Another Coronavirus hike in the books at Palmetto State Park, a short 30 minutes from my parents home and only 2 hours from Houston. Located near the towns of Luling and Gonzales Texas. This small 270 acres state park got its name from the unique dwarf palmetto plants found there. In similar fashion to my hikes at Lockhart State Park, we planned to hit all the trails in one day. We arrived around 9 AM and we were off on the trails.
Palmetto State Park Trails
Palmetto State Park offers almost 5 miles of trail interconnected throughout the park. We hiked approximately 4.75 miles of these in just under 3 hours, including a few stops along the way.
Ottine Swamp Trail
The Ottine Swamp Trail beings at the parking lot near the group picnic area and meanders to the southwestern park boundary. The beginning of the trail is wooded, offering an excellent location for birding, with a large variety of trees and brush providing habitat for numerous species. We identified several cardinals and other species along the hike. Farther along the trail there are interspersed meadows, where we caught the tail end of wildflower season in Texas. The Mexican Hat Flower, in the same family as sunflowers, was in bloom throughout the meadows in the park when we were there. We saw many more of these small meadows along Mesquite Flats Trail.
The swamps along this and Palmetto Interpretive Trail result from overflow from the San Marcos River and sulfur springs… more on those a little later.
Palmetto Interpretive Trail
This short loop trail showcases the habitat that got the park its name. Dwarf palmettos are everywhere here, thriving the the swamp habitat they are native to. The big attraction along this trail is the historic CCC Water Tower and Cistern, which was installed in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps to supply water to the group picnic area. Today, the water, pumped without any electrical power, is released into the wetlands along the trail to maintain the palmetto habitat.
Mesquite Flats Trail
Canebrake Spur and Mossycup Spur
These two short spurs combine to make a loop, which connects to the San Marcos River Trail in two spots. They offer short and easy hikes from the electric campground at Palmetto State Park and are entirely wooded.
Canebrake Spur passes by the site of extinct mud boils… I know you’re wondering what the heck a mud boil is. I sure was, SOOOOO I did a little googling to find an answer. The Texas State Historic Association did not disappoint. These mud boils were at one time a unique hydraulic (water) feature in the area. However due to drilling for oil and water resulting in a lower water table these unique features have dried up. Wetlands remain in the depressional areas where these mud boils once existed, as pictured below.
San Marcos River Trail
The longest trial in the park at 1.25 miles, the San Marcos River Trail is exactly what it sounds like. This trail follows the river for a majority of its length and offers some really pretty overlooks. Don’t get too close to the edge though, it is a long fall to the shallow river below.
About a quarter of the way into this trail we were in for a little slithering surprise. A lovely, and very, venomous northern cottonmouth, also known as water moccasins. I am no snake ID expert, so anytime I see a wild animal, big or small, and am not sure what it is I turn to the iNaturalist website and app for help identifying it. He sure did give my aunt and I a fright as she nearly walked right on top of him. Meanwhile Winter and my dad walked right past the little guy (thankfully). We kept our distance and waited for him to move off the trail before we continued our hike. A great reminder to watch where you are walking at all times!
Oxbow Lake
A morning of hiking deserved some relaxing by the lake, and that is exactly what we did. At the time, camping was not permitted at the state parks in Texas due to COVID. We took advantage and enjoyed lunch under the trees at a campsite on Oxbow Lake. And enjoyed playing a little fetch with Winter while she practiced some swimming.
Scenic Overlook at Palmetto State Park
One of my favorite things about this park is the Scenic Overlook on Park Road 11 before you get to park headquarters. On this visit Google Maps sent us into the park via County Road 261 instead of Park Road 11, so we stopped at the overlook on the way out. This is a can’t miss feature at the park! The overlook provides sweeping views of the Trans-Pecos region with gently rolling hills and the San Marcos River landscape. It is a great way to begin, or end, your visit to Palmettos State Park.
Before you go – Palmetto State Park
In addition to hiking, the park offers a myriad of other activities, including camping, fishing, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. For the more adventurous folks, try kayaking the section of the San Marcos River from Luling, which takes about 7 to 8 hours. If you are looking for something more relaxing, grab one of the rental kayaks or paddle boards at Oxbow Lake. They are rented by Paddle EZ, and all the reservation and payment is done through their website.
To hike all of the trails at Palmetto State Park took about 3 hours. It was definitely a warm spring day, and as summer approaches it will only get warmer. Be sure to pack more water than you think you will need. I would love to return to this park to camp. While camping in the summer can be unbearable – all of the campsites here are shaded and located near either Oxbow Lake or the San Marcos River. Both of which provide ample opportunity to keep cool.
The day use fees at this park are $3. Due to the restrictions in place from COVID we had to reserve a “Save the Day” pass on the park website. The “Save the Day” option is always available for every state park in Texas, and I always recommend using it as opposed to paying at the park entrance. Why? For the busier state parks it guarantees you will be able to enjoy the state park on the day you planned to go. All camping needs to be reserved online at the park website and can be reserved up to six months in advance.
Leave no Trace
The environmental activist in me comes out at the end of every post. If we want to keep being able to enjoy the great outdoors, we have to take care of it! I have a bag to put all my trash in that I carry in my day pack. Using a refillable and reusable water bottle or camelbak instead of using a plastic bottle from the convenience store is a must.
When I hike with dogs, who are lucky enough to have nature as their restroom, I always carry plenty of baggies to clean up after them. The state park does not provide trash bins along trails so be prepared to carry out any trash – including full dog poop bags.
Look for more posts about hiking in Houston and around Texas here. For more dog friendly hiking and camping, check out my blogs on the All Things Winter page.
Great hike