Blanco State Park
| Blanco State Park | |
|---|---|
The Blanco River in Blanco State Park | |
| Location | Blanco County, Texas, United States |
| Nearest city | Blanco |
| Coordinates | 30°5′22″N 98°25′26″W / 30.08944°N 98.42389°W[1] |
| Area | 104.6 acres (42.3 ha) |
| Established | 1934 |
| Visitors | 87,980 (in 2025)[2] |
| Governing body | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department |
| Website | Official site |
Blanco State Park is a 104.6-acre (42.3 ha) state park, along a mile of the Blanco River, on the southern edge of Blanco, Texas, United States. The park opened in 1934 and is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
History
Much of the early development of the park was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps company 854 between 1933 and 1934, including Park Road 23, bridges, culverts, retaining walls, dams, picnic tables, rock seats, and concession building (currently the group pavilion).[3]
On May 23-24, 2015, the park was hit by a catastrophic flood. The Blanco River rose thirty feet. The rushing water uprooted trees and scattered branches, silt, and trash in the park. Park rangers and volunteers repaired damages. The park partially reopened on August 1, 2015, and fully reopened on October 24.[4]
Nature
Plants
The park is hilly with mostly bald cypress, American sycamore, pecan and ashe juniper trees. Seasonal wildflowers include Texas bluebonnet, Engelmann daisy, Texas paintbrush, firewheel, stiff greenthread and stemmy four-nerved daisy.[5]
Animals
Among the animals seen at the park are white-tailed deer, raccoon, Mexican long-nosed armadillo, eastern fox squirrel and gray fox. Great blue heron, and green heron fish in the Blanco River. Red-eared slider, spiny softshell, and Texas river cooter sun on logs along the river.[5]
Activities
The park features camping, picnicking, swimming, tubing, hiking, and wildlife watching.
See also
References
- ^ "Blanco State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Christopher Adams. "What is the most visited state park in Texas? Here's the top 10 countdown for 2025". KXAN.com. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
- ^ "The Look of Nature: Blanco". texascccparks.org. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ "Blanco State Park: History". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ a b "Blanco State Park: Nature". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
External links
- Film segment about Blanco State Park in Vacation Trails: Hill Country and the Highland Lakes (1943) on the Texas Archive of the Moving Image