Guadalupe River State Park – Texas State Park 19/89

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The Deets

Guadalupe River State Park is located in Spring Branch, TX, only 45 minutes north of San Antonio, TX. The park covers nearly 2,000 acres and has almost 4 miles of river frontage. The river is great for swimming, tubing, canoeing, and fishing. If that’s not your thing, you can hike and bike 13 miles of trails, geocache, birdwatch, camp, ride horses (bring your own), or enjoy a picnic. The cost to enter is $7 per adult and free for children aged 12 and under (or completely free for everyone if using a Park Pass).

The History

Guadalupe River State Park was opened in 1983 after the state purchased the land from private owners in 1974. That’s it as far as history goes on the park website. Usually, there is far more than that, but not for this one. Even after Googling for a while, I didn’t find any extra information to share.

While in the park, we found the photo below on an information board at the trailhead in the Bauer Unit.

In case you have trouble reading it or seeing the photo, it says the following. “Philipp and Marie Bauer were German immigrants who settled in the Hill Country in the 1850s. The Bauers farmed and raised livestock until their home was sold to the Hofheinz family in 1932. The final owner before Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was David Bamberger. Three of the main trails are named to honor these families.”

Our Experience

We had such a wonderful time at Guadalupe River State Park! Our only regret is that we didn’t get there sooner in the day. We would have really loved getting in the river and hiking a few more trails. This park was spotless and well maintained. All of the staff members we encountered were incredibly kind and helpful, often suggesting great things to see in the park. It was easy to tell that they love this park and want others to enjoy it, too. All of the facilities we used were clean and tidy. In addition to the restrooms by the river, there is also a bank of changing stalls available.

If we could change one thing about our visit, we’d have gone to the Bauer Unit first and then come to the main park to cool off in the river. You can hit the bathrooms before heading over to the Bauer Unit and then again when you come back. That would have been much better than what we did!

The Trails

We didn’t get to all of the trails available, but we thoroughly enjoyed the ones that we did hike. There is truly something for everyone at Guadalupe River State Park. The trails that we hiked in the main area of the park (Bald Cypress Trail, Cedar Sage River Trail, River Overlook Trail) were all very easy. Each of these trails was wide and had even ground. We saw quite a few families on these trails, many with very young children. The Bald Cypress Trail walks alongside the river and has a good deal of picnic tables as well as easy access to the river. The river itself is quite shallow, which is great for the younger kids.

If you’re looking for a more challenging hike, head over to the Bauer Unit. It’s about a 20-minute drive away, but the trails are 100% worth it. We walked the majority of the Bamberger Trail, all of the Curry Creek Overlook Trail, a small section of the Golden-Cheeked Warbler Trail, the entirety of the Hofheinz Connector, and a section of the Hofheinz Trail. Out of all of the trails we hiked, even in the main park area, the Curry Creek Overlook Trail was our favorite. It follows a winding path throughout the forest, full of ups and downs. It’s our kind of trail for sure. You’ll want to watch your step on pretty much all of these trails as the terrain is very rocky and tripping is quite easy. Also, keep in mind that there are no toilets in this area of the park!

Our Takeaway

The second we made our way down to the river, we fell in love with Guadalupe River State Park. We wish we lived closer because we could see ourselves coming here quite often. On top of the river fun, there are tons of trails to hike out here that would keep us busy for days. We definitely recommend that you come out to this park if you have the chance. We think you’ll love it just as much as we did!

Prefer to see this park in action? Check out our vlog episode for Guadalupe River State Park.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy