I have a big interest in pictographs and other artworks from out earliest ancestors so I try to get up close and personal with them anytime I can. Many times the examples are see from quite a distance and out of sight with only pictures or descriptions to see. This park has some of the best up close views of artwork thousands of years old. Think about this for a moment. Some humans painted on cave walls many thousands of years ago and they are still on those cave walls for us to observe today! How remarkable is that? The staff is not the most personable compared to many others I've interacted with but they are very knowledgeable and helpful. There are a number of day hikes available here as well but I only took the guided tour down into the canyon so I can't speak to any of the other hikes available. Overall a good afternoon outing. read more

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My brother and I visited this state park back in July 2019, when the weather was sweltering hot. Upon arrival, we opted for the guided tour around the canyon. A park ranger accompanied us to explain the low water of the Lower Pecos River Canyon, the flora, fauna, and loads of history. Our tour guide/park ranger was nice, friendly, and super knowledgeable. I loved seeing all of the pictographs still intact after so many years. My favorite thing about the tour was when shown replicas of what the past inhabitants ate and how they would survive on the land. The rock art was painted on limestone which was easier to preserve for longer periods. My brother and I even camped in the park. The campsites are spacious and private from any neighboring campers. The site we had came with a picnic table, a fire ring, and a designated spot for the tent. If you are into fossils and geology and are a history buff, I would check out this state park. It is one of the coolest Texas state parks. It does not get as crowded since it isn't considered as popular as the others. I loved seeing the fossils embedded into the limestones and seeing so many sotol plants and arid plants thriving out in the weather. Do make sure that you bring plenty of water as the heat is more dry than humid. There is no shade only if you get under the canyon to view the paintings. The hike can be rugged and steep, you may not need trekking poles throughout the walk, but going down the stairs into the canyon can be tricky if you aren't prepared. read more

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We booked our day trip reservation online to make it all easier. We paid $8 for 1 vehicle 2 people (as of 2024). While we also encountered a couple who bought their day trip pass in the center. Drove from SATX to Seminole with a little bit over 3hrs. Note that you will pass a border patrol here. Center and Service: When we arrived we went to the center to get our ticket for the car. The center has a mini museum and shop that covers necessities and souvenirs. The staff were all so hospitable and helpful. Since we said it's our first time they helped us to understand the map and the trails. Trail: On the trail we did the loop (Rio Grande and Canyon Rim Trail) from 3 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 and took us over 3hrs with over 8miles (Check the map to make sense). Then we went back to the center to do the Windmill Trail (.50miles, around 20mins) They also offer a guided tour for the canyon. Tip: Bring water and wear enclosed shoes and comfortable socks to hike in a rocky trail. Wear something that covers your skin as it has a lot of spikey plants. Check the museum before going to the trail. I advised to hike this place in a non summer weather since it is pretty open and little to no shade at all. While for winter and with heavy wind bring a moisturizer for your face and lips as it will truly dries you out. Overall we enjoyed our experience from people to the history and scenery of Seminole Canyon. read more

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Absolutely beautiful park. Well maintained, staff is super friendly and helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

The best of Texas state parks! Rangers were helpful and knowledgeable. The scenery was stunning and the guided tour was informative and fun! Make sure to reserve guided tour in advance. The hike is a bit challenging but worth it. read more

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Had a great time stopping by and seeing the spectacular views from this State Park. Along the way we stopped at the overlook to the Pecos River as an added bonus. The State Park isn't very large, but they have a lot of nice camping spots, a picnic area, smallish covered picnic grounds, but the views of the Seminole Canyon are some of the most impressive, awe inspiring views of the majesty of Texas. If anywhere near this location or traveling by, this is a must stop location. read more

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We went on Feb 15 and had William and his dad, Lance, as guides. WOW! Not only was the hike beautiful, but the guides were knowledgeable and demonstrated their exuberance after decades of hiking around the canyon. Highly recommend the tour! read more

