Hiking the River at Pedernales Falls State Park

It feels like a new experience each time you visit. That’s been our sense after hiking in the Pedernales River at Pedernales Falls State Park on multiple occasions. As one of our favorite parks in Central Texas, we regularly visit PFSP. You can learn more about the park here – a trails map is available here, and a park map can be found here. During almost every visit, we hike down into the river, entering the riverbed either via the stairs at one of the scenic overlooks (no. 1 on the map below) or from a side trail on the Falls Trail System.

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Credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department / Pedernales Falls State Park / https://tinyurl.com/45kj7unp)

To hike the riverbed, you’ll park in the lot circled in red above, and then head down the Falls Trails System (GPS: 30.334320, -98.252747). This trail splits after about 0.1 miles, with the right trail leading to the Cypress Pool scenic overlook (seen below on the right / bottom) and the left trail leading to the Pedernales Falls overlook (seen below on the left / top, taken on a different visit) with stairs leading down into the river. There is a short connecting trail between the two overlooks, so you can take either path at the split.

From the Pedernales Falls overlook (left trail), you have a few options: (1) enjoy the view and head back to the parking area, (2) take the left or right set of stairs down into the riverbed and either find a path up-river or head down-river toward the Hackenburg Loop (more on that later), or (3) take a left on the path just before the overlook to continue on the Falls Trail System that runs parallel to the river.

The stairs on the right will take you down near the beach area and the largest of the falls in this section of the river (see above, taken on two different trips). From the beach area, you can hike the Hackenburg Loop (described later) or make your way up-river, which might require climbing over boulders at a few points. The stairs on the left will put you in the riverbed above the falls near the beach. How easily you’re able to move up- or down-river will vary based on the water levels and flow, which is what makes this hike so enjoyable – it’s like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates.

If you take the path on the Falls Trail System, you’ll be on a tree-canopied trail (above far left) that is a combination of hard-pack dirt and rocks, and you’ll encounter several side trails where you can leave the main trail to enter the riverbed. After roughly 0.2 miles, the trail begins to alternate between open air (above middle left) and wooded sections, which continues all the way to the park boundary. Along this trail, you’ll pass several interesting rock formations (above middle right and far right) and enjoy views of the river throughout. There are not many blazes on this trail, but the trail is fairly easy to follow — of course, a GPS to track your path is always recommended, particularly at PFSP where you won’t have cell reception.

If you’re in the river, you’ll make your way between various pools and stream flows. The rocks you’re navigating over, around and on top of are limestone of various ages, all millions of years old. The photos above are of two areas that we try to stop by each time. The large rock and surrounding pools (above on the left / top) is at GPS: 30.339219, -98.254979, while the upper falls (above on the right / bottom, taken on a different trip) is at GPS: 30.339408, -98.253485. How exactly you get to each of these will depend on the water levels and your choice of path, since there is not an official trail once you enter the riverbed.

Whatever route you take, and however far up-river you choose to go, you’ll enjoy views of water and rock that will vary a bit each time depending on how high, or low, the water level is. Keep in mind that the right side of the river (when hiking up-stream) is private property so don’t go above the river gradient on that side. The same rule would apply if you continue up-river beyond the park boundary, which is perfectly legal to do as long as you stay within the boundaries of the river. Also, there is very little shade once you’re in the river, so plan accordingly with hats, sunscreen and plenty of water (or a filter to be able to replenish your water supply from the river) if visiting the park during warmer weather.

In terms of venturing up-river beyond the park boundary (marked only by the remains of fallen barbed wire fence), there are a series of small waterfalls a few hundred yards beyond the park boundary (see above). We couldn’t make it all the way to these falls due to not wanting to wade in the water with the cool temperatures, but we plan to go back during warmer weather to explore further upriver when we can wade in as needed. Again, it is legal to continue up-river beyond the park boundary, but you must not go behind the midway point of the “gradient boundary,” which is the established dividing line between public and private property for the state’s navigable rivers (see here for details on Texas navigability laws). When in doubt, err on the caution and stay clearly within the riverbed.

Back to the Hackenburg Loop mentioned earlier. If you start from the lower falls, you’ll head down-river across a sandy beach adjacent to Cypress Pool before picking up the single-track trail. The first 100 yards or so of trail after the beach alternate between sandy and rocky sections, offering beautiful views of the river as seen above. This section isn’t marked well, but if you continue along the river, you’ll eventually pick up a well-worn dirt trail that is easy to follow.

The remainder of the trail is a bit bland by comparison (see below), so my recommendation would be to hike from the beach area to the trail split pictured above, taking a right at the intersection (GPS: 30.333576, -98.247349) to head back to the Cypress Pool overlook described above. NOTE: When hiking the loop heading down-river from the beach, you’ll see the back of these signs. The photo was taken looking upriver so that the words on the sign could be seen. (FYI: there are views of the river for another third of a mile or so down-river from the intersection pictured above, as well as a path to a gravel bar next to the river roughly 300 yards below the intersection.) You can also hike this shorter loop by taking the main trail from the parking area to the Cypress Pool overlook and heading down the path to your right. This will bring you to the intersection pictured above, at which point you’d take a left on the Lower Hackenburg trail to hike up-river to the beach next to Cypress Pool.

While the entire loop is perfectly fine, the portion after the crossroads felt like walking on an unpaved service road (as seen above). Other than a few brief climbs, it is an easy path. While there are trees along the trail, they aren’t tall enough or close enough to provide much shade during the middle of the day, so I’d avoid this part of the loop during warmer weather. While I wouldn’t repeat the loop past this intersection anytime soon, hiking the full loop on the weekend leading up to Valentine’s Day made it amusing to encounter a heart-shaped cactus pad (see above) near the end of the loop.

I’d highly recommend Pedernales Falls State Park for a day trip or overnight stay to anyone. There are miles of trails to explore, multiple points at which to access the river (with a dedicated swimming / wading area) and spending time hiking the riverbed feels both familiar and new each time.