Texas State Park in February

1,003 Views | 9 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by Snipes
a07nathanb
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AG
Son has a couple of days out of school in early February for teacher work days. Which state park should we take the travel trailer to?

Thought about Garner or Brazos Bend as they're popular and have roughly the same average temperatures

We'll cancel if we get another snowmegaddon forecast.

Would love to do Palo Duro or Big Bend but they're a little far for our two year old to ride

Any parks I'm not thinking of that we should consider?
chick79
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Check out Mineral Wells State Park.
AggieOO
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Quote:

Would love to do Palo Duro or Big Bend but they're a little far for our two year old to ride

do what you feel is best for you family, but kids can be just fine for long car rides. And the earlier you start, the easier it is down the road to throw them in the car and make road trips.

but back to your question...where are you located? guessing central texas somewhere, but location would help to minimize your drive time.
TexAg2001
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I like Brazos Bend for little ones. Their nature center and the programs they offer are really good (guided hikes, interactive demonstrations / activities, petting baby alligators, etc). You also have the observatory, which may be too much for a 2-year-old, but maybe not. It's been a long time since mine were that little.

I also like the Brazos Bend has several ecosystems (Forest, Prairie, Swamp) so the scenery isn't all the same.
CanyonAg77
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You're taking a chance almost anywhere in Texas for February. If you're starting in the metro mess, Caprock Canyons could save you some travel time. Copper Breaks is small, not a lot to do, excellent for star gazing.
MouthBQ98
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It will be entirely hit or miss but about 15 years ago my brother, one of his buddies and I happened to have some weekdays off work at the same time so we met at Garner mid February.

We happened to catch a warm snap with temps in the upper 70's to maybe 80F, and beautiful weather.

We had an entire section of the park to ourselves. Like 70 campsites and we were the only ones there. It was awesome. I don't think it gets quite that empty anymore but off-season during the week, it really clears out a lot. Amy state park will be like that, so choose your favorite and go.

It's also not a bad time of year to head west if you can handle the drive but the late winter weather can be highly variable in the big bend region.
a07nathanb
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Good guess, that would help
I am Central
Two hours to Houston
Two hours to San Antonio
Three to DFW
AlphaBean
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Glen rose
Greener Acres
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Based on your location, I'd cut the panhandle and far west Texas places out. I agree with an above poster that its never too soon to start them on long rides, but you'll spend most of two days travelling. Plus the panhandle is more likely to be nasty than nice then.

If they ever reopen for camping, Mission Tejas is a great place. Its very small but there's a play ground, river, and lots of trails that are easily accessible from the camping area. It's a lot hillier than you might think but with the trail layout, you could easily bail back to the campsites without having to push or carry him too far.

One recommendation from my experience is to take it slow with him. Don't get frustrated if he just wants to hang out and play in an area. You're just getting him to the fun of being out there. Also, if there's a burn ban and you can get a portable gas fire pit, s'mores are always a hit.

Watching thread for other good recommendations.
Snipes
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We've hit up quite a few state parks since we started camping 3yrs ago with our 4 and 6 yr old kids. Our favorites are pedernales, lost maples, Guadalupe river, and Galveston. Huntsville has nice rv sites by the lake with a shelter that we enjoyed during winter. To be honest you can't go wrong with any state park if you just want hang out by the campfire and make s'mores. Don't wait too long to book though because booking window already opened Presidents' Day weekend and even during winter most parks book up.
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