Great stop if you are in your way to Big bend and need to get warmed up for the views and hikes. We hiked, had a snack and took great pictures. read more

Seminole Canyon State Park - Amazing view! - Parks Near Me - Comstock, Texas

The short tour into Bell Canyon is worth the time and money, but then you've gotta hike to Panther Cave! Great cave art from ancient peoples that have not yet been claimed by - or DNA linked to - any known Indian tribes or groups. The mystery makes the 4,000 year-old art even more interesting! Take plenty of water, wear sunscreen (I didn't and paid the price) - and if you follow the cliff route - allow at least 7 hours. read more

Seminole Canyon State Park - Parks Near Me - Comstock, Texas

Awesome state park with primitive camping, plenty of hiking trails, and even RV spots with full hook ups. As others have said, you MUST do one of the guided tours and check out the 2000 to 4000 year-old pictographs. They are fading and won't be around a lot longer. It's $5 to get into the park and $8 for the Fate Bell Shelter guided tour (you do not have to make reservations, just show up and sign up for it) The Fate Bell Shelter tours are as follows: * June 1 - Aug. 31: Tours are at 10 a.m. * Sept. 1 - May 31: Tours are at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. It can get hot out there in May, and on the day we were there, they cancelled the 3pm tour due to the heat forecast - luckily, we were there for the 10am. The Fate Bell Shelter tour is between 1.5 and 2 miles round trip and I think it lasted about an hour and a half. Hiking boots/shoes are not a necessity on this hike, but definitely wear a decent pair of tennis shoes. Some steep parts but most of them were stair steps with some hand rails. There were a couple of kids a little under 10 years old and they did just fine. Theresa was our volunteer tour guide and she had an awesome expanse of knowledge about the pictographs as well as the geology and plant life in the park. Plenty of hiking trails abound, but you can only get into "the canyon" on a guided tour. There are two other guided tours to different parts of the canyon in the fall - check the TPWD site for the deets my peeps! Different pricing and length of tours for those - one of them is all day I believe. Pets are allowed on the trails - but it's hot out there so take care of them folks! The visitor's center has free Wi-Fi, a museum you can tour for free, some drinks, and even a few camping supplies in case you forgot something. #52HikeChallenge read more

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I wanted to camp here but the campground was closed for construction while I was passing through. Still I went to visit and am SO glad I did! I got there around 9:30 and was able to get a spot for the 10:00 guided tour of the canyon and cavern where there are the oldest cave drawings in North America! (*note: normally you need a reservation but they happened to have extra room when I went) The staff were excellent; very nice and knowledgeable. The tour was one of the most informative and interesting tours I'd been on in a while. The hike is very easy (but not ADA accessible). So much history right under your nose! It's right off hwy 90. There are several trails also. I just did one of the moderate trails but there are more challenging ones as well. read more

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Beautiful and historic! This park is a great way to get out into the desert and see the sights. People have been camping here for over 4,000 years! Since before the pyramids- this place has been occupied! Wow. They offer guided tours of the canyon- it's the only way you can (legally) get down in the canyon to see what's going on. They offer these tours at 10a or 3p, depending on the time of year. Call ahead. The tour is a few bucks- totally worth it! This tour took us a few miles in an hour and a half to see all the rock art and petroglyphs, with explanations of what's going on in the drawings and the significance of them. Simply fantastic! Absolutely worth the time. I'm really glad I went! The guide was friendly and knowledgeable. She knew some of the stories behind each of the paintings, and encouraged us to come up with our own ideas of what might be going on. The park HQ offers postcards, books, and some supplies for campers. They were selling HEB groceries to needful campers. The park HQ also offered a cool display that showed off the history of the area over the past 4,000 years with cool dioramas and mannequins with pictures and stuff. Really cool. The park otherwise offered trails, which were appropriately labelled. I went on a bike ride that was a bit more difficult than I was anticipating, but was still lots of fun! The park campsites were plenty far apart to accommodate some privacy. They had full hookups- water and 30&50 amp connections. No sewage. The bathrooms were in good condition and offered showers. Park HQ was about a half mile from the campsites. read more

