Friedrich Wilderness Park, San Antonio

This has been my all time favorite park to visit in San Antonio. It's a hidden gem. The entrance is not kept up with all of the time, but it is a "nature park." so its easy to look past that. They are constantly making little improvements within the park itself which have been nice! You can spend as little as 20 minutes, or as long as half a day here with the various trails this place offers. NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED so make sure you don't go expecting to take your animals. The paths are very obvious, some are paved, some have decomposed granite/ mulch and some are off-road nature paths. Also, this place is PERFECT for photos of all kinds. Almost every time you visit this place, expect to see someone dressed up for photos. The park is so beautiful and peaceful. Highly recommend visiting this place!!!

I had the idea to go for a sunrise hike last night, and after a quick google search I chose to scope out Frederick Wilderness Park. Since it has been a bit wet lately the only open trail upon arrival was the Main Loop Trail, which was still a decent walk being roughly 1.7 miles. There are large, clearly marked signs at the entrance with the park rules: no pets, pedestrians only, no smoking /drinking /littering. There are also two warnings worth repeating: firstly there are no waterfountains on the trail (or bathrooms), so bring enough to stay hydrated. Secondly, you may encounter wild animals, including wild predators. The Main Loop Trail itself was partially paved, the first third being an easy, leisurely walk. For the paved portion of the trail there were also informational stakes in the ground with scannable QR codes, labeling various types of shrubbery and trees for those in the pursuit of botanical knowledge. Around this area I did notice a few cigarette butts here and there, but for the most of it the parts of the park I explored were pristine. As a side note I was generally unprepared though, and there were a lot of uphill and rocky pathways. I would highly recommend wearing good, sturdy shoes... and not ballet flats. Overall I definitely feel like I will be back to this park, especially during a drier week so I can take some of the more difficult trails available. (They do have a rating system, but I'll wait to touch on that until I've been through more of the park!) The Main Loop Trail did have some rocky patches, a decent raise in elevation, and generally everyone I passed would offer up a quick "Hello" or a "Good Morning!". It was a very pleasant start to my day!

I planned on going hiking in Government Canyon, but that park is only open Friday through Monday so I settled on Friedrich Wilderness Park. The park entrance sign on the road looked old and faded so I wasn't sure what the trails would be like (would I need to rely on a map to find my way through a maze of connecting trails?). I was surprised to find this trail system is one of the very best marked I have ever seen. Every intersection is clearly labeled and most have a large topo map showing "you are here". The trails themselves are in great condition. Well worth the trip!

My favorite hiking park. Unpaved and paved trails so you can hike rain or shine. Large portion of trails are shaded. Gorgeous hill country views.

Love this nature park! My favorite one here in SA so far. :D it's beautiful.