palmetto state park

Spent two nights here and had a wonderful time. It's a small park but has nice spaceous campsites with raised tent pad, table, and fire ring. As a bonus the camp host sold large bundles of firewood and would even deliver to your site! Another plus is that City Market BBQ in Luling is about 15 minutes away. Nice trails, lots of nature, peaceful.

The campground itself is small and campsites are nice although not as large as some other parks. We stayed here for a few days in a travel trailer while traveling. Nice trails and a lot of history. The nicest part of the restrooms/shower house were the entry doors. During our visit, the rest rooms did not appear clean... in fact used soap was in a shower soap dish and leaves laying around the floor during our entire visit. Perhaps during the warmer season when the campground is busier they are kept up better. We did not see any wildlife, however there are birds everywhere. Overall we enjoyed our stay.

This park is a hidden gem. I would recommend it for a day trip or an overnighter. If you enjoy fishing, there are several fishing spots to choose from - the main one being the low bridge that crosses the San Marcos, but there are also several trails that branch off of the San Marcos River Trail that lead down toward the river. There's plenty for picnickers, hikers, day campers and overnighters to do. Along the San Marcos River Trail we got to observe three or four red-shouldered hawks doing all kinds of aerial acrobatics along the river. If you like raptors, that's probably the trail for you. We got some good photos with a 200mm telephoto lens. Of the three trails we walked that day, this was my favorite by a narrow margin.The Mesquite Flats Trail was lined with prickly-pear cactus. There appeared to be quite a bit of feral hog damage along the trail, but we didn't see any evidence of anything recent. We did spot a large gathering of whitetail deer (8-10 does, perhaps? No bucks that we noticed) about 100 yards off the trail.The Ottine Swamp trail was something else. If you're not interested in the river and only have time for one trail, take this one. The palmetto fronds are like something you'd expect in a rain forest. Between stands of them, you'll find more prickly-pear cactus. It's almost surreal how the cactus plants are mixed-in with more tropical plants.All of the trails in the park are very well-maintained, and the Concession building is something you don't want to miss if you're interested in architecture. It's an old Civilian Conservation Corps stone structure with a great overlook of the river. The one thing I would recommend, if you're hiking and come across an unoccupied bench, take a break. There seems to be only one bench on each of the longer trails.

Barbeque at a family style setting; paddle boat or swim in the small lake; take a walk on a nature trail. This is a small state park. But, it is absolutely lovely! The area offers day sites or overnight camping. There are showers available. It costs about $70 for an annual pass to Texas State Parks. This is a wise purchase. All occupants in the pass holder's vehicle are "paid" by that pass any time you visit. There is no need to buy a fishing license when visiting a Texas State Park. Fishing is included in the price of admission. A trip to Palmetto is a great value!

This is a beautiful state park. Very unique in its foliage for this part of the country. The campsites are roomy, but several are not level (that's why only 4 stars). The bathrooms are okay and kept clean. There is a small lake in the park and there are paddle boats, canoes and kayaks that you can rent. The San Marcos River runs thru the park too - such a natural beauty. There are a few walking/biking trails. The structures were all constructed about 70 or so years ago by the CCC. They are handsome buildings with a hint craftsman style. Whether looking for a place to camp or just a day visit, this is a good choice.

Recently camped at Palmetto and the large campsites, privacy and canopied tree areas are great. You can rent canoes and kayaks as well as tube in the river. Originally built by the CCC during the Great Depression, there's a lot of local history as well. Bring your hiking shoes and bikes are there are a lot of well groomed trails. Great place to get away and close to 4 of the top BBQ places I the US. Double bonus!

This is a unique area. You feel like you are in another time. Like maybe when dinosaurs roamed the earth. So serene. Our favorite was the Ottine Swamp Trail. Very easy and lots of the palms. Being winter they were about the only green. But there are a lot of them and some quite large, so plenty to look at. Some of the swamp areas also still have water. Hope to visit again in the spring and see it at full green!

Beautiful park. Nice easy hiking trails. Has river access but river is not always clean. When we were here in the summer there were dead pigs down river. Only showers are in the RV section. Friendly staff. Also has a lake with paddle boats for rent. Big youth group area too. Nice quiet get a way.

My wife and I spent a cool November day in this attractive state park. There was a small day use fee of just $3 per person. After driving the 2 miles or so to the visitors' centre, there was a further drive to the trail heads. Each of the trails was well-marked and easy to follow. The terrain made for easy going. It was slightly disappointing that from the river trail there were only fleeting glimpses of the San Marcos river. The swamp trail had extended boardwalks and the mesquite trail was through more open land. None of the trails was remotely arduous and there were short enough for a comfortable stroll. There were plenty of benches to have a picnic close to the cars and the adjacent rest room was clean and well-equipped.

We just drove through here on our way back to Houston from San Antonio. The overlook was beautiful and so was the two mile drive to the ranger station. We did not partake of any of the activities but this area looked like a great place for a family camp out and hike.

My family and I have been coming to this place for years. It is very beautiful and has hiking trails. You can also enjoy swimming in the river to cool off from the heat. We usually go and spend a couple of hours there barbecuing while the kids would go swimming in the river. This time we noticed that the picnic tables had number tags on them. Turns out that with the money you pay to stay, you also have to pay for the picnic tables since they are now considered camping sites. The only place to have the free picnic tables is further away from river and quite a walk.

We stayed here for too brief a time! We were here in our 40 ft rv which was a close but doable fit (see pic) due to a tree right in the rear. This campground has lots of trees, great shaded spacious sites, terrific hosts, and is really, really amazing, especially considering how small it is. Campfires were allowed and enjoyed in the evenings in the fire-rings and firewood was available to purchase from the host. While we were here, we walked four different and easy to navigate trails and each felt entirely unique from the others. We also saw a real good sized snake while walking one of those trails so be mentally prepared because they're out there and you don't want to startle them by screaming like I did--embarrassing! The buildings constructed by the C's are beautiful. The river and lake here keep most everyone occupied but there is also a playground in the tent camping area which is separated (up the road a little bit) from the rv camping area. The restrooms were cleaned regularly and adequate dumpsters were available for trash. All of our fellow campers respected the quiet hours and a good night's sleep was had by all. As a little tip, there's a real convenient Buc-ees right up the main road near the freeway that seemed to have everything you could think of. We really look forward to returning when it's a little bit wetter for more of the wetland swamp effect on a couple of the trails.

Spent a day at the park with the family. The park is small but still offers enough things to stay busy. The family enjoyed the tubing in the river. I enjoyed the fishing in the lake. I found that worms will do the trick. The park also offers one limited use cabin along with plenty of campsites. Overall it was a very fun stay here.

From the small but tidy park headquarters building to the many trails & amenities, this park packs a lot of beauty. The staff at the headquarters are friendly & helpful. The park is immaculately clean and well maintained. The trails are well marked and described at entry points. The walking/hiking is easy and mostly level. Even on a day with a heat index of 99 degrees! the shady trails were a piece of cake for me and I am by no means in shape or an experienced hiker. My visit was a very short couple of hours but I will be going back to check out more of the park; especially those paddle boats! Texas has such a fantastic variety of State Parks and they are all very well cared for by the Parks & Wildlife department. I'm considering a bucket list of visiting every one of them!

I have been to other park which are good. But this one takes the cake one of the best ones around, great walking trails, great lake & river fun for all, lots of wild life allot of deers.