Government Canyon State Natural Area - Texas Parks and Wildlife

Government Canyon State Natural Area - Texas Parks and Wildlife Government Canyon State Natural Area opened to the public in '05 & our mission is aquifer protection.
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Before visiting please remember that reservations are recommended as capacity limits are in place. You can check permit availability and make reservations online at texasstateparks.reserveamerica.com

Check out our educational resources below:

Interactive Birding Poster- friendsofgovernmentcanyon.org/birding

Virtual Bird Guide-
docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTG9qCnFvCB_BuliHv8WYHcOj4dSNNAHQzdDDIuNznMTb6jyeicxfoQO_qbQo19LQr2PXfnXuLxzXY7/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=5000

Our phones are now working! We thank you for your patience while we fixed this technical issue.
09/21/2026

Our phones are now working! We thank you for your patience while we fixed this technical issue.

THIS IS NOW OUTDATED. Our phones are currently workingWe apologize for the inconvenience, but our phones are currently o...
09/20/2026

THIS IS NOW OUTDATED. Our phones are currently working

We apologize for the inconvenience, but our phones are currently out of order. If you need to contact us, please message us here or send us an email at [email protected]

A Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax) recently caught a ranger's eye at the wildlife viewing blind. A closer look revealed tha...
09/20/2026

A Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax) recently caught a ranger's eye at the wildlife viewing blind. A closer look revealed that this spider was a new mom, dozens of times over! Bold Jumpers guard their eggs just until they hatch and begin to leave the egg sac, so these little ones likely emerged only a short time before. Mom was still hanging around, perhaps thinking some spidery version of, "They grow up so fast!" But she didn't eat the whole time she was guarding the eggs (about a month), so she soon had to wander off and go hunting while her littles explored the world.

Happy hunting to the whole Bold Jumper family!

As of 11:15 this morning, 9/19 trails have dried enough to re-open. If you come, the heat index today will be 100 degree...
09/19/2026

As of 11:15 this morning, 9/19 trails have dried enough to re-open. If you come, the heat index today will be 100 degrees F. Plan accordingly with plenty of water and snacks.

THIS POST IS NOW OUTDATED. As of 11:15 am on 9/19, all trails are now OPEN. Trail status update: Saturday September 19, ...
09/19/2026

THIS POST IS NOW OUTDATED. As of 11:15 am on 9/19, all trails are now OPEN.

Trail status update:
Saturday September 19, 2026

I was hopeful but trails need more time to dry. The local storms yesterday were heavier than anticipated.

All trails, with the exception of the 1.25 mi, hiking only, Discovery Trail, are CLOSED.

We're only a week away from our annual Veterans' Mental Health Awareness Hike & Ruck on Sept. 26, and we hope you're pla...
09/19/2026

We're only a week away from our annual Veterans' Mental Health Awareness Hike & Ruck on Sept. 26, and we hope you're planning to join us! We expect a line at the Fee Booth that morning as everyone tries to get to Lot C in time for the presentation of the colors by Harlan High's AFJROTC students at 8:30 am. Please plan to arrive early, to help us work everyone through the line as quickly as possible. We are expecting 200-300 participants.

If you are visiting next Saturday but aren't joining this event, you may want to arrive after 9:30 am, once the event is well underway...that should help you avoid the traffic!

Event info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/government-canyon/veteran-suicide-awareness-walk-ruck

THIS POST IS NOW OUTDATED. As of 11:15 am on 9/19, all trails are now OPEN. Trail Status Update:Friday, 09.18.2026All Tr...
09/18/2026

THIS POST IS NOW OUTDATED. As of 11:15 am on 9/19, all trails are now OPEN.

Trail Status Update:

Friday, 09.18.2026

All Trails, with the exception of the 1.25 mile, hiking only, Discovery Trail, are CLOSED.