If you like art, you're in for a treat at Seminole Canyon State Park. Here, the gallery is the immense outdoors, the canvas is limestone, the pictures are over 4,000 years old and the artists are a nomadic people long gone. Seminole Canyon State Park is about a 5-1/2 hour drive from Austin. It's an area with sparse vegetation, rocky terrain and deep canyons. Facilities include the park interpretive center (excellent exhibits explain the history of the area) campsites, picnic sites, nature/interpretive trails, multi-use trails for hiking and mountain biking and also a watering hole and campsite used by the Seminole Negro Indian scouts, from which the park gets its name. However, no hiking is allowed in the canyon itself without a guide, so if you want to see rock art, you must take either a 90-minute Fate Bell Shelter tour, a half-day Upper Canyon tour or an all-day Presa Canyon tour. We went on the afternoon Fate Bell Shelter tour, with our awesome guide Tanya. She led us on a fairly rugged two-mile roundtrip walk from the canyon rim to the bottom of the canyon floor, then another climb up to the shelter to view lots of rock art. This shelter is one of the oldest cave dwellings in North America. It's basically a huge cliff overhang where the ancient peoples lived, worked and of course, painted -- mostly blood red, black, yellow and orange hued pictures of shamans, animals and other fantastical figures. Along the way, Tanya told us about the history of Lower Pecos Valley, showed us various plants and explained about their uses, and pointed out lots of geologic features. She was fantastic, an absolute font of information who willingly answered questions and actively engaged our group; even the children paid close attention. I enjoyed the show-and-tell items that she kept pulling out of her pockets. My favorite was a makeshift needle and thread fashioned entirely from one Spanish Dagger plant blade (all the better to sew your cactus pad pouch with!). Unfortunately, these unprotected pictographs are deteriorating due to exposure to the elements. It is predicted that they will most likely not be around for another generation... once they're gone, they're gone. So if you want to admire some of most outstanding examples of rock art in the world, go soon. read more

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Seminole Canyon State Park was a fun trek into basically uninhabited territory. There is no cell service for miles so download your maps before you go. It was cool to be so close to the Rio Grande and not see a giant fence at the border. It was a dry heat when walking in the desert so bring plenty of water! The overnight camping is not available at this time unfortunately. You have to take the guided pictographs tour as well seeing remnants from an ancient civilization. The Rio Grande and Canyon Rim trail, although lengthy, bring you right to the cliffs on the water. I enjoyed my time at Seminole Canyon! read more

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Just in case the updated address hasn't showed up, the address 90 Highway, Comstock, TX 78837. It is about 3.5 hour drive from San Antonio. The highlight of the park is Fate Bell Shelter Tour, every day at 10AM (June to Aug), and at 3PM (Aug to May), it is $5 for the tour ($3 for the park entrance). The tour is about 1.5 hours, I personally don't think it is that hard. But make sure you wear a tennis shoes or running shoes. No slippers please. It can be slippery if there were rain, you will slip and fall. It is a must tour for anyone who wants to visit the park. The art work is fading, so please come and visit before it is gone forever. We spend the second part of the day hiking in the Canyon Rim Trail, it is about 7.5 Miles round loop. The trail is relatively straight forward, not too much of elevation. But it can be challenging because: 1) It is rocky, so if you have a weak ankle like me, be carful where you are stepping 2) There are no shades, although there are viewpoints with a roof, but they are far apart 3) No water, so bring enough water! 4) Even if there is overcast, you still get sun burn! 5) It can reach over 100 degrees in the afternoon, so be prepared for that Oh also, to the border control officer that asked me why I'm going a long way to see this place. Duh! The canyon can't come to me, so I'm going to the canyon. =) read more

