Carved out a quiet hour at Bullis County Park (my favorite park at the moment) with a great book…read moreand delicious latte in hand - the kind of simple moment that feels like pur happiness.

If I had gone on a day when the temperature was in the double digits in Fahrenheit, I might have…read moregiven this park at least 4 stars, but when I visited on Father's Day, there wasn't really much to do. Scorching hot temperatures scared everyone away because none of the kids would want to play on the playground there, though I did see one family just sitting there, possibly resting during a long road trip. Otherwise, it was literally a ghost town minus the tumbleweeds. I stopped by this park to just get away from city life. Well actually, I wanted to visit the nearby Nekter Juice Bar because they a Father's Day promo going on that would only work for that day and that day only. I had already visited the other Nekter location in the Greater San Antonio area, but wanted to pay a visit to this location aloof from the urban life. Bullis County Park and Nekter are just across from one another, opposite Borgfield Dr. After leaving Nekter with smoothie in hand, I drove up Old Blanco and parked in the parking lot right in front of the playground. As I mentioned, nobody was playing in the playground. I did see a pavilion, which allowed me to rest in the shade and take more photos of the park while sipping on my smoothie. The park wasn't the greatest, I can say. Let's just say the grass is greener on the other side lol. I was, however, fascinated by some rock and log formation near the pavilion. There are a handful of picnic tables in the pavilion that you could throw a party at. However, you'll need to reserve the space beforehand; call in advance to do so! On the south side of the park, there is a softball field, which surprise surprise, nobody was there during my visit. However, I was fascinated by the number of dandelions I saw in the outfield. Nice to see, but I'm sure outfielders will be trampling over them while trying to catch a fly ball. To the west, there is nothing but trees. The grounds immediately around the pavilion have seen better days. Grass isn't very abundant here. It almost looked like the cows have eaten most of the grass here! Not that I'm comparing this park to Brackenridge Park, which I had visited the weekend before, but it was kind of a boring visit overall to Bullis County Park. Then again, if school were in session, I'm sure it would have been loads better with kids enjoying the playground and possibly frolicking through the flowers. I say this because it's real close to Timberwood Park Elementary School, and it would make for a nice place to unwind and relax after school, if the weather were nicer, that is. 3 stars for now. I still recommend stopping by if you want to stretch your legs, but don't expect anything memorable here. The only thing memorable about my visit to this park was sipping on my cold smoothie, which allowed me to stay at the park for a while without burning in the hot sun.

This park is huge! Like 125 acres huge. Picnic areas,…read morewalking paths (paved and unpaved), tennis courts, ball fields, water fountains, bathrooms. Some of the picnic areas have grills. Modern playground. Creek access-fishing pier & dock. Disc golf course. Connects to Cibolo Nature Center. We strolled the grounds on a peaceful walk as children played baseball games, tennis, and basketball. Well-executed and landscaped park.

Stopped by this park to kill time between appointments. Because of COVID i decided to find an area…read morethat was open. luckily there weren't much people here today. First Impression, the park is clean and well thought out. I gave it 4 stars because i felt there could be more seating. I love the painted trash cans! They were colorful, cute, creative and really added a nice sense of community to the area. There was adequate signage reminded visitors to social distance. I would love to see this park running at normal capacity again. I'll be back soon, hopefully with both of my kids so they can enjoy the playground.

Looking for a shady place to hike that isn't too strenuous and has a view?! This is it!…read moreOnce you get to the park sign.. you'll come across a non paved rugged road and a short trek further, reach parking. There is a small covered pavilion with seating,- great for a picnic or rest spot. Trail wise- we took east bend to Ward's pass thru amphitheater to Jonathan Allen to Millie's place for a pit stop, then to final destination, Historic Homestead. There at the top you'll experience a panoramic scenic view of the hills and see a cabin that can be rented for special occasions or a stay. We didn't find the trails too strenuous, maybe a few steep areas, but lots of shade which was nice. Heading back to base, we backtracked and then took Prairie Pass to the pavilion. All in all, great quiet retreat, total hike to top and back ~ 2 miles, and lots of greenery/shade. We'll be back.

Madla Park (officially, Senator Frank L. Madla Natural Area) is in Grey Forest, on the northwest…read moreside of San Antonio. It packs a lot of scenic views and Hill Country ecology into a relatively small park. There is a small parking area with a portable toilet and a pavilion. Plaques share information about the late Senator Madla and the history of the park going back to the late 1800s--including the 1920s when the Beckmanns built a cottage on a hill. The paths around the meadow are gentle, but the hiking trails up to the cottage and overlook are challenging. On an October visit, we saw fall wildflowers like maximilian sunflowers, goldenrod, blackfoot daisies, blazing star, and snow-on-the-mountain.

