Palmetto
State Park is located in Gonzales County and is close to Gonzales and Lulling,
Texas. The San Marcos River runs through
the park and there is a 4-acre lake as well.
The park offers hiking, camping, RV hook ups, fishing, canoeing, tubing,
paddle boating, a cabin to rent, and a pavilion to rent. Canoes, tubes, and paddleboats can be rented and
used in Oxford Lake. The park has 6
trails and 2 spurs for hiking. The
trails total 4.3 miles and a total walkable distance of 4.91 miles.
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| Oxbow Lake, One of the Biggest Attractions in Palmetto State Park |
The
land for Palmetto State Park was purchased from private landowners and the City
of Gonzales from 1934 to 1936. Palmetto
State Park is another park built by the Civilian Conservation Corp that was
completed and opened in 1936. In
addition, the park is covered in dwarf palmetto plants, which have a very
tropical look.
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| Dwarf Palmetto Plant Growing Around a Wooden Bridge |
Park
HQ Trail
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| The Park Headquarters Trailhead |
The
Park Headquarters Trail is only .22 miles, which is the shortest in the park. In addition, the trail is a short, flat,
graveled path that travels from the park headquarters to Oxbow Trail, Oxbow Lake, and the day use area. Furthermore, the path is shaded and fairly
cool on our walk considering its summer. If you
intend to only use the lake or rent equipment from the park, this trail will
allow you to walk there quickly. While leaving your vehicle safely at the park headquarters. Finally, the HQ trail parallels the park’s
main road and is limited in scenery and nature.
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| The Graveled Park HQ Trail Leading to Oxbow Lake |
Oxbow
Lake
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| The Oxbow Lake Trailhead |
The
Oxbow trail is a .68 mile graveled trail that travels the edge of Oxbow
Lake. The trail is nice and shaded path. Moreover, it is an easy walk and provides
access to multiple spots along the lake.
The access points to the lake provide excellent fishing or swimming
spots, but be careful there are no lifeguards on duty. In addition, there are multiple wooden
bridges along the path, but there was no water underneath during our trip. Furthermore, this trail provides access to
bird watching. Finally, this is the
location of the paddleboats and canoes available for renting.
Ottine
Swamp Trail
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| The Ottine Swamp Trailhead |
The
Ottine Swamp Trail is a 1.08 mile graveled trail that travels through the parks
famous swamps, which are named after the neighboring small town. In addition, the trail is mostly shaded and
has many boardwalks that span its swamps.
However, on our trip most of the
swamps were dry. There was almost no
water left this summer so the boardwalks only acted to keep us out of the
swamps vegetation. Furthermore, dwarf Palmetto plants grow along this trail in swamps along with various other undergrowth vegetation. Finally, there are rest areas with benches on the boardwalk so you can sit down and catch your breath or do some bird watching.
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| Boardwalk on The Ottine Swamp Trail |
All along this trail little lizards darted along the edge of the trail. This drives BeeGee crazy and she will pounce like a cat any chance she gets to try and check those fast little lizards. As far as I know she has never succeeded in catching one, but she hasn't let that stop her.
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| Dried Swamp on the Ottine Trail |
Excitingly, there was an abundant amount of wildlife on this trail. We saw deer, swamp rabbits, lizards, birds, and butterflies. It was a struggle sometimes to keep BeeGee calm with all the other living creatures out there to chase.
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| Two Deer Hiding Along the Ottine Swamp Trail |
Mesquite
Flats Trail
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| One of The Mesquite Flats Trailheads |
The
Mesquite Flats Trail is a 1.01 mile graveled trail that winds through an area
full of mesquite trees. In addition,
this trail is only partly shaded and has sections of open skies, so it was the
warmest trail of our hike. Finally, we didn’t see much wildlife, but we did see plenty of animal markings: tracks, fur, and scat.
The mesquite
tree is neat or a nuisance depending on your view. The tree its self is short with thorns and is
used to make furniture or wood fires for barbeque. However, mesquite tree roots grow very deep,
which results in other vegetation being killed around the trees. In addition, the seed pods have a sweet honey taste and the seeds can be cooked, ground, and used in bread. Just don't eat the seeds raw as it can make you sick.
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| Mesquite Trees and Cactus on the Mesquite Trail |
San
Marcos River Trail
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| One of the San Marcos River Trailheads |
The
San Marcos River trail is another graveled path and is 1.25 miles long. In addition, the trail is shaded and runs
along the San Marcos River. However, the
San Marcos River is not visible from the trail.
This is because of the overgrown vegetation. Furthermore, it is difficult to get to the
San Marcos River because the river’s edge is steep.
The
San Marcos River Trail is famous for its mud boil, which is one the Palmetto
State Park’s main attractions. A mud
boil is deep water that is heated and bubbles up to the surface. Unfortunately, Palmetto State Park’s mud boil
has been dry since 1970 due to a lower water table. All that is left on the San Marcos Trail’s
mud boil is a dried depression with green vegetation growing in the
location.
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| Palmetto State Park's Mud Boil |
We
did eventually find an easy path down to the San Marcos River so BeeGee could lay down in the water and cool off. However, if you don't mind a steep descent or fighting through plants, there are multiple paths that take you to the San Marcos River from this trail.
Palmetto
Interpretive Trail
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| Palmetto Interpretive Trailhead |
The
Palmetto Interpretive Trail is, in my opinion, the most fun trail in the park
and is located in the middle of the other trails. The trail is only .33 miles, graveled, and is
shaded the entire path. The trail has a
mild temperature because the water level is maintained for the swamps in this
area. Plus, the area is covered in Palmetto dwarf plans
All
along the trail are signs that describe the unique wildlife and plants of the
park, local heritage, and other interesting information. In addition, the Civilian Construction Corp’s
artesian well is located on this trail.
The well provides the water to maintain the natural look of the Park’s
swamps. Finally, be prepared for a
sulfur smell in this area and increased humidity.
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| Interpretive Sign on the Palmetto Trail |
Final
Thoughts
Palmetto
State Park has multiple things to do with the whole family, from camping to
fishing to swimming. In addition, the
park is close to Lulling where there is also excellent barbeque. Just be mindful that the park is home to
rattle snakes and be safe when swimming in Oxbow Lake or the San Marcos River. Therefore, if you are new to hiking or
camping and looking for something close to home, I strongly recommend this
park. If you are an experienced trail
blazer, I would look elsewhere unless you need to get out to hike and are short
on time.
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| The Water Tower and Artesian Well on the Palmetto Trail |
If you have ever been
to Palmetto State Park, let me know your thoughts and feel free to mention anything
I missed.
Great choice in State Parks. I have always loved this park. NM
ReplyDeleteThanks for following the blog NM, I appreciate all the support!
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