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Goliad State Park

Y’all when I first started planning our weekend camping trip to Goliad State Park, I’d never even heard of Goliad State Park & Historic Site. After doing some reading about the kayaking opportunities at Goliad State Park, I decided we just had to visit. Keep reading for tips on what to do during your visit to Goliad State Park.

Camping at Goliad State Park

The Goliad State Park campsites are pretty close together, which is something I try to avoid when I’m camping.  But if your planning a weekend trip to Goliad, then I’d recommend the tent camping along the river (no electricity at these sites though). Sites 1, 7, 8, 14 look a little more secluded than the other sites…definitely worth checking out if you plan to camp at Goliad State Park. Also if you haven’t already signed up for my Free Camping Checklist, you should definitely go do that now. It’s sssoo helpful when your planning and packing up for a camping trip. Plus who doesn’t love free stuff!

Kayaking at Goliad State Park

We went to Goliad with one mission, spend our day kayaking the San Antonio River. It was an incredibly relaxing kayaking trip completely surrounded by mother nature!! We dropped our bikes off at the “paddling trail take out” in the state park (check out this map here). Then we drove up to the “paddling trail put in” on Highway 59. I was impressed with the amount of parking available and the nice set of stairs leading down to the water. Nice set up! We pumped up our kayak and started off on our journey (yes we have an inflatable kayak and I love it…link here)!! It’s a 6.6 mile trip which took us about 2 hours 45 minutes total. Just be aware of the water levels before you go because it can take up to 4-5 hours to kayak if the river is really low (see current conditions here). Once we were done, my husband biked back to our car while I deflated our kayak. It took him about 20 minutes to bike back to the car, not too bad. If you have two cars available that would be ideal, but that wasn’t an option for us.

Also if you’re looking for a shorter trip, then you can “take out” at Ferry Street.  It took us about 2 hours to get to the Ferry Street take out and you don’t have to pay for a state park pass if you choose this route.  The only down side to the Ferry Street take out is that you’ll miss out on the abandoned railroad bridge. It’s nothing amazing but I thought it was pretty cool!

Fishing

The San Antonio River is full of catfish, bass, and sunfish…and you don’t need a license to fish at Goliad State Park. Just bring your fishing gear (or borrow some of their gear at the park office) and find a nice spot to catch some fish. The river bed is actually pretty steep so it’s easier to fish straight off their little dock.

Hiking/Biking Trails

There aren’t a ton of trails at Goliad State Park, it’s actually a pretty small park.  There’s the San Antonio River Trail and the Angel of Goliad Hike/Bike Trail. Both are very nice trails but not necessarily a “must do” in my opinion. 

The Missions at Goliad State Park

When you drive into Goliad State Park, the first thing you’ll notice is the gorgeous Mission Espiritu Santo. It dates back to 1749 and was restored by the CCC in the 1930s. Click here to read more about the history of the missions at Goliad State Park. 

Getting There

Well Goliad State Park is a little far for a day trip but it can be done!! It’s about 2 hours 15 minutes from Austin, 1 hour 40 minutes from San Antonio, and 2 hours 20 minutes from Houston. If you’re coming from Austin, try to plan some time at Palmetto State Park along the way. It’ll add just 10 minutes to your drive, but it’s totally worth it!

I hope you enjoy your trip to Goliad State Park!! To learn more about some of our other Texas Adventures click here.