The roughly five-mile, out-and-back hike to Crockett Gardens Falls at Lake Georgetown is definitely worth the trip. (For anyone interested in hiking other sections of the Goodwater Loop around the lake, click here for details).
Several months ago, we booked a campsite for the weekend of Oct. 30 at Cedar Breaks Park, one of three campgrounds (with water and electricity) at the lake managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Campsites can be booked up to six months in advance via Recreation.gov.
As the trip drew closer, I began looking into the hiking and boating options. There is a 26-mile trail that goes around the lake, with five trailheads from which you can start. One of our Texas hiking books – 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of San Antonio and Austin – included the roughly six-mile (based on our GPS data) out-and-back hike to Crockett Gardens Falls. After doing some research online, I confirmed that it was worth checking out. We initially planned to bring our kayaks and paddle to the shore near the falls, but we decided to keep this trip simple and only bring our Aliner Scout camper, which meant we’d be hiking to the falls.
For this hike, the best starting point is the Cedar Breaks Park trailhead (pictured above). Here is a trail map, and here is a link to Google Maps with the trailhead location. There is parking at the trailhead, but it fills up quickly on the weekend. There is also parking outside the gate along Cedar Breaks Road (see here) where you can park and walk in. While there is a daily entrance fee (currently $5 per vehicle with up to six people, then $2 for each additional person), if you tell the person at the gate you are hiking the trail, then you won’t need to pay this fee (UPDATED NOV. 2021: A day-use pass is now required to enter any park at Lake Georgetown even if you are only hiking / biking the trail. You must reserve / purchase a day pass via Recreation.gov here, or you can purchase an America the Beautiful Annual pass here). If you have specific questions, you can call 512.930.5253 on weekdays.
This is a family-friendly hike in many ways: only one trail to follow; shaded much of the way; benches along the path; scenic views; highly trafficked in case you needed help. However, some aspects make it a challenge: the distance (for those with smaller children); no potable water (you can filter from the lake or the spring at Crockett Gardens); no restroom facilities except at Cedar Breaks Park; high bluffs near the trail; a number of rocky sections that can be hard on your feet (see below for a few images of the trail).
Our five-year-old son typically does well on hikes, but he wasn’t in the mood on the day that we hiked to the falls. After protesting walking from the campsite to the trailhead (about 0.3 miles), we decided to drive to the trailhead and begin our hike from there. This reticence would continue throughout the hike, as seen in the photo below when he decided he was far too tired to go any further. He has a flair for the dramatic.
Even carrying my son for what seemed like the entire way (we estimated it was roughly 4 miles carrying him overall), it wasn’t overly strenuous since elevation changes are minimal save for one short, semi-steep section. If you don’t have younger children with you, the trip would be an easy, enjoyable outing for anyone in reasonably good shape.
The first 0.75 miles or so are through the woods with lots of shade. Around the 0.4-mile-mark you’ll encounter one of the few descents, followed by a choice to either go straight up the slight hill or take a right and ascend more gradually (as seen below).
As you approach the 1-mile mark, you’ll be walking closer to the lake. Around 1.25 miles from the trailhead, there is a section of lower bluffs where you can make your way all the way down to the lake. It was too cool to consider taking a swim, so we just sat on the bluffs for 10-15 minutes to take in the view before continuing toward the falls.
The single trail around the lake means there’s no real concern about getting disoriented or lost as long as you stay on the path. We saw three places where the trail split, but in two of the three cases both options joined back on the main trail after a short distance.
- Around the 0.4-mile mark (already noted above), there is an option to go straight up a slight hill or to take a right and climb the hill more gradually.
- Around the 1.5-mile mark, the path splits and you can take either route as the paths re-unite a short way ahead.
- Around the 1.75-mile mark was the only place where you want to keep left. We saw several people veer right, then quickly turn around when they met a dead-end. On a subsequent hike, I found out that you can actually climb down a roughly five-foot drop at this off-shoot and follow an unofficial, but well-worn, trail to see the Crockett Gardens from across the water. The trail seemed to continue on to the falls, but I didn’t hike it so I can’t say for certain.
Between miles 1 and 2, you’re walking mostly along rock bluffs that overlook the lake (pictured above). The path never gets too close to be frightening, but there are several places where the trees and shrubs give way to a clear rocky bluff with at least a 50-foot drop. These make for great lake views and photo ops, but with smaller kids you’ll want to keep them close to your side on these sections.
When you’re getting close to the falls, you’ll cross a small stream (see above on the left). In another 500 feet or so, you’ll see an old rock wall (see middle-left image) that was likely part of an old homestead, followed by a sign (see middle-right image above) pointing you down the side trail to the falls. The falls are roughly 400 feet down the side trail, which is grass-lined for the first part (see above on the right), then you pass between a rocky bluff on your left and a small pool on your right (see below on the left) before reaching the falls.
When the lake levels are lower (as they were when we visited), you can explore more of the area around the falls and follow a well-worn path along the small stream of water making its way from the natural spring down the falls and into the lake. When water levels are significantly higher, portions of the area seen in the photos above and below could be underwater as seen here and here. We didn’t bring any water shoes as we knew the lake was down, but they would have been nice to have if water levels been higher (you can check the lake levels here).
The “main attraction” for this hike is also your turn around point, so we took our time at the falls. We spent about 45 minutes there, enjoying the view, taking a few photos and eating PB&J sandwiches while sitting on a small log that gave us a great view of the falls directly in front of us and a view of the lake off in the distance to our right. It was a beautiful location for lunch given the moderate temperatures and light breeze. However, there isn’t much shade in the area, so at another time of the year it might have been less pleasant to sit in the direct sun eating lunch.
After lunch, we headed back to the main trail. Going left would take us back to the trailhead where we parked our vehicle, but we took a right, continuing on the main trail a few hundred feet or so up a small rise to above the falls where the natural spring is located (see photo below). Part of the spring is on private property and this is an environmentally sensitive area, so be sure to stay on the path. You’ll use the stepping-stones to cross the stream, and find a sign on the other side offering a brief history of the area. The next “attraction” on the trail is a primitive camp 1.9 miles away, so we turned around and began our trek back to the car.
With our son still not in the mood for hiking, it was a “slow and steady wins the race” situation all the way back to the car. We took our time, pausing to enjoy the scenery and take more photos as I alternated between carrying my son on my shoulders or setting him down and trying to convince him to walk on his own. The total trip took us about four hours (lunch included), but it could be done quicker with only adults or adults and older children.
The weather was temperate, requiring only a light jacket for the first third of the hike and then warming so that a long-sleeve t-shirt was comfortable. I’d recommend this hike pretty much anytime in the fall for a really pleasant, comfortable trip, though with sufficient water it could be hiked anytime (even in the warmer months), as a good portion of the trail is in full or partial shade.
In short, we definitely enjoyed and would recommend this trail, either for day trip or as part of an overnight camping trip to Cedar Breaks Park. We plan to camp there and hike the trail again – most likely in the spring.
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