Blanco State Park — Attraction in Blanco

1st time visiting did overnight stay in screened shelter. Entrance is right across street from catholic church. Office has items for purchase. pretty clean and decent it had just finished raining before arrival so was pretty muddy. Walking distance from lake/river. The water was decent not too clear but i didn't get in too far so i could be wrong. Plenty of areas for parking for day use next to river. On the road past shelters an RVs they have good amount of picnic areas and restrooms. When you leave camp site to left also picnic area and 🎣 fishing area and restrooms. Both restrooms are wheelchair accessible. There are restrooms and showers by campsite restrooms are free to use but showers are for campers only with a provided code. Clean showers and restrooms were cleaned upon arrival at 2pm. There is a pavilion with private restrooms you have to rent not sure price. The downside to my shelter was the ceiling fan was wonky and shaking i thought it would fall off eventually. But it does have a light and one outlet box with 4 outlets inside shelter. Has lantern post, i suggest bring one because its super dark at night. You have a fire pit but burning restrictions apply. They have grill but was full of water from rain. Watch out seating by grill full of snails and pill bugs aka Roly poly. Shelter has fire extinguisher 🧯 inside and table. Also access to water outside the shelter. Suggest bring fan just in case you dont like humidity in the shelter. There is a swing set by shelter 42 for kids. Bring your own bags for trash no cans provided only large ones to dump...

Great little state park nestled against the Blanco River in downtown Blanco. We spent 1.5 days in the park and surrounding area. The Park was clean, well maintained and offered basic amenities (public restrooms, dump station, park sponsored activities, kayak rentals, playground (small), pavilion). The campsites were easy ingress/egress. Level pads that made RV setup simple. Our sight had TONS of extra room around it and offered lots of shade from afternoon sun. Mature cypress, oak and sycamore trees line the river bank and campground making it a beautiful representation of Central Texas flora.

We visited during the summer drought of 2022 so the river was low, no flow over the main spillway. There was still a decent amount of water that was enjoyable to swim/float in around the spillway. So in spite of low water, we enjoyed the river nonetheless.

There are a lot of other state parks and national historic sites within easy driving distance which makes this a great spot to base out of to explore the area. We ventured to the LBJ Ranch and spent a full day touring the park and facilities. There were at least three other State Parks and points of interest that we didn't have time to see but would be worth a return trip to visit.

You can hear the noises of the city - it is a small city noise, but still noticeable. That is my only complaint, I prefer a bit more remote geography when...

Blanco State Park is my favorite park within an hour of San Antonio. The river is beautiful, usually clear, and seldom cold. Check Texas Parks for a fishing report before you go but you can catch lots of bluegill (good panfish and fun for little kids when rigged with a small hook and corn kernels), some channel catfish in the center with the right rig and some catfish bait, trout (many undersized) with live worms that can be bought at the gas station right outside the entrance, and bass with spinners, frogs or fake worms. Good walking around the park, nice enough bathrooms, lots of grills with abundant canopies, campgrounds, multiple dams where you can fish or swim, etc. It's not as big as other parks but from the staff to the quality of the water to the beauty of the surroundings it's a gem. *Bonus tips: the Best Western down the road is a gorgeous flower-filled bargain with gazebo, worthwhile breakfast, etc. The folks in the town are genuinely good people and very nice. And just 15 minutes north you can visit Johnson ranch which is a great visit on it's own. I highly recommend making more than a day trip of it and enjoying Blanco State Park on Friday and Saturday and then Johnson City up the road on Sunday. Very relaxing, very affordable trip in the beauty and hospitality of the Texas...