Great Quick Camping Trip
Our family recently went to Garner State Park, southwest of Austin for a long weekend. It was fabulous. We went with multiple families and had camping sites right next to each other. Garner State Park is about 3 1/2 hours from Austin, so close enough to go up on a Friday evening (if you can set your tent up efficiently).
The park has lots to do. There is a ton of hiking. There are miles of trails that you can take. Each trail has something different. There are steep scrambling climbs, caves, beautiful vistas and then there are trails by the water where you can hear rumbling water and some small waterfalls.
If it is water that you like there are lots of options there too. They have paddleboats and canoes to rent. The water is crystal clear so you can see fish. You can also float the river. The water was a bit cold in late Spring, but by summer it would be very refreshing. There is also good fishing. Since the water is so clear, you can see the fish.
On some weekend nights the park also has a dance. We did not go, but that would have been fun too.
There are plenty of supplies for fires and we had a fire going pretty much the whole time we were there.
One of the recommendations is to either get a cabin or a shelter. The shelter can be used for your food and each one has a picnic table and lights. That was nice. You could theoretically sleep in it. We had our tent just on the side of the shelter. You can also rent a cabin. That would be nice, but they are farther from the water. You have bathrooms and air conditioning in the cabins though.
The only knock on Garner is that the bathrooms were disgusting. They are cleaned daily, but if you are used to hotels, they are pretty gross. I think next time we are there we will try the cabins.
