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Texas Hill Country · State Parks

Hill Country State Parks

Fifteen-odd state parks, natural areas, and caverns sit within an easy drive of each other out here. The trick isn’t finding them — it’s knowing which ones make you reserve a day pass before you leave the house. Here’s the plain version, park by park.

Know before you go ↓ Browse the parks
Know before you go
The one thing that saves a trip out here: reserve the busy parks ahead
How day passes work →
Reserve
Day-use passesat the busy parks
Go early
Popular parks fillby mid-morning weekends
$0–$8
Typical adult entrykids often free
The big three — Enchanted Rock, Garner, and Lost Maples in fall — use day-use reservations and routinely sell out on weekends and holidays. Reserve before you drive.
Fees, hours, and reservation rules are set by Texas Parks & Wildlife and change seasonally. Always confirm on each park’s official page before you go.

The parks

Hill Country state parks, one by one.

Fredericksburg

Enchanted Rock

The pink granite dome — a half-mile climb, eleven miles of trails, and an International Dark Sky Park.

Reserve aheadenchantedrock.ai Plan a visit →
Concan

Garner

On the Frio — summer camping, tubing, and the jukebox dance under the pavilion.

Reserve aheadgarnerpark.ai Plan a visit →
Vanderpool

Lost Maples

Bigtooth maples that turn red and gold along the Sabinal each fall — the Hill Country's color show.

Reserve ahead in falllostmaples.ai Plan a visit →
Johnson City

Pedernales Falls

Tiered limestone falls up top; wading, swimming, and long hikes downstream.

pedernalesfalls.ai Plan a visit →
Burnet

Inks Lake

A constant-level lake for swimming and paddling — and the jump at Devil's Waterhole.

inkslake.ai Plan a visit →
Spring Branch

Guadalupe River

Cypress-lined Guadalupe frontage for swimming, paddling, and an easy float.

Plan a visit →
Bandera

Hill Country

Forty miles of backcountry and equestrian trails in the Cowboy Capital — primitive and quiet.

Plan a visit →
Junction

South Llano River

Spring-fed river frontage, serious birding, and one of the darkest skies in the state.

Plan a visit →
Blanco

Blanco

A small CCC-built park right in town — easy swimming on the Blanco River.

Plan a visit →
Bend

Colorado Bend

Gorman Falls, wild caves, and miles of the Colorado — remote and worth the drive.

Plan a visit →
Burnet

Longhorn Cavern

Guided walks through a river-carved underground cavern.

Plan a visit →
Fredericksburg

Old Tunnel

Millions of bats pouring from an old railroad tunnel at dusk, late spring through fall.

Plan a visit →

Coming soon

Two new parks on the way.

The state is adding land in the Hill Country for the first time in years. Neither is open yet — but they’re worth knowing about, especially if you know the Frio at Concan.

Concan

Bear Creek

New — 1,720 acres on the Frio next to Garner, bought by the state in 2025. No opening date set yet.

Opening TBD Opening soon
Pipe Creek

Kronkosky

New — about 3,800 acres willed to the state to keep it wild, expected to open in 2026.

Opening 2026 Opening soon
Respect This Place — Texas Hill Country Respect This Place Before you go ▾

These are public lands, cared for by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Follow each park’s posted rules, and carry the seven Leave No Trace principles with you — reserve ahead, stay on the trails, pack out everything, leave what you find, and mind the heat and burn bans. We’re just passing it along.