Blanco State Park – Texas State Park 5/89
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The Deets
Blanco State Park is located in the small town of Blanco, TX. It is about an hour west of Austin, TX, and an hour north of San Antonio, TX. The park is rather small, covering only a one-mile stretch of the Blanco River, which is the main attraction. The park offers two walking trails, swimming/fishing/paddle boarding in the river, camping, and nature watching. The daily admission is $5 per adult and free for children under 12 (or completely free for all with a Park Pass).
The History
The Blanco River has been attracting people for hundreds of years, well before a state park, or even a state, was a thought in anyone’s mind. Native Americans, the Spanish, and early settlers were all attracted to the bountiful waters of the river and the nearby springs. It was the Spanish who named the river Blanco after the white limestone that lines the banks.
In 1933, ranchers donated and sold land to create Blanco State Park, one of the first handful of parks to be sent a company from the CCC. The CCC was responsible for building the pavilion, dams, bridges, picnic areas, and more, all of which you can still enjoy and see today.
Our Experience
Surprisingly, we were quite blown away with Blanco State Park. We didn’t expect much, knowing that the trails were short and that the main attraction was the river. We had fully intended to spend most of the day in the water, but we didn’t keep an eye on the weather, and a cold front blew in on the ONE day that we were to be at the park. Bummer! With swimsuits on hand just in case it warmed up, we headed out to the park for the afternoon. The park was easy to find, the staff was nice, and the facilities were clean and available.
The Trails
As we mentioned above, the trails are not plentiful at Blanco State Park. There are only two, the Caswell Nature Trail (.7 miles) and the Pumphouse Trail (.2 miles). We chose to walk the Caswell Nature Trail first since we were parked closer to it. It is not a pretty trail when it begins. Starting out, it is a wide gravel track that leads to a narrow trail heading under the overpass. Once you pass under the bridge, it continues on similarly in a narrow path. Then, all of a sudden, you are in an absolutely gorgeous tunnel of trees. It’s like stepping through a secret portal to another world, all in an instant.
The rest of the Caswell Nature Trail is pure bliss. It’s fairly easy to walk with only one major decline at the bend. It’s also a small decline down to the dam area if you want to see that. In all, it’s beautiful and an easy walk. There is one bench that I recall seeing. It’s before you get to the bend in the trail and I don’t remember seeing a bench on the rest of the trail, but it’s also a rather short walk.
The Pumphouse Trail is wide and flat. It passes by an enclosed bird blind with bench seating and the old pumphouse. It leads to a small platform and seating area, but there aren’t really any views from it.
Our Takeaway
What a pleasant surprise! Blanco State Park is a great little park for a day trip, especially if you love being in the water. There is even a small enclosed ‘pool’ in the river, a perfect spot for the little ones to play in. I really wish that we’d gone on a warmer day so that we could enjoy the river, but I’m so glad we got to enjoy the beauty of the trails! We aren’t the only ones who loved it, either. It has a 4.5-star review on TripAdvisor and is ranked #2 out of all there is to do in Blanco. Prefer to see the park in action? Check out our vlog for Blanco State Park!
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy
