Six Minutes From a Brand-New State Park: What's Coming to Kronkosky
By Gordon Cook · June 22, 2026
This week at the Hideaway has been about as hot and lazy as June in the Hill Country gets. The pool's full by ten every morning, and the cicadas have taken over the cedar.
But the bigger news around here this week isn't really about us. It's about what's going up six minutes down Highway 46.
A Brand-New State Natural Area Is Taking Shape Next Door
Folks have been asking us for over a year now about the construction trucks and cleared land along Highway 46 between here and Boerne. That's the Albert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area — nearly 3,800 acres straddling the Bandera and Kendall county line, sitting right between Boerne and Pipe Creek. It's shaping up to be one of the prettiest pieces of public land in the Hill Country.
Texas Parks and Wildlife has been building it out for a couple of years now, and the latest word from them is that the buildings are going up and the trails are getting cut. When it's finished, it'll have around 25 miles of hiking trails — front country, back country, and a few miles built fully accessible — winding through creek beds, limestone bluffs, and stands of old cedar and live oak. There's habitat in there for the golden-cheeked warbler, the Texas spring salamander, and a handful of other species you won't find just anywhere, so they've taken their time getting the layout right.
For camping, the plan calls for 25 sites total: a mix of mini cabins, screened shelters, walk-in tent sites, and backcountry backpacking sites, plus ADA-accessible campsites and a cabin. There's also a headquarters building and an environmental classroom going in, so it sounds like they're planning for school groups and naturalist programs down the road, not just weekend hikers.
The target is to open the gates sometime this fall 2026. Nothing official from the state yet on an exact date, so don't go planning a trip around it just yet — but it's close enough now that we figured y'all would want to know it's coming.
Why We're Telling You This
Honest answer: because we're about as excited as anybody. We've said for a while now that Al's Hideaway sits closer to this new park than any other place to stay — six minutes, give or take, depending on which gate they end up opening first. Once it's running, you'll be able to spend your morning on a brand-new trail system and be back at your cabin or campsite with your boots off before lunch.
In the meantime, there's still plenty to do out here while Kronkosky finishes up. Hill Country State Natural Area and Lost Maples aren't far, the Medina and Guadalupe Rivers are both running, and Bandera's rodeo and live music scene doesn't slow down for anybody. We'll keep an eye on the construction and let y'all know the minute we hear an actual opening date.
Come Stay With Us — Now or Later
Whether you're coming out this week or holding off until the new park opens, we'd love to have you. We've got 13 handcrafted log cabins, 10 full-hookup RV sites, and 9 cowboy campsites here at the Hideaway. We're pet-friendly with no pet fees, and we don't charge cleaning fees either — what you see is what you pay.
Book direct on our website and use promo code FUN for 10% off when you stay two nights or more. With a brand-new state natural area about to open in our backyard, now's a good time to get familiar with the area before everybody else does.
Until next time…
Happy Trails.
Be Safe & God Bless.
— Al