The free park is open from dawn until dusk.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — There is a new 350-acre nature park on the San Antonio River that has never been open to the public before.
The Trueheart Ranch was a south Bexar County well-kept secret until the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) acquired it for public use and opened it in late September.
Tommy Mitchell, the Watershed and Operations Manager with SARA, said “This really is the first opportunity for the general public to be able to visit this property, since the 1800s, since forever, to be honest with you. It’s been privately owned.”
Mitchell said the ranch, which has a history that includes cattle and crops, is a pristine place now encircled with nature trails that will be a delight to all ages.
And he added, it is easy to find and quick to access for anyone in Bexar County.
“It’s very accessible. I-37 is close by and Highway 281 is also very close, so it is very easy access to this property.” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said the history of the Ranch is well-documented, as a farm that transitioned into a pecan orchard in the 1920s.
That agricultural heritage, Mitchell said, makes the site a perfect place to connect with nature.
“We still have the pecan orchard that exists today, but we have very different ecoregions,” Mitchell said, pointing out that two very different kinds of plant communities exist side by side.
“In the floodplain you will see a different makeup with the vegetation, the tree canopy and the coverage here and as you transition on the same property, closer to Southton Road, that’s where you will start to see a little bit more of an arid country with things like agaves.”
Mitchell said after the orchard was established, a cattle operation was launched at the ranch. Remains of the long-abandoned working pens, loading chutes and head gates remain, which is a great learning experience for kids and history buffs.
“Them being able to see the old cow pens, and the working chutes, I think it provides a great opportunity for all ages,” Mitchell said.
As for his favorite feature, Mitchell didn’t hesitate to point out an acequia that used to service the orchard using water from the adjacent San Antonio River.
“They would essentially flood irrigate, so never mind the sprinklers or things like that,” Mitchell said, adding “ Historically their lives depended on the production of pecans or other crops, and you can just see how successful they were.”
There is no direct access to the San Antonio River for guests at this time, but adding a trail to the water is one item in the next phase of their master planned development.
The park recently received a $50,000 grant from the national Bobcat Park Improvement Grant Program.
They used some of the funds to create earth-friendly swales that help clean and process storm water near parking areas.
Next up, they said, are the creation of pollinator habitats and more green storm water infrastructure.
The park is open dawn to dusk with an automatic gate. The park is usually not staffed, but there are interpretive signs at the old ranch house and at trail heads.
The best part, perhaps is that it’s free.
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