We arrived early this morning for our first hike of the year. The rangers were very efficient; our…read morereservation was checked and our permit was brought out. We drove out to the water and decided to walk those trails. The trails are all very easy to navigate. The more challenging trails may not have actually been trails at all, but got us down to the river bank for some lovely photos. The grounds and trails are very clean and well maintained. The camp sites look really nice and the bathrooms (I'm told) were Buccees level clean. There's a Discovery center that seemed to be interesting for the littles. I really enjoyed the solitude and the zen. I suspect it probably gets pretty packed though.

Lovely park! Make sure to prepay entrance fee online and discount was offered with military park…read morepass. We parked near the end of the road where you'll find a parking lot with bathrooms and changing facilities. We met our hiking group and trekked off walking along the Guadalupe River. Make sure to bring water shoes with grip cuz you'll cross the river to get to more hiking trails. The water was cool and the flow perfect...depending on the time of the year, it can get quite powerful. The weather was gorgeous - fall vibes of overcast and cooler temps. We hiked a mix of many shaded forest areas and open fields . Captured many pics of the fall changes - leaves turning shades of yellow and orange. And I gotta kick seeing live armadillos scurrying amongst the long grasses. So cute!!! With the great weather and scenery, we hiked a steady pace and clocked in approximately 8.5 miles ! Loved hiking through the river : ) Clean bathrooms and changing rooms were a plus!

We had heard about this little waterfall/dam that was easy to get to and made for some nice…read morephotographs, so we came early in the morning to avoid the heat. The water is very blue, but there were signs saying not to swim in it. There were lots of ducks and geese looking for food, so you may want to bring peas or corn for them. I didn't see signs that said not to feed them. There is a playground nearby and a bathroom near the parking area.

We stopped by on a day trip to Bandera. The park is along the river. From what I see it is clean…read moreeven though the water looked questionable. There was plenty of families having a picnic and swimming in the river. Besides the heat it was a really nice and peaceful walk. If I am a local I would go have a daily walk at this park. Right across the street they even have a children playground If you were like me looking for the river dam. When you park facing the river walk to the left it is towards the end

Evening stroll in Phil Hardberger Park with my pup. Labor Day weekend and all is quiet in the park.read more

Wonderful park! The walking trail from this entrance is an easy walk, and mostly in shade during…read moresome parts of the day. It's actually mostly paved or DG so would be doable even with a stroller. We walked from the red playground to the sky bridge and back which was 2 miles. The parking lot is next to the red playground and the dog park, from Blanco entrance, right next to Blanco BBQ. We saw 3 deer during November!

04 Jan 2026 This is…read morea cute,small wilderness area. It butts up against a neighborhood on one side and up against a water dam of some sort on the other. The trail is basically fenced in. This is a dormant time of the year. Nothing flowering, did not see any deer, no insects. Hell, there weren't any birds, either. There was a lot cactus. The trail is a loop. Less than 2 miles. The husband was taking pictures and we were done in less than an hour because as I said, nothing much is happening. We'll go back in two or three months when hopefully things are hopping.

Lots of wildlife and shade through the forest! Haven't been there in a while but boyfriend (now…read morehusband) and I used to frequent there before we moved!

Not a huge parking lot, but there was a space for me to get out of the sun and park to hike the…read moretrail after I had my lunch. There is a Porta potty near the entrance to the trails, but when I looked inside, it had a pile of clothes and looked like someone was living in there or at least sleeping in there at night. I walked the entire loop and it was about one and a quarter miles. Took a little less than 30 minutes to walk the loop. So it's a good lunchtime break to clear the head before going back to work. The trail has very little elevation change just minor up and downs, but the entire trail is paved. It's basically a 5 foot wide sidewalk loop so very easily accessible for anyone who wants to get out and do some hiking or just get back to nature. I didn't see any animals but saw three different birds, a cardinal, a mockingbird and a black Phoebe. Overall, not a bad space to have lunch and walk a little before heading back to work. I would come here again.

This isolated park that we had been to on our walks was perfect during the pandemic because it…read morenever gets crowded and people social distance pretty good here. It has a gazebo for birthday parties with a couple of benches. Only thing is: bring bug spray because it's already mosquito season in Texas allows mosquitoes lurk in the shade. This park has a running trail that doesn't go too far before it turns to dirt and than you can explore freely deeper into the woods. Come here for a relaxing walk away from crowds of people. The small parking lot will let you know how full it is.