The next update will be at 6:30am Saturday morning (09.19.2026)

Happy Resource Ranger Thursday! Today we want to thank our volunteers for their amazing work cleaning up the dinosaur tr...
09/17/2026

Happy Resource Ranger Thursday! Today we want to thank our volunteers for their amazing work cleaning up the dinosaur tracks! This week it was FINALLY dry enough after the early summer flooding, so we got to work as soon as we could.

Whenever we give the tracks some TLC, we use brooms, leafblowers, and even our bare hands to remove weeds and rocks from the tracks, cut back vegetation that is blocking view of the tracks or poses a hazard to visitors, and clean up trash and sometimes invasive vegetation. Our volunteers even got down on their hands and knees and filled FOUR big garbage bags with hand-pulled invasive grasses (specifically vasey grass and jungle rice) within the surrounding riparian area.

So thanks to our volunteers, the dinosaur tracks are now viewable for the first time since June! If you choose to visit the tracks while they are still squeaky-clean, please remember that the hike is a 5-mile round trip, and that temperatures are still in the mid-high 90's. With the flurry of heat-related rescues lately, we urge all of our visitors to bring more water than you think you will need - and snacks too!

Welcome to Wildlife Wednesday! Tying back into some of the awesome wildlife that takes advantage of the Canyon's vernal ...
09/16/2026

Welcome to Wildlife Wednesday! Tying back into some of the awesome wildlife that takes advantage of the Canyon's vernal pools, we are going to look at the tiny, yet fascinating Blanchard's Cricket Frog!

The Blanchard's Cricket Frog (called BCF for this post) is indeed tiny. Maxing out at a whopping 1.5 inches long, averaging closer to about 0.6 inches, these tiny amphibians can comfortably sit on a bottlecap! In spite of their diminutive size, the BCF is quite capable of making quite the racket with the male frog's mating call that sounds much like repeatedly clicking two steel marbles together. A single frog making that noise is not especially noticeable but imagine a full chorus of them! When singing together, the males sound similar to crickets, though the sound has also been compared to sleigh bells. The BCF's breeding season lasts mostly from April to late July, meaning that it is mostly over, but, unlike most frogs and toads who are usually quiet outside of breeding season, the BCF often calls during thunderstorms even when breeding season is over.

The BCF's willingness to break tradition by calling outside breeding season is not the only way they break the molds of some frogs. They are also more diurnal than many local frog species, especially in cooler temperatures, and hunt down the aquatic insects and larvae during the day by chasing them down in rapid hops. Furthermore, the BCF is part of the tree frog family, but due to underdeveloped toe pads that help with climbing, these frogs rarely leave the ground. Around the Natural Area, they are especially common in damp areas around the dinosaur tracks. Even once the tracks dry out, damp soil above the aquifer we protect, and the cracks in that mud are where they brumate through colder periods. They also help keep the mosquito population there down in warmer months. Thank you, frogs!

Please tell us about your experiences with these cool frogs! To learn more about Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, please visit https://www.wilcotx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19422/Blanchards_Cricket_Frog

đź“· Photo credits to Joshua Ebright and Alex Uemats

Wildlife habitat isn't just in our parks. Your own yard can provide a place of refuge for butterflies, birds, and other ...
09/15/2026

Wildlife habitat isn't just in our parks. Your own yard can provide a place of refuge for butterflies, birds, and other wildlife...as well as yourself.

Come by Government Canyon on Sept. 19 at 7 pm for our Prairie in Your Pocket program. We'll talk about how you can create a pocket prairie in even the smallest space using plants which are native to our region. Bring your questions, and we'll share some ideas.

Details: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/government-canyon/prairie-in-your-pocket-3

Address

12861 Galm Road
San Antonio, TX
78254

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 10pm
Tuesday 7am - 8pm
Wednesday 7am - 8pm
Thursday 7am - 8pm
Friday 7am - 10pm
Saturday 7am - 10pm
Sunday 7am - 10pm

Telephone

+12106889055

Website

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