Garner State Park Climbing

DISCLAIMER: While I am not aware of any regulations that disallow climbing, I did not receive explicit permission to climb from the park rangers. If you want to fully cover your bases it might be a good idea to ask a ranger. We were not hassled or approached, but that's not to say that future climbers will have the same experience.

While most folks head to Garner to have a picnic and float the Frio, the area has some decent potential for climbing. The face of Baldy is the most obvious option, but there are a few other cliffs throughout the park that may also have opportunities to climb. We only committed half a day to actually trying to climb as it was over 100 degrees, but hopefully others will get out there and see if there's anything else worth climbing. Definitely bring a helmet, as there is a lot of loose rock, and there is a real risk of people throwing/kicking rocks off the top of Baldy. Overall, the rock has good sections of solid limestone with sections of loose, crumbly limestone sprinkled throughout, and the walls are dead vertical to slightly overhung. Expect to work around cacti, lichens, and loose rock. You'll be in the shade most of the day which helps keep things cool. If you decide to climb here, many hikers will likely approach you and ask what you're doing. PLEASE assure them that you are being safe and taking the necessary precautions to do so. A lot of young kids will likely be interested in what you're doing, and it may be their first exposure to climbing, so making a point of safe practice may set the precedence for their climbing career if they ever get into it.