The pea-soup fog and heavy rain were long gone by the time we pulled in but there was a great deal of standing water all over the park. We were interested in getting out for a walk to work out the effects of sitting for a few hours. There were a number of trails close to the campground. Our first choice was the San Marcos River Trail and while both ends started out as gravel, whether a hundred feet or a few hundred yards in, we were stopped by water and mud. Our third choice, farther outside the campground and higher, was the quarter-mile interpretive trail (short but dry-ish). Dwarf palmetto palms that the park is named for were abundant. We also heard and saw a lot of black vultures.
One item of interest on the trail was this water tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936 to supply water to the nearby group picnic shelter (see second photo). The water tank is fed by a ram-jet pump that uses water pressure from an artesian well and gravity (no electricity). The picnic shelter, which seats 100 people and includes a full kitchen, was also built by the CCC.
Bathrooms were clean, plenty of hot water. Each site had a smoker instead of a grill. Some sites would be a challenge to get into and get level. We were assigned one of those (#7) but we also had the option to take any available site if we wanted. If we get back here, we’ll be more prepared to use the smoker.