In big cities back East, they have a hard time imagining how devastating and destructive flash floods can be. I doubt there’s ever been a flash flood down 5th Avenue in New York City. But despite widespread urban phobia about flash floods, Texans flock to one of the most flash flood prone areas in the Southwest—for summertime recreation! At Pedernales Falls State Park there is a sign that shows a somewhat tranquil river in one picture and a violent raging wall of water in the next, taken only five minutes after the first. Flash flooding is common in the Texas Hill Country, so when bathers notice the water rising or getting muddy they leave immediately. Still, the speed at which flash floods can arise has resulted in several deaths in the park. When dim clouds grumble and sheet lightning slumbers below the skyline, get out of the water.
With that said, it is precisely the falls that draw people to the park. And no wonder, it’s a rocky riverbed lined with magnificent white cliffs where the torrent leads down into a wooded valley. With a muted roar, the water somersaults and throws itself over the rocks in great leaping splashes. It keeps swimmers cool during even the hottest Texas afternoons. It’s also noisy and teeming with young people, some dotting the shoreline as gaily as dragon flies while others shriek and scream and frolic. Reaching the falls is not for the faint of heart (or out-of-shape seniors). It’s a strenuous ¼-mile hike down steep rock stairs with no handrail. I turned back, my knees creaking like a nineteenth-century whaler. But there are other ways to enjoy the water. You can kayak, canoe or even tube the river as long as you don’t try to put in or take out around the chaos of the falls.
This location has been a special place for a very long time. Pedernales Falls State Park is set in a dramatic geological expanse with river limestone some 300 million years old. As part of the Marble Falls formation, it sits on the southwestern flank of the Llano uplift. There is a scenic overlook at the north end of the park where the river drops about 50 feet in elevation over a distance of 3,000 feet, and the water cascades over the tilted, layered stair steps of limestone. Early Cretaceous seas covered this part of Texas and deposited sands, gravels and younger limestone formed from marine fossils. Over time, these younger deposits eroded to give us what we see today. From any of the park’s overlook trails you can enjoy stunning sunset views of the curvature of the Pedernales River and wild displays of color.
The area that is now Pedernales State Park has been inhabited for some 10,000 years. After prehistoric peoples, Spanish missionaries and soldiers occupied the region in the 16th Century. The Spanish named the river “Pedernales,” referring to the flint rock found in the river’s bed. Lipan Apache lived and camped here next but were eventually driven out by the Comanches around 1836. Though Anglos sometimes traveled there to fight Indians, white settlement in the Blanco County area did not begin until after Texas already had her statehood.
By the early 1870s, the Indian threat had diminished considerably, and new groups of immigrants had begun to move into Blanco County and the Pedernales Falls area. Since the 1870’s much of the land and vegetation in the park area has been shaped by ranching and farming. Pedernales State Park is here today because of C.A. and Harriett Wheatley. They established the Circle Bar ranch in 1937 and immediately began a series of improvement projects. It became a wildlife refuge as much as it was a working ranch. When it came time, the Wheatley’s wanted future generations to be able to enjoy the land as much as they had. The sale was approved by Texas voters in 1967, and the park opened to the public in March of 1970. At that time, approximately 1,000 deer roamed the ranch, and the area enjoyed the largest concentration of wild turkeys in Texas.
Deer remains plentiful in the area, as are other animals common to the Hill Country. This includes coyotes and rabbits, raccoons and skunks. Armadillos forage in the woodlands at dusk and opossums come out at night. Along the river, you can fish for bass, sunfish and carp with abandon. Catfishing is popular, especially after rain when the river has risen, and the big cats are moving with the current.
Aside from playing in the water, the wilderness lends itself to many other activities. Hiking opportunities have something for everybody. There is a short half-mile jaunt down Twin Falls Nature Trail that offers a stop at the scenic overlook over the falls. Or you can go for a more strenuous six-mile walk around Wolf Mountain Trail. It wraps around Tobacco and Wolf Mountains then winds along the small pocket canyons created by Mescal and Tobacco creeks. Along the way cool your heels at Arrowhead Pool where Bee Creek spills into a series of stair-stepped pools. Just beyond, the water sparkles in the distance. If you want to make a day of it, the Juniper Ridge Trail (nearly 10 miles) and the Horse Trail South (11 miles) are the two longest hikes in the park. Rated as challenging and moderate, both trails take you through some of the most beautiful Hill Country terrain imaginable.
Juniper Ridge Trail is the only one open to mountain bikers. It is considered a very technical, single-track trail with plenty of obstacles. It’s designed for more advanced riders. Neither is the Horse Trail South for beginning horsemen. It’s very rocky with steep slopes, so greenhorn riders should stay away. Horses need to be shod, and riders must show Coggins test results for their horses at the office beforehand. There are water troughs at the trailer parking area and at the midway point of the trail as well. You can camp along this trail but in the Equestrian Camping area there are only 6 horse pens and vehicles are limited to no more than 12 (including trailers). Facilities are primitive. There is no potable water, so bring your own; however, well water is available for the horses. Picnic tables and fire rings are also provided.
Camping within the park covers a wide range of options too. The most forgiving is 69 RV back-in sites with water and electricity. For those souls who enjoy backpacking there is the Backcountry Wolf Ridge Camping Area. Located some 3 miles from the Wolf Mountain trailhead, this is for individual hikers/campers only (no groups). No open fires permitted, and potable water is not available (but there are trash cans). For youth groups there is a camping area designated for non-profit, adult-sponsored organizations. It holds up to 25 vehicles and requires at least 10 campers for reservations. The group camping area provides picnic tables, outdoor grills, chemical toilets and lantern posts.
As you might expect, the wilderness attracts over 150 species of birds, making Pedernales Falls State Park one of the premier places to view Texas Hill Country bird life. The natural area is blessed with numerous oak and juniper woodlands. It’s relatively easy to sight ravens, vultures, herons, quail, doves, owls and roadrunners. Wild turkeys still roam the woods. The trails take photographers and hikers through the more heavily wooded areas. This unspoiled range of forest borders the major areas of drainage and includes a variety of trees, including pecan, elm, sycamore, walnut and hackberry. On the terrace next to the river, you’ll find cypress, buttonbush, and ash trees. Some of the more unusual avian inhabitants taking refuge in this diversity include the rufous-crowned sparrow, western scrub jay, and the endangered golden-cheeked warbler during nesting season. Follow the asphalt trail from the grassy parking area to find the open-air bird blind. It’s wheelchair accessible and sports a 35-foot glass viewing wall.
Texas is rich in outdoor venues, but few come with the drama and excitement of active waterfalls. When you see the swimming area for the very first time, it’s memorable. As the water swirls and tumbles, swimmers come up spouting like dolphins, then they go back and do it again. Those already exhausted by the fight stumble up the treacherous rock stairway squinting into the sun like young vampires. You know they just had the time of their lives. And here’s another plus: it’s convenient. About 40 miles west of Bastrop, the 5,200-acre park sits along the banks of the scenic Pedernales River in Blanco County, just before reaching Johnson City. If you’ve never been, you owe it to yourself to pack a picnic and go take a look for yourself. With any luck at all, it’ll be a day when the sun paints light across the belly of every cloud and a cool dip in the water is just what you need.
By Larry Gfeller