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Seminole Canyon Park is one of my favorite places to camp, hike and kayak - the land is rugged and the water is clear. The camping sites fill up fast so reserve a camp site several weeks ahead of your plans to visit. Some of the park is only allowed via a guided tour so be sure and ask when checking in. We took took the Bell Shelter Tour offered Wed - Sun at 10 AM June 1 - Aug 31 it is a rugged hike to the bottom of the canyon then up to the shelter to view many American Indian rock paintings. On a previous tour in October I got to view the monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico - amazing. There are numerous caves in the area with pictographs, some of which are open to the public. If the water levels in the area are high enough you can paddle to the caves otherwise you can hike. Amazing and beautiful check it out - see my posted pics! read more

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Truly a great walk. This was a first stop on a wonderful West Texas tour and it made for a great introduction to the area. Friendly, knowledgable staff and a great exhibit. The trail itself is welcoming to hikers of all ability. It didn't feel like a full 6 mile roundtrip hike but feel free to explore the end of the trail a bit more and really take in the view of Mexico on the other side. Can't wait to return and see more of this place! read more

This was without a doubt a serious tourist trap and ripoff. Went in and paid for park access with intention to explore and photograph pictographs and petroglyphs. I was informed after I paid that there is no public access to the actual sites, only to distant overlooks of them. From The overlooks the pictographs are almost if not completely blocked by trees making them impossible to view. If you happen to go on a day when they are offering guided tours, you can go and see them but only in a guided group. Independent exploration and study is not allowed. Politely asked for a refund, because I didn't care to hike 6-7 miles just to stare at trees on a far bank. Was told that because I walked around the visitor center inside, that a refund was not possible because the visitor center is part of the entry fee. Just 10 bucks but still annoying. If you are coming here to actually see early life, don't waste your time or money. Happy exploring! read more

This is a must see park that has wonderful camping and great staff. I recommend getting the water and electric spots as they have a shade shelter picnic table. This saved us in a rain storm. Make sure to go to on both the Fate Bell tour to see the pictographs and if you are there on Saturday do the White Shaman tour (1 mile away from the park at 12:30 every Sat. $10. read more

Seminole Canyon State Park - Parks Near Me - Comstock, Texas

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We are Texas State Park visitors and this one has been on our list for a long time. Park is very well maintained, has a nice gift shop and interpretation center. BUT the reason to visit is the cave art. Purchase your tickets (will also need to pay an entrance fee) at the office. 35-40 minutes hick to the bottom of the canyon. Great guides, thank you Jack and Jane, explaining current beliefs on what the symbols mean. Tours are available Wednesday through Sunday 10 and 3 during cool months only 10 during summer. Quite, beautiful sunsets, great deer watching, rabbit chasing for our dog and bird watching. read more

I'm working my way through all of the Texas State Parks, and so far I've camped at about 50% of them. Seminole Canyon was never high on my priority list, but we decided to make a stop there on the way to Big Bend and see the pictographs. WOW! Am I ever glad we made it to this park! It's true, the camping accommodations are not fantastic. The sites are nice enough, but the desert landscape is not really my preferred setting. Don't let that keep you away. The real highlight here are the pictographs. Make sure you sign up for the Fate Bell Shelter tour, and I'd do a morning tour before it gets too hot. The walk is at a leisurely pace and not too difficult. There are several large rocky steps going down into the canyon, and then of course coming back out. Those are at the very beginning of the tour, so you will know what you are getting in to from the start. It's definitely do-able even if you are not in great shape (like me). I was so interested in the ranger's talking points about the landscape and history here, and then further absorbed in viewing these ancient pictographs, that I hardly even noticed the walk. There were a couple spots to sit down and rest while viewing pictographs, if needed, but I hardly sat for a moment. This didn't really feel like exercise until it was time to climb those tall stairs out, but it was manageable and I am so glad I did it. These pictographs are only expected to be here for another 20 years or so, and no one has yet devised a way to preserve them. Be sure to see them before they are gone! Some inquired about the safety of camping so close to the border. There are border patrol officers stationed everywhere along the way, and you will cross through a checkpoint near the park with K9 dogs and officer inspections. The park and the area are very safe. read more