Honey Creek State Natural Area has been open for limited access since 1985, and for most of that time a guide has been part of every visit. On Aug. 8, that changed. Anyone with a reservation can now drive in off Park Road 31, enter a gate code and walk about three and a half miles of trail alone.
The new trails don't reach the creek, though. They run through the upland that feeds it. Texas Parks and Wildlife's long-range plan for the property suggests that division is meant to last. Honey Creek is now two places with two ways to book, and they share one calendar of closures. That matters most in the cool months, which are the best time to walk either one.
Forty-One Years of Seeing It With a Guide
The property came together slowly. According to TPWD's August announcement, part of the land came from the Texas Nature Conservancy in 1985, the rest came from a private owner in 1988, and the last parcel was added in 2023. Throughout that time it has been managed as part of the Guadalupe River State Park complex, and the public mostly saw it on a guided walk that started next door at the state park.
The Aug. 8 trailhead is in the southwestern part of the natural area. TPWD calls it the first phase of a multi-phase development.
What the New Trailhead Reaches
The trails cross the oak savanna that serves as the watershed of Honey Creek. TPWD says plainly that if you want to see the creek, you still join the weekly guided hike from Guadalupe River State Park.
The Honey Creek trails page lists three routes:
- Box Turtle Trail. 0.7 mile, rated easy, an accessible walk through oak savanna.
- Roadrunner Trail. 1.7 miles, rated moderate, across open country.
- Karst Loop. 1.0 mile, rated moderate, hilly, through juniper woodland with remnants of the old ranch along the way.
TPWD's own pages differ on bikes. The 2026 trail map labels every trail hiking only, while the trails page says trails are open to hiking and biking unless noted, so check with the park before bringing a bike. There's a restroom at the trailhead but no public water refill station, so bring all the water you'll need. Guadalupe River State Park has asked visitors to bring their own drinking water since a July 21 water-conservation alert.
Dogs are where the two experiences differ most for many households. The Honey Creek park page allows pets on the trails but not on the guided tours. The new trailhead is the only way to bring a dog into Honey Creek.
Two Ways In, Two Ways to Book
Because the two experiences start from different gates, they're booked in different ways and cost different amounts.
| Self-guided trailhead | Guided creek walk | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Oak savanna watershed, about 3.5 miles of trail | Honey Creek itself |
| Where it starts | Honey Creek trailhead off Park Road 31 | Guadalupe River State Park |
| How to book | Reservation online, by phone or by on-site QR code; gate code arrives by email | Email the hike address with your name, party size and requested date |
| Cost | $2 per adult, free for children 12 and under | Free with park admission of $7 per adult, free for children 12 and under |
| Dogs | Allowed on trails | Not allowed |
| Hours | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Saturday mornings, plus select Sundays |
You can reserve the trailhead through the Texas State Parks reservation system or by phone at (512) 389-8900. The creek walk is sponsored by the Friends of Guadalupe River State Park/Honey Creek SNA and led by certified guides. The Friends group describes its cool-season walk as a 9 a.m. start, about two miles over roughly two and a half hours, led by experienced guides and Master Naturalists. It also asks hikers to check its calendar for current details.
Getting into the state park can be harder than signing up for the walk. TPWD says Guadalupe River State Park often reaches capacity and highly recommends day-use reservations. A Saturday walk with a confirmed hike slot still depends on the car getting through the park gate.
The Plan Keeps the Creek Guided
TPWD's Public Use Plan was presented at public meetings in Bulverde on July 22 and New Braunfels on July 23. In the recorded TPWD presentation, the natural area is divided into three management zones:
- Area 1, the main visitor destination. Proposals here include day-use access from Park Road 31, ADA trail opportunities, visitor orientation, camping, group meeting spaces, and reuse of the central historic complex as a hub for education, gatherings, lodging and interpretation.
- Area 2, limited recreation by reservation. Concepts include low-impact trails linked to Area 1, reservation-only primitive camping at a historic complex, guided experiences, wildlife viewing and night-sky programs. The Highway 46 entry would be controlled access for reservations, staff and emergency response.
- Area 3, the most sensitive creek, spring, riparian, habitat and archaeological resources. Access here would be largely limited to guided visits, research, monitoring and management.
The creek sits in the third zone. Under the plan, the guided walk is how the creek is meant to be seen, not a stopgap until more trail opens. TPWD's expansion page describes the long-term priorities as new trails, group camping, reuse of existing buildings and resource preservation. The presentation also says every later phase still depends on technical studies, design, costing, funding and implementation decisions, and it gives no schedule. For now, the Area 1 camping and the night-sky programs are proposals.
The Four Days Both Ways In Close
Both ways in depend on the same gates, so they close together. From 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, until noon Tuesday, Nov. 24, Guadalupe River State Park, its Bauer Unit and Honey Creek State Natural Area are open only to permitted hunters. TPWD's hunt-area details describe it as a youth deer hunt running Nov. 21 to 23.
The closure takes up the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Bulverde Spring Branch Area Chamber of Commerce calendar still lists Honey Creek guided walks on Nov. 21 and 22. TPWD's closure applies to the whole complex, so the public can't attend a walk on either day. The same calendar lists walks on Nov. 14, 15, 28 and 29, on either side of the closure. Confirm any date with the Friends group before you plan around it.
This is the first of two drawn hunts this season. The park alerts page lists a second closure from 8 p.m. Jan. 11 to noon Jan. 15. Park headquarters normally takes questions at (830) 438-2656 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. On Oct. 25, the park posted that its phones were down and asked visitors to email [email protected] instead.
Planning the Rest of the Season Around It
The other rule to know right now is about fire. On Oct. 23 the park posted a burn ban that bars wood and charcoal fires but allows cooking with propane and other containerized fuel. That same morning, Comal County's burn ban took effect for unincorporated areas of the county, with no end date posted. Kendall County lifted its ban on Oct. 2, so rules on the two sides of the county line differ for now. These orders change with the weather, so check the alert pages before you pack charcoal.
Guadalupe River State Park's events calendar has a lot on it in November and December. These events work well alongside a morning on the new trails:
- Nov. 1: Texas State Parks Day.
- Nov. 8 and Dec. 13, 9 a.m.: Paws and Paths at the Bauer Unit. This one includes dogs, which the creek walk doesn't.
- Nov. 12 and 19, 9 a.m.: Scenic Overlook Nature Walk.
- Nov. 25, 10 a.m.: Storytime and Craft, Wild Turkeys.
- Nov. 26, 10 a.m.: Turkey Talk.
- Nov. 27: Opt Outside Day.
- Dec. 5, 10 a.m.: Art in the Park, Christmas Cards.
- Dec. 11 and 12, 5 p.m.: Christmas in the Park.
- Dec. 19, 10 a.m.: Christmas for the Birds.
The Discovery Center is open Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., though TPWD notes the hours may vary on holidays. The park's next date after that is Jan. 1, 2027, with a self-guided First Day Nature Hike from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., free with park admission. That's ten days before the January hunt closes both ways in again.
Honey Creek has been part of the Spring Branch area for four decades, and this is the first fall you can walk part of it on your own schedule. If you'd like to talk about this part of the Hill Country, or what it's like to live with a state natural area as a neighbor, Terri Taylor-Walker, Realtor would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
