Garner State Park Campground

Beautiful park until the water runs brown! And when i called the office they said yes its brown but irs treated. And then they told me they wouldn't drink it. Talked another staff orson the said the same thing. I told her that my wifes powdered cream curdled … she knew exactly what I was taljing about and said thats why the staff uses bottled water for their coffee. What was mind boggling to me is that the dont tell you that when you register online, nor even mention it when you get to the park. Nice park but they should be upfront about their bad water.

The park was beautiful with crystal clear water in the river, amazing trails, and activities for all. This is not the park for couples wanting to get away and back to nature. We stayed during a weekend and almost all campsites were occupied. The noise from young adults lasted until after midnight, which is understandable for kids wanting to get away and blow off steam. Just wasn’t what I wanted. If we ever go back it will be during the week when kids will be in school. I do however commend the parents that come here with their kids because it means they are not attached to phones, video games, or TV’s.

I travelled here with a 35’ 5th wheel, long bed pickup and parked in the Rio Frio loop, site #408, an E/W BI site for $24/night with a Texas SP pass. Roads and sites were asphalt and it was easy to navigate the Rio Frio loop. No trees or rocks to impede backing into the site. The picnic table was on the wrong side for this site because they placed it where it would get afternoon shade under a large tree to the back of the space. Sites were very spacious and were all open to the sun on this loop. It was early in the season and the bathhouse was closed for renovations so there were very few people here, making it a very quiet stay. It is a very large campground with little vegetation to block sound so the potential for noise in prime season is possible. The site was pretty level, but I did put boards under one side, but I was being really picky. No cell service or OTA. Weak wifi was available by the visitor’s center and the office at the entrance. I drove through the other campgrounds in the park. If I were to come back in warmer weather, I would probably choose Shady Meadows or Oakmont (for the river access and shade). Live Oak campground had a number of sites that would offer shade as well – 304, 306, 307, 310, 316, 320, 326, 331, 347, 351, 363, 377 (as best as I could guess from looking at a compass and shadow patterns.) It is a long drive to get groceries so come prepared. The camp store in the park has some essentials. The laundry room was disgusting, old, rusty machines and filthy. There is some nice hiking around the park if you don’t want to be in the river. It looks like a really fun place to take the family, kayak, SUP and fish. I would come back here again if it was along my route.

Campsites have a rustic & open feel to them. Combination of weeds/dirt throughout the campground. Grass (weeds) allowed to grow pretty high. (knee high) Sites are asphalt & plenty of space. Picnic table & fire ring were located about 15-20 yards away from the RV. Numerous trees but we had no difficulty obtaining a DirecTV signal from our roof mount. Be careful if you are a big rig driving thru the loop as some tree branches hang low.

2 lane dump station located just outside the loop. 50amp & water on site. Very busy on weekends but a lot of space available during the week. If you arrive at the start of a weekend be prepared to wait in line to check-in. Our wait was about 20-25 minutes on a Friday afternoon.

***Verizon Users***
There is NO Verizon service anywhere in the area, inside or outside of the park.

Internet Speeds

AT&T - Download - 23.29 (We are capped at 25.0) Upload - 10.04
T-Mobile - Download - 25.28, Upload - 12.06

I travelled here with a 35’ 5th wheel, long bed pickup and parked in the Rio Frio loop, site #408, an E/W BI site for $24/night with a Texas SP pass. Roads and sites were asphalt and it was easy to navigate the Rio Frio loop. No trees or rocks to impede backing into the site. The picnic table was on the wrong side for this site because they placed it where it would get afternoon shade under a large tree toward the back of the space. Sites were very spacious and were all open to the sun on this loop. It was early in the season and the bathhouse was closed for renovations so there were very few people here, making it a very quiet stay. It is a very large campground with little vegetation to block sound so the potential for noise in prime season is possible. The site was pretty level, but I did put boards under one side, but I was being really picky. No cell service or OTA. Weak wifi was available by the visitor’s center and the office at the entrance. I drove through the other campgrounds in the park. If I were to come back in warmer weather, I would probably choose Shady Meadows or Oakmont (for the river access and shade). Live Oak campground had a number of sites that would offer shade as well – 304,306,307, 310, 316, 320, 326, 331, 347, 351, 363, 377 (as best as I could guess from looking at a compass and shadow patterns.) It is a long drive to get groceries so come prepared. The camp store in the park has some essentials. The laundry room was disgusting, old, rusty machines and filthy. There is some nice hiking around the park if you don’t want to be in the river. It looks like a really fun place to take the family, kayak, SUP and fish. I would come back here again if it was along my route.

We love Garner State Park and the Frio River! We have stayed here once before in the River Crossing camping area, which we like better than where we stayed this time in the Rio Frio camping area. However, both are very nice. The River Crossing camping area has better access to more trails and our favorite section of the river. We have Verizon and there is ZERO cell phone service anywhere in the park except for inside at the park headquarters where you check in.

We go to Garner State Park once a year with a few other families and kids. The park fills out quickly so you need to plan ahead of time if you are going in a larger group as we do. The Frio River runs through the park and is a fun way to have the kids swim and unwind a bit. It's great for adults too as we usually bring out a canopy and relax on a shallow part of the river for a few hours. If you go in the summer, make sure to bring plenty of water as it gets very hot and that sun is unforgiving. It's a really short walk to the river from the Live Oak campground. About a 50-75 yard walk through a rocky terrain (make sure to wear shoes). Most of our group camps in tents and there is plenty of shaded camping sites to make it pleasant. We take our travel trailer with us as GSP provides water and a 50/30 amp connection. There are not any sites with sewage connections so plan accordingly.

Hubs and I are on a 4 State Park trip and Garner was #2. Our site was good, pretty level for our 34ft 5th wheel, Frio River was just behind us and Live Oak Circle was extremely quiet. We did several very challenging hikes which led to spectacular views but did test our endurance. On Saturday we went to the extremely crowded Pecan Grove/Oakmont area to kayak the river which is crystal clear Frio River. Bathrooms could be better maintained (but then it was a very busy weekend) and store employee could care a bit more (had NO interest in the fact that the dryer took my money and didn’t dry my clothes). Overall, we will definitely be back!

This is one of the nicest state parks that Texas has to offer. There are tons of amenities including laundry, a grocery store, rentals, etc. Don't fill up on gas at the station just outside of the park - drive the extra 10 minutes to Leakey to save a significant amount of money. One neighbor did leave their barking dog in their rig the entire time, but that wasn't a fault of the park.

Our site in the Rio Frio loop was well spaced out and clean. However, the water seemed to have a lot of suspended particulate/dirt in it which would settle out when you left it sitting for a while in a container.

AT&T service with a Pepwave Mobility 42G antenna was sufficient to hit our 8Mbps plan cap. T-Mobile coverage was faster than that, though with a weaker and more inconsistent signal.