PARK NEWS

Texas expands state parks with 1,720 acres of Hill Country wilderness

Bear Creek State Park is filled with wildlife and flora.

Photo by Sonja Sommerfeld, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Texas will soon have a new place to explore along the Frio River: a 1,720-acre state park in Uvalde County. The future Bear Creek State Park — just a mile from the busy Garner State Park — marks the latest win from the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, which is fueling an unprecedented wave of new park development across the state.

The $1 billion fund, approved by Texas voters in 2023, is driving the biggest boom in new state park development since the ‘70s and ‘80s. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) purchased the land in a one-time, $33.5 million deal.

“This latest land purchase is another feather in the cap of the department for their efforts to provide more public spaces for Texans to recreate in the outdoors,” said Paul Foster, Chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, in a release. “Combined with the previous additions, Texas has added more than 6,800 acres of new parkland since January.”

Bear Creek State Park The land includes access to the Frio River and several streams and creeks.Photo by Sonja Sommerfeld, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

In addition to providing another point of access for tubing, the parcel includes several creeks and streams, canyons for hiking, and breathtaking views of Garner State Park’s Old Baldy mountain. A canopy of cypress and live oak trees provides plenty of shade for visitors, and campers will be able to enjoy dark skies far away from light pollution.

Nature lovers will also find a variety of wildlife. Bear Creek is a habitat for endangered species like the golden-cheeked warbler. Initial TPWD surveys suspect many rare floral species might also be found in the ravines.

The purchase of Bear Creek will allow Wildlife and Inland Fisheries biologists and state staff to conduct land surveys to draft management plans and brainstorm exhibits. TPWD will also seek public input to identify recreational opportunities. The work is expected to take several months before the state can announce an opening date.

Bear Creek State Park The park's rolling hills provide spectacular views.Photo by Sonja Sommerfeld, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

The formation of Bear Creek State Park adds to one of the most stunning tourist destinations in the Hill Country. In early August, vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo ranked Garner State Park the eighth best state park nationwide.

“The department is excited to add Bear Creek to the Texas State Park system and provide Texans with another picturesque slice of the Texas Hill Country to enjoy,” said TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz, in a statement. “The rolling grasslands and unnamed creeks stretching across the landscape will one day provide visitors with a new place to explore the peaks and valleys that make up Uvalde County.”

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EXCESS BAGGAGE

Forbes ranks San Antonio among the worst cities for holiday travel

Flying, airports, San Antonio International Airport

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

San Antonio Airport passengers can put their feet up knowing their airport is one of the most reliable in the country.

If it seems like holiday travel is bad this year, that's because it is. A new study by Forbes Advisor ranked San Antonio as the sixth-worst city when it comes to domestic traveling during the peak winter season.

The good news is that San Antonio is better than its Texas neighbors. Dallas ranked No. 1 and Houston No. 3.

The bad news? San Antonio is pretty bad by their measurement.

Scores in the study were determined by averaging several factors, mostly centered around cost. These include the average price of a nightly hotel stay, the average cost of a renting a car for one day, money spent on daily meals, the average cost of airfare, percentage of cancelled flights, number of annual passengers per gate, hours of traffic annually, the amount of entertainment per person per year, amount of fatal traffic accidents and crime, and the entertainment per person annually.

Combined, these factors give travelers a rough idea of what a stay in the city might look like, though obviously individual experiences will vary wildly from the data.

Factors weighing Alamo City down include the second highest average daily car rental ($58.90, beaten only by San Francisco, California), tying with Dallas for the highest percentage of cancelled flights (24 percent), the second-highest number of passengers per gate (202,407, after Sacramento, California's 208,719), one of the lowest scores for arts and entertainment per 100,000 people, and the second-highest number of fatal car crashes per year.

However, the city ranks well in terms of food and drink per 100,00 people and average cost of a nightly hotel stay ($192.20). San Antonio also has the second-lowest rate of violent crime per 100,000, trailing only Honolulu, Hawaii, albeit distantly.

The numbers for the San Antonio International Airport (SAT) should be taken with a grain of salt. The Forbes Advisor study covers 2022-2024. SAT h as had a marked decline in airport traffic since 2024, losing 2.4 percent in a year.

Despite that, SAT is still ranked 13th in overall customer satisfaction by the 2025 J.D. Power survey, showing that while the gates may be busy, travelers don't seem to mind flying in and out of the city. And upcoming improvements, like the $2.5 billion third terminal and an array of new locally owned food options, might make it more attractive yet.

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