Ol' Baldy, Bird, Bridges, Madrone Loop

Garner State Park is one of the best parks in Texas Hill Country if you are looking for some hiking with elevation. It is incredibly scenic, has plenty of campgrounds, and is also nearby to Lost Maples State Natural Area - a park very well-known for its fall foliage. If you happen to visit Garner (which also has great fall leaves), you can also visit Lost Maples same day free of charge and vice versa.

There are 11 miles of hiking trails in the park, with climbing the Summit to Old Baldy as being the crowd favorite. This trail is a short 1 mile roundtrip hike, but is considered to be steep for those not used to climbing similar trails. At the top of Old Baldy you will be rewarded with amazing views of the park, the Frio River, and the surrounding Hill Country. (If you want to see a beautiful sunrise, go to the Frio River access at the bottom of Old Baldy about thirty minutes before the sun is scheduled to come up. There are typically no people out exploring yet, and you will have the place to yourself!)

Once you're satisfied with standing atop Old Baldy another notable set of trails is the Bird Trail and Bridges Trail. These trails will offer you great views of Old Baldy itself and the lush greenery of the rolling hills around you. Upon coming back down the Old Baldy Summit Trail you will reach the .5 mile Bird Trail. This trail will take you up an adjacent hill to Old Baldy giving you spectacular views of the summit. The Bird Trail will then run into the .65 mile Bridges Trail which takes you along the top of a ridge. A scenic viewpoint called "The Painted Rock" is on this trail offering more great views of Old Baldy. After the Bridges Trail takes you back down the hill you will take the .5 mile Madrone Walkway back to the campgrounds/parking area. This Walkway takes you by the Frio River if you want to dip your feet in after your scenic Hill Country hike!

Park Trail Map: texas.gov

Camping Reservations: reserveworld.com