Honey Creek State Natural Area is 2,293.7 acres in western Comal County, about 30 miles north of downtown San Antonio.

Fossils from the sea

Look for fossils in the limestone scattered throughout the natural area. These are remnants of sea creatures, alive 125 million years ago when this area was underwater.

You’ll also see these fossils in the state park.

Prehistoric visitors

Chipped stone tools are all that remain of early hunter-gatherers, who roamed the Edwards Plateau region. Other artifacts found on the property give silent testimony that later Native American tribes spent time here, as well.

Early settlers

The Doeppenschmidts from Bavaria were among the German immigrants who came with Prince Carl von Solms-Braunfels to settle in Central Texas. They began to homestead in the Honey Creek area in 1866.

Over the years, members of the Doeppenschmidt family acquired many parcels of land, including what would become Honey Creek Ranch. The various parcels were consolidated under the ownership of Adam Doeppenschmidt in 1894. He sold the land to Otto Weidner and Fred Rust in 1910.

The Weidners worked the tracts, which became Honey Creek Ranch, until 1971. They then sold the property to W. O. Bartle, Jr., of Houston.

Preservation

TPWD acquired part of the natural area from the Texas Nature Conservancy in 1985 and the rest from a private individual in 1988. Honey Creek opened for limited access in 1985.