7 Best Texas State Parks near San Marcos TX
San Marcos is a city in Hays County, Texas. San Marcos has 64,053 inhabitants and is famous for the great San Marco River and its outlets.
But if you want to get away from the stress of everyday life and relax. Where can you go? What Texas State parks are there near San Marcos where you can spend a weekend with your family without having to drive too far?
In this article, I’ll show you the best Texas State parks near San Marcos that you can reach in less than 2 hours
- Pedernales Falls State Park
- Lockhart State Park
- Blanco State Park
- McKinney Falls State Park
- Inks Lake State Park
- Government Canyon State Natural Area
- Lake Somerville State Park
For more details about each of the parks near San Marco, see this article
State Parks near San Marcos under 1 hour
I’ve rounded up some state parks that you can get to in less than an hour from San Marcos, whether it’s for a day trip, a weekend, or longer. Here they are
#1 Pedernales Falls State Park
| Location | 2585 Park Road 6026 Johnson City, TX 78636 |
| Contact | (830) 868-7304 |
| Fee | $6 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 8am – 10pm |
| Activities | swimming, hiking, biking, geocache, ride horse, fishing, paddling |
Pedernales Falls State Park is 50 miles from San Marcos. You can reach the park in almost 1 hour.
The park is known for its stunning Pedernales Falls and is one of the best state parks with waterfalls in all of Texas.
Besides hiking to the falls to enjoy the breathtaking views, there are many other things to do at Pedernales Falls State Park.
You can mountain bike on the 10-mile trail, which has many obstacles and is a strenuous and fun experience.
You can swim in the river. But beware. Access to the swimming area is a strenuous 1/4 hike with steep rock steps and no handrail.
If you are planning a trip from San Marcos to a nearby state park to swim with your kids, this is probably not the park for you.
Read next: Things to do in Gainesville, Texas
But if you love kayaking and paddling, this is the place for you. Pedernales Falls is a great Texas state park for kayaking and paddling on the river.
It also has a 10-mile hiking trail for equestrians.
If you want to stay for a weekend or longer, you can rent one of the campsites. You can choose between campsites with electricity for $20 per night or basic campsites for $10 per night.
#2 Lockhart State Park
| Location | 2012 State Park Road Lockhart, TX 78644-9716 |
| Contact | (512) 398-3479 |
| Fee | $3 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 6am – 10pm |
| Activities | swimming, hiking, biking, geocache, golfing, fishing, |
Only 21 miles away from San Marcos you will find Lockhart State Park.
It will only take you 30 minutes to reach this park and relax in the beautiful nature.
Here you can hike or bike on several trails through the park. If you like swimming, you will find a pool here to cool off and relax.
For all the fisher man, there is Clear Fork Creek where you can catch sunfish, catfish and bass.
A highlight is the 9-hole golf course.
Lockhart State Park is definitely worth a day trip. But even if you want to stay longer you have the possibility.
You can camp with your RV at one of the well-equipped campgrounds.
#3 Blanco State Park
| Location | 101 Park Road 23 Blanco, TX 78606 |
| Contact | (830) 833-4333 |
| Fee | $5 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 8am – 10pm |
| Activities | swimming, hiking, biking, geocache, fishing, paddling |
Located 36 miles northwest of San Marcos, Blanco State Park awaits you and your family with its beautiful Blanco River.
The park stretches for a mile along the river. Here you can swim, fish, paddle, hike and more.
Anglers can look forward to trout, catfish, sunfish and Guadalupe barce. From the shore, no license is necessary.
Various equipped campgrounds give you the opportunity for a weekend trip.
#4 McKinney Falls State Park
| Location | 5808 McKinney Falls Parkway Austin, TX 78744 |
| Contact | (512) 243-1643 |
| Fee | $6 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 8am – 10pm |
| Activities | swimming, hiking, biking, geocache, bouldering, fishing, paddling |
Thirty miles north of San Marcos and 13 miles south of Austin is the famous McKinney Falls State Park. It is also a great Texas State Park with a waterfall.
It is Austin’s backyard, so to speak.
At McKinney State Park, there are plenty of activities for you and your family. Whether you want to hike or bike, fish or boulder, you have the opportunity here.
Over 81 campsites and some cabins invite you to spend a weekend here with your family and friends.
Rainy day caution. Onion Creek can overflow its banks after a rainstorm.
State Parks near San Marcos under 2 hours
#1 Inks Lake State Park
| Location | 3630 Park Road 4 West Burnet, TX 78611 |
| Contact | (512) 793-2223 |
| Fee | $7 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 8am – 10pm |
| Activities | swimming, hiking, biking, geocache, fishing, scuba diving, paddling |
If you like to swim, then Inks Lake State Park is for you. Located 97 miles north of San Marcos, this state park is named after beautiful Inks Lake.
If you like the water, you can swim, water ski, paddle, fish or scuba dive.
But even away from the water there are plenty of activitiers for you and your family like hiking on the 9 miles of hiking trails through the forests und over the rocky hills.
On one of the nearly 200 campsites or in one of the 22 cabins you´ll find a good place to stay for a weekend or longer.
#2 Government Canyon State Natural Area
| Location | 12861 Galm Rd San Antonio, TX 78254 |
| Contact | (210) 688-9055 |
| Fee | $6 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 7am – 10pm |
| Activities | hiking, biking, geocache, explore dinosaur tracks |
67 miles and just over 1 hour away from San Marcos is Government Canyon State Natural Area.
Here you can spend your weekend and relax from the stress of everyday life.
On more than 40 miles of hiking trails you can discover nature and observe animals.
One highlight is the 110 million year old dinosaur tracks that you can explore on the trails.
The nature area is open from Friday to Monday. So perfect for a weekend trip in the wild nature.
#4 Lake Somerville State Park
| Location | Birch Creek Unit 14222 Park Road 57 Somerville, TX 77879-9713 |
| Contact | (979) 535-7763 |
| Fee | $5 Daily, Child 12 years and under free |
| Hours | 8am – 10pm |
| Activities | fishing, camping, mountain biking, horse riding, hiking, boating |
An hour and a half from San Marcos is Lake Somerville State Park & Trailway.
All boating enthusiasts can explore over 11,000 acres of water here. By kayak, canoe or even motorized boat.
But hiking enthusiasts will also get their money’s worth with over 40 miles of trails. The trail from Birch Creek to Nails Creek is 13 miles long.
All trails are suitable for hikers and bikers.
If you want to camp, you are welcome at one of the numerous campgrounds with different facilities.
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