Texas Parks and Wildlife is aiming to open the Albert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area to the public in late fall 2026, according to the site’s new superintendent, Stephanie Kwiatkowski. The 3,814-acre property straddles Bandera and Kendall counties along Highway 46 between Boerne and Bandera, and its designation as a state natural area rather than a state park carries legal and operational consequences under the Texas Administrative Code.
Kwiatkowski, who took over as superintendent in June, discussed the distinction and the site’s readiness on the latest episode of New Texas State Park Near Boerne: Why It Isn’t a Park | ABK, hosted by Justin McKenzie and published October 21, 2026. The classification matters because it shapes how the land can be used and managed. Kwiatkowski framed the park-versus-natural-area question as a spectrum between recreation and conservation, comparing ABK to sites such as Government Canyon, Lost Maples, Inks Lake, and McKinney Falls.
The conservation emphasis is tied to the landscape itself. The property includes bigtooth maples that rival those at Lost Maples State Natural Area, riparian corridors along Red Bluff Creek and Pipe Creek, and transition zones between ash juniper woodlands and creek bottoms. Kwiatkowski also stressed the importance of protecting the viewshed. Standing in a UTV above the canyons during her first weeks on site, she said: “The site owns both sides of those canyons. And so that view, that viewshed, it is safeguarded for, um, forever.”
Public access will include 28 miles of multi-use trail open to hikers, mountain bikers, joggers, and strollers. Construction crews, subcontractors, and a six-person site team are preparing cabins, screened shelters, tent sites, backcountry camping, and hike-and-bike infrastructure. The site has already tested its operations: a July 2026 flooding event washed out landscaping, trails, and campsites before any public visitation, providing lessons that Kwiatkowski said are informing preparations.
The project has relied heavily on volunteers assembled by founding superintendent James Rice, a former biologist. Kwiatkowski called those relationships “integral to our success as a site.” Her own path to the role included an environmental science degree with a minor in environmental sociology, GIS and consulting work, a seasonal job with the City of New Braunfels parks, a park operations trainee position at the Lost Pines Complex, and an assistant superintendent stint at Pedernales Falls State Park.
The announcement is significant for the growing Hill Country corridor between Boerne and Bandera, where conservation and recreation interests often compete. A late fall 2026 opening would give the public access to a large protected tract while keeping development pressure at bay. The episode is a return visit for The Building Texas Show, which previously hosted Rice while the land was still in survey and planning.
