🥾 ActiveWeekend · from San Antonio, TX
Frio River — Floating Concan & the Frio Bat Flight
Two days on the crystalline Frio River, the spring-fed centerpiece of the western Hill Country and one of the great summer rivers of Texas, about an hour and three-quarters west of San Antonio. Day one is all water: a lazy, cypress-shaded float down the cool green Frio through the Concan valley, built around the long-established outfitter scene near Neal's Lodges and the river's famous swimming holes. Day two goes wild in a different way — at dusk, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats pour out of the Frio Cave near Concan in one of the largest bat emergences on earth, and the day fills in around the winding Hill Country ranch roads that thread the Frio Canyon between Concan and Leakey. It is an active, outdoorsy weekend of paddling, swimming, driving, and one unforgettable evening spectacle, with a night in the small river towns of Concan or Leakey in between.
Day 1 — A Frio River float & the Neal's Lodges areaDay 2 — The Frio Bat Flight & the Hill Country ranch roads
Day 1 — Concan, TX
Day 1 — Concan, TX
🚗 1 hr 45 min driving📍 4 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
San Antonio, TX → Concan, TX
1 hr 45 min8:00 AM → 9:45 AM
Neal's Lodges & the Concan River Outfitters
★ 4.3The Concan stretch of the Frio has been a Texas summer institution for a century, and the sprawling Neal's Lodges compound on the riverbank is its historic heart — cabins, a general store, and the tube-and-kayak rental operation that most floats launch from. Roll in mid-morning to sort out gear: rent tubes, kayaks, or a paddle raft, arrange the shuttle back upriver, and grab water shoes and a dry bag from the store. The staff will point you to the day's best put-in based on the river level, which varies with the springs and recent rain. This is also the moment to slather on reef-safe sunscreen and stake out a spot — on summer weekends the riverfront fills fast, so an early arrival buys you the calmer water and the shadier gravel bars.
9:45 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
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Frio River Float
The main event of day one: a slow drift down the Frio, whose name is Spanish for "cold" and whose spring-fed water stays bracingly cool even in a Texas August. The river runs impossibly clear and green over white limestone, walled by soaring bald cypress and the pale bluffs of the canyon, with easy riffles between long glassy pools deep enough to swim. A typical tube float runs a couple of hours at the river's own unhurried pace, punctuated by stops to jump from low ledges, snorkel for perch and bass, and float on your back beneath the cypress canopy. Keep a firm grip on children and non-swimmers in the deeper holes, watch for the occasional sharper chute, and lash everything you care about into the dry bag. It is the quintessential Hill Country river day.
10:45 AM📍 See location
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Afternoon
Concan swimming holes & river crossings
★ 4.4After the float, trade the tube for a mask and spend the warm afternoon at one of the Concan valley's famous deep swimming holes, where the Frio pools jade-green beneath the bluffs at the old low-water crossings. These clear, cold pools are perfect for cooling off, and the smooth limestone shelves make natural sunning slabs and picnic perches. Cliff-jumping spots exist for the confident, but the water depth changes with the season, so watch others and check before you leap. This is the unhurried, low-effort counterpoint to the morning's paddling — swim, snorkel, nap on the rocks, and let the river do the work. Keep an eye on the sky, as summer thunderstorms upstream can raise the Frio quickly.
12:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
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River cabin in Concan or Leakey
Spend the night on the river. The Concan valley is dense with cabin rentals and lodges — Neal's own cabins and a string of neighboring river ranches put you a short walk from the water, ideal for a sunset dip and a morning coffee by the Frio. A little farther north, the small town of Leakey (pronounced "lakey"), seat of Real County and gateway to the upper Frio Canyon, offers additional cabins, motels, and easy positioning for the next day's bat flight and ranch-road driving. Book well ahead for summer weekends, when the whole valley fills; many places require two-night minimums in peak season. A screened porch over the river is the sound to fall asleep to.
Day 2 — Frio Canyon — Concan to Leakey, TX
Day 2 — Frio Canyon — Concan to Leakey, TX
🚗 2 hr 5 min driving📍 4 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
Concan, TX → Frio Canyon ranch roads
20 min8:00 AM → 8:20 AM
Ranch Road 337 & the Twisted Sisters
★ 4.9Day two opens on pavement — some of the most scenic driving in Texas. Ranch Road 337 out of Leakey is the western leg of the legendary "Twisted Sisters," a trio of ranch roads famous with motorcyclists and drivers for their sharp climbs, hairpin switchbacks, and sudden ridgeline views over the folded Frio Canyon country. Even at an easy pace it is a spectacular morning drive, cresting divides for long views across the canyon before dropping back to the river. Pull off at the overlooks, watch for cyclists and the occasional loose deer or goat on the roadway, and take the curves gently. It is the perfect way to see the wild upper Frio Canyon from the seat of the car before the day's centerpiece after dark.
8:20 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
🍽️ Lunch9:20 AM
Leakey Mercantile / Frio Canyon lunch
Roll into Leakey for a Hill Country lunch and a look around the little canyon town. Leakey's handful of cafes, a barbecue joint, and the old mercantile serve up burgers, brisket, and cold drinks in the classic small-town Texas mold, all firmly in the $$ range. It is a relaxed midday break to refuel, top up water and sunscreen, and let the heat of the day pass before the evening. Ask locally about that night's bat-flight timing and gate procedure at the Frio Cave, as access is by a private-ranch tour and the emergence time shifts with the season and the light.
2 options · tap to switch
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Afternoon
Upper Frio Canyon overlooks & a final swim
★ 4.4Use the afternoon to wind back down toward Concan, taking in the upper Frio Canyon's overlooks and squeezing in one last swim before the evening. The stretch of river above Concan has quiet, uncrowded pools framed by cypress and towering canyon walls, perfect for a cooling dip in the heat of the day. This is also the window to position yourself for the bat flight — the Frio Cave tours stage in the late afternoon, so time your last swim to leave a comfortable margin to reach the meeting point. Reapply sunscreen, refill water, and dry off in the sun on a limestone ledge while the light softens over the canyon.
12:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
Frio Bat Flight at the Frio Cave
★ 4.9The unforgettable finale: the nightly bat emergence from the Frio Cave near Concan, one of the largest bat colonies on earth. As dusk settles, an estimated ten to twelve million Mexican free-tailed bats spiral up out of the cave mouth in a living, roaring column, streaming into the twilight to hunt insects across the Hill Country — a rush of wingbeats and a smell of the cave that no photograph conveys. Access is through a guided tour on the private ranch that owns the cave, so book a spot in advance and arrive at the staging point before sunset; the guides seat visitors at a respectful distance and time the visit to the emergence. Bring a light jacket, closed shoes, and water. Watch the sky darken with bats, then make the drive back to San Antonio under the stars.
5:00 PM📍 See location
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Drive
Concan, TX → San Antonio, TX
1 hr 45 min6:00 PM → 7:45 PM
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