Texas State Parks implement COVID-19 policy

Since parks reopened in April, visitors report few issues with social distancing

Sarah Muñoz and her family packed up their camper van in March after a week-long vacation in Blanco State Park. The small park in Blanco, Texas, surrounds a bubbling river with small waterfalls and is lined with sweeping bald cypress trees. 

They walked with their dog Betty through the park one last time before the hour-long drive home to Pflugerville, just north of Austin. Muñoz’ family was not alone. A couple with children and a dog came to say hello and pet Betty.

The couple downplayed the pandemic and were not interested in social distancing, Muñoz said. They got close to Muñoz’ school-age children and ignored social cues to stay apart. 

The family visit to Blanco State Park aligned with closures across the state and the country. But state parks did not close until two weeks later. Uncertainty lingered about virus transmission, masks, and social distancing, leading officials and the general public to apply varying degrees of caution. 

“People forget the rules pretty quickly,” Muñoz said. 

Visitors aside, Muñoz said she ran into almost no coronavirus-related issues with the park itself, run by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Texas State Parks now mandates masks, 6-foot social distancing and a 10-person group limit, with an exception for families or people sharing a household, according to its website. 

Texas State Parks only have “minor” issues implementing its COVID-19 policy, Stephanie Garcia, a press officer with Texas Parks & Wildlife, wrote in an email. Since March, only a few parks have closed. Only Indian Lodge State Park, located in Fort Davis, Texas, is currently closed for an employee’s coronavirus infection. 

Garcia said all coronavirus-related park closures have been associated with an employee, not a park visitor, as of October 2020. 

“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does not require regular testing of employees,” Garcia wrote. “If employees are feeling ill or if they have been exposed to the virus, we do have protocols in place to help protect both employees and the public, (such as) seeking medical clearances and quarantining.”

Muñoz said a majority of the issues she encountered with mask, social distancing and capacity violations were at municipal parks, particularly near Lake Georgetown in Georgetown, Texas. 

These parks are under the Army Corps of Engineers' jurisdiction rather than Texas Parks & Wildlife. Many of these parks, including the ones surrounding Lake Georgetown, enforce different regulations than state parks.

“(With the) way things have been handled this year, camping at our state parks has been an absolute godsend,” Muñoz said. “It's so nice to get away from our home where all my kids have been cooped up, get fresh air and feel safe.”

Photos by Connor Downs