The float on the Frio at Garner State Park runs over water clear enough to watch limestone the whole way. By dusk the concession pavilion takes over, a jukebox dance that has filled the floor since the 1940s. You sleep in the campground above that river, in Concan.
San Antonio has no public campground with hookups in town, so the trip starts with the drive to the Hill Country. Reserve the Garner site first, then the van. A water-only pad and a full-hookup pad take different vehicles.
River floats and the pavilion dance load the same weekends and fill the same sites. As of September 2026, overnight camping at Texas state parks can be reserved up to five months in advance. The rest of the calendar is easier than Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Most loops have water and electric, and New Garner has full hookups. Water-only sites allow pop-ups, trailers, and motorhomes 20 feet or less, and Live Oak and Persimmon Hill close in January and February. If you need more sleeping space or a longer rig, look at RV rentals in San Antonio. Concan and Leakey are the towns on this side of the Frio.
Lost Maples State Natural Area
In fall the Sabinal canyon at Lost Maples turns with Uvalde bigtooth maples, color against the rock walls, and Vanderpool is the town for that weekend. As of September 2026 the park is about two hours northwest of San Antonio, and October and November can fill it daily.
The improved loop has water and electric with back-in RV parking. Hike-in primitive sites have no potable water, so the van stays on the electric loop.
The Missions and the River Walk
Mission bell towers and stone arches follow the river south of downtown, then the River Walk is the downtown channel itself. This is a parked day in San Antonio, not a place the van sleeps.
Closer in, Government Canyon State Natural Area gives you a trail day without leaving the city. Camping there is walk-in tent sites only, so the van does not spend the night.
Hill Country State Natural Area at Bandera
Open rangeland gives way to rocky canyon on the trails at Hill Country State Natural Area, and the creek-side walk-in sites are along West Verde Creek and Comanche Bluff. Most camping is walk-in or hike-in. The only drive-up option is the Chapas horse camp, first-come electric sites when a group has not reserved them, as of September 2026.
Bandera, Medina Lake, and Fredericksburg are the towns people string together on a longer Hill Country loop. River camping closer to the city is Guadalupe River State Park, which belongs to New Braunfels. Austin has McKinney Falls, Pedernales Falls, Enchanted Rock, Hamilton Pool, and Lake Travis.
