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San Antonio (Texas)

Earth > Americas > North America > United States of America > Texas > San Antonio (Texas)

Ya know how St. Louis is called St. Looey and New Orleans is called New Orlins? San Antonio is called San Antone. We were in the outskirts and it was great, friendly Mexican individuals gifted us with their lunch of egg tacos and we got a ride with some other Mexican people gave us a ride real quick after that. Yeah, it's still Texas... One of the only good things about Texas is that it has a lot of Mexican people & we have found Mexican people to be incredibly cool with hitchhiking and bumming in general. Figures: the best thing about Texas is that a lot of people who are not from Texas live there.

As misguided as the above statement is, San Antonio and southwest Texas truly are considered anomalies relative to the rest of the state. Maybe because this portion of Texas is 75% Latino; maybe Tommy Lee Jones' presence is so daunting that we all cry ourselves to sleep at night; or maybe because our basketball team kicks the most ass. Who knows? Either way, enjoy the free or cheap tacos and good luck on the road.

Contents

Hitching out

It is legal to walk on the highway in Texas including metro areas like San Antonio. Walking with a sign on your back on your way to a spacious hitching spot has potential. Long distance rides are more likely on the edge of the city. If heading west towards El Paso, take a city bus that goes from downtown to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and The Rim shopping center.

There are several highways going through and around San Antonio.

Loop 410 - Inner loop

Loop 1604 - Outer loop


IH-10 - East-West

West on I-10

If exiting West from San Antonio, there is freeway construction with concrete barricades along I-10 (as of April, 2019). No shoulder space to pull over and no hitchhike-friendly on-ramps. Be prepared to walk past Leon Springs, roughly 5 miles from The Rim mall. There is a nice field for camping just 2 miles North of the Rim mall between the Ferrari dealership and the Texaco, friendly people as well. Dealership has an exterior outlet to charge your phone overnight. Update (05/09/2023) - Construction is now complete in the area, but no spot is hitchhiker friendly until getting 5 miles North of The Rim Mall. Use busses 93/603/501 to get to the mall and walk West on the frontage road. The former camping area has since been developed (now a hospital), but there are a couple excellent camping spots directly behind the Ferrari dealership with enough privacy from the new apartment buildings. The dealership has been fenced off, so no more free phone charging. Camp Bullis road at I-10 is an excellent spot to make some money in the evening. Make a few bucks, have a couple of beers, and get a good night's sleep for the remaining 3-mile hike the next day. Best hitch spot is directly on the freeway, 29.677346, -98.636642 on Google Maps, right in front of US Storage Centers in Leon Springs. --Jsplts.


IH-35 - North-South


US Route 281 - North-South

The intersection of the highway of your choice and Loop 1604 is a good starting point for hitching as anyone going beyond this loop is bound for glory and a few miles down the road. Police should not bother you unless to offer a ride further out of town.

Food

Several organizations provide food for the homeless. Haven for Hope requires some sort of registration. The Catholic Worker House at 626 Nolan St near the intersection of Hackberry, not far from HemisFair park, serves 3 meals a day, 7 days a week.

Sleep

Find a spot where no one can see you. Sleeping outside is not tolerated in most areas. It is possible to sleep in the many parks throughout the city (HemisFair is tricky, but possible), but be warned: San Antonio is huge. Buses are your friend, if not your only viable option. There is a homeless shelter called Haven for Hope at the intersection of Frio and Martin downtown. They have a courtyard first come, first served. Sleeping outside in this area will not catch much attention.

To do

San Antonio has lots of free tourist stuff within walking distance. The Alamo, the River Walk, the San Antonio Missions and HemisFair Park are all worth checking out and cost nothing.


Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)