Garner so I know some of what to expect.

Onsite store? Bathroom areas? Day use area? Good trails? Geocaching? Nearby grocery stores? etc.

almitra

Need to read about this myself as we have Garner booked June 9-12.

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Sandra Loftis trolls
Card Carrying Member of O.A.T.C. (Openly Addicted to Camping)

rockhill

Good, bad and the ugly.
The Frio canyon area is a beautiful part of Texas and Garner is in the heart of it. River is cold and clear, shallow areas and some deeper pockets.
The park stays crowded and the camp sites are too close together for my taste. The facilities are nice and well suited but with crowds of people, some who might not be as caring of how they leave things, what you might find is problematic.

If you have never been before by all means do go. Plan on participating in or observing the dance on Saturday night. A true, living Garner tradition/legend. I have not been on the trails in years so can not speak to that area. I was in the park in April so have a fairly fresh vision of the site.

campin_family

well shucks we aren't going to be there on a saturday so we are gonna miss out on the dance. The people who invited us to go made the reservations from Sunday till Friday.

honeask

Nope, you won't miss THE DANCE, it happens every night in the summer season unless there is rain. It is a must for families to go to the dance. Music wafting (?) thru the trees, outdoor dancing and a soft breeze, it is really a nice part of Garner. We will be there starting Sunday so we will beat you there but I can't imagine that you won't have a nice visit. Good swimming just around the corner. Yippee!

Sandy

srds

Nicely put honeask,How many in the camp this year Sandy.Have a fun trip and take care of the yorkies.

srds :cool:
Have Fun

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To Camp or Not to Camp -Lets go Camping- Have Fun

almitra

Oooohhhh, I can't wait!

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Sandra Loftis trolls
Card Carrying Member of O.A.T.C. (Openly Addicted to Camping)

campin_family

I cant wait either but I've still got 19 days to wait.

jamlewis

We have a group of family and friends that are due to go to Garner the 12-15 of June, but the water level has us concerned about making the 4+ hour drive from Houston(w/gas near $4gal!). We went to Garner this same time last year and the water conditions were at ideal , so the thought of going out there with flow rates so low bums me out. Does anyone out there have some recent pics of the River they can share so I can put it in to perspective? Can anyone tell me is the river below the dammed area just outside of Garner down really low? Are the areas with the rope swings deep enough to swing. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jamie- Cypress, TX

srds

Check out Youtube theres a couple of entries under Garner State Park that will give you a scope of the water flows.
srds :cool:
Have Fun

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To Camp or Not to Camp -Lets go Camping- Have Fun

4everfrio

Jamie, The water level stays pretty constant by the dam. There is a new rope in one of the trees across from rock beach. When we were there, last week, there were tons of people swinging on the ropes and jumping out of the trees. Just check the water level if you plan to do any swingin' or jumping off rocks anywhere else. Go have fun, hopefully it will rain before you leave.

honeask

We just got back yesterday from the Frio and it was nice. We missed the weekend crowds by getting to the area on Sunday afternoon. We visited Garner several times but stayed at Camp Liveoak, an old family resort. It actually started up many years ago even before Garner. We had a nice part of the river to play just by our selves. But now about Garner, it was very quiet, many or most sites were available just before school let out. Bike riding was a pleasure with the almost empty park. The water is low, not much floating right now but that can change with the next rain. There are bunches of places to just play in the river and stay cool. We saw so many deer on this trip, more than usual. At Camp Liveoak we saw so many birds that it kept me busy just watching them. They have so many painted buntings and indigo buntings it was truly a show to watch. We plan on making another visit later in the summer if we can get away again. By the way, the dance was canceled until last night because there was not enough people to have one but I'm sure that it is full swing now. Also, they have a burn ban but we had small campfires several evenings. I wish the days had gone by slower but we will go again, to be sure.

Sandy

honeask

I'm waiting for a return posting from Campin_family, wanted to see if Garner camping fit the bill for them. You know....inquiring minds and all that stuff.

Sandy

almitra

Oh, man...I had to cancel my Garner trip for the 9-12 due to car repair bills ((sigh)). But at least we still have them booked for August, so it's not a total washout. :P

__________________
Sandra Loftis trolls
Card Carrying Member of O.A.T.C. (Openly Addicted to Camping)

srds

Been invited to go with friends for the end of June,hope Dw's work allows us to go.If not we will be there in August 6-12 .Bummer about car hope it works out for you.Looks like South Llano State park in a week maybe run into our friend that works there.

srds :cool:
Have Fun

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To Camp or Not to Camp -Lets go Camping- Have Fun