Pedernales Falls State Park
RV Guide

The 0.73-mile Wheatley Trail takes you to the Wolf Mountain Trail where you can meander along the river and Walnut Creek to Jones Spring. The first prehistoric inhabitants found this clear water spring, and people ever since then have come to this place and relied on its refreshing water. You can still see part of Nannie and D.J. Jones’ rock house, which they purchased from the Trammells in 1885. You can keep trekking along Wolf Mountain Trail for another five miles, or head back to Pedernales Falls Road.

Geocaching is lots of fun with or without kids. Whether you are a geocaching expert or have never heard of it before, you will enjoy getting out in nature and finding a real-life buried treasure. Use your GPS-enabled device to find a geocache hidden by someone else. The cache is usually a small box with a little geocache swag, like a pencil eraser. Uncover the treasure, replace the item with a new one, sign the logbook, give yourself a smart device smiley face, then go to the next location.

For a short and easy family walk with the little ones, try Warfle’s Trail, which is about 0.74 miles round trip and takes you along a typically empty creek bed. However, after heavy rain, it can become flooded quickly, so make sure you are aware of what the weather has done recently. Have the kids look for animal footprints or other signs of wildlife as you enjoy the time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

To see something other than rock, take the short yet rugged Twin Falls Nature Trail to the Twin Falls Overlook. Many people say this green, spring-fed area is one of the most beautiful spots in Central Texas, and that is high praise indeed. The scenic overlook is pretty nice, too, as it is right next to a U-shaped curve in the Pedernales River. This area is environmentally sensitive, so please stay on the trail and stay out of the closed-off areas.

This low water crossing trail is the primary gateway from the developed south side of the park to the mostly undeveloped north side. The trail’s namesake, T.J. Trammell, was one of the first European settlers in this area. He arrived with his family in the early 1870s. You can also keep going onto the 5.5-mile Loop Overlook Trail if you have some time to kill and want to see some amazing scenery of the river and woods below.

The shallow Pedernales River is ideal for swimming, wading, tubing, fishing, rafting, and other low-key aquatic activities. Swimming is allowed in the beach area, which is between Trammell Crossing and the youth camping area. This part of the Pedernales is a little wider and deeper than other parts. The wider part of the river is to the east; the narrow part is to the west. Since it runs over rock, the water gets pretty warm in the summer and pretty cool in the spring and autumn.

It’s a long hike over Trammel’s Crossing to the Loop Trail that will get your feet wet as the trail crosses the river. But the 5.5-mile trek is totally worth the effort because this overlook is a great place for both nature watching and people watching. As mentioned, the river meanders through the solid rock here, and this part of the park is where tubing and other water activities are allowed. In fact, you can bring an innertube and toss it in the river to float back to your campsite instead of hiking back.

A 2.6-mile equestrian loop trail takes visitors from a parking area to the Duck Pond and back. You might not see any ducks there, but you probably will see some deer and other wildlife such as squirrels, rabbits, and maybe even a fox or raccoon. They often come to this remote area of the park to drink. The horseback trail is generally wide and well-marked, so you don’t have to worry about walking conditions. However, if it has rained recently, you may be walking in mud.

After you “ooh” and “ahh” at the Falls, take the short hike to one of the highest points in the Pedernales Falls State Park. From the Headquarters Overlook, visitors get a good view of both the river and the hiking trails. So, this overlook is a good place to plan what you want to do during your stay. You can also head off onto the Wolf Mountain Trail from this short trail, which is a 5.4-mile trek around Regal and Bee Creeks that meanders along the river and loops back around to take you back to the Headquarters Overlook.

This one is a no-brainer. If you go to Pedernales Falls State Park and do not see the falls, you risk deportation to Oklahoma. A one-mile loop trail runs from the parking area, where there are also restroom facilities, to the scenic overlook. Those who are in a hurry can take a trail cutoff. From the overlook, it’s easy to see how the river cut through limestone over time and carved a canyon. The falls are not exactly Victoria Falls, but they are pretty nice. The Texas Parks and Wildlife department ranks these trails as moderate. You need some experience and some hiking boots for this trail.