Relax and Go Tubing

Frio River Lodging and Dining
Want to spend a day splashing around in the Frio River? Here are some details to make your trip more enjoyable.

• Location: Take U.S. 90 west of San Antonio for an hour to Sabinal. Turn right on State 127 and follow that to Concan. Turn right on U.S. 83. It leads to Garner State Park where you can get maps and information.
• Garner State Park: HCR 70, P.O. Box 599, Concan, TX 78838; (830) 232-6132 or www.garnerstatepark.com. Admission is $5 per person for day use. Children 12 and under are free.
• Float Trips: Expect to pay less than $10 for ferry services upstream, which are available from a number of outfitters.
• Garner State Park rents new PVC pink and yellow tubes for $5 a day (with a $5 deposit). It also offers shuttles upstream. (For use in the dam area only, you can rent paddleboats for $6 per hour and kayaks for $8 to $10 an hour.)
• Parkview Riverside RV Park, situated across the Frio River from Garner State Park, also ferries tubers upstream; (830) 232-4006 or www.parkviewriversiderv.com.
• Happy Hollow Grocery, located on U.S. 83 north of Garner, provides a shuttle service; (830) 232-5266 or www.texashillcountryguide.com/johnnie.html.
• Lodging: We like the rustic accommodations at Frio Canyon Lodge in Leakey. A little more casual than a common chain motel, it's basically clean and funky. A swimming pool and shady trees set off it's motor courtyard; (830) 232-6810. Rooms start at $85 during the summer.
• Rent a cabin at Garner, or camp there in a tent. Cabin rates from $70, tent sites from $10. For RV camping, we recommend Parkview (see above).
• Dining: You can't beat the breakfast tacos at the Garner Grill in the state park. Meals there during the remainder of the day lean heavily on fast food, such as burgers, chicken tenders, and fries.
• We liked Mama Chole's Mexican Restaurant in downtown Leakey on U.S. 83 so much, we ate there twice. Go for the excellent enchiladas, and pour on the salsa; (830) 232-6111.
• Get your camping and picnic supplies at the Utopia General Store on Farm Road 187 east of Garner; (830) 966-3444.