An hour’s drive southwest of Austin, you find Pedernales Falls State Park off Hwy. 290 behind an unassuming entrance.
We drove out on Monday, December 28 & were met with a locked gate. The park was closed to the public… BUT we had a way in. Our family friend, Lisa, is living and working at the park for the winter, and she helped us get in.
Thanks to the off-day, we were virtually alone in the park. Even camping was capped at 50% capacity. So it was our clan of 9, Lisa, and maybe 20 other people within a mile of us.
To get to the 5.5 mile loop, you have to walk down a steep-ish hill, wade through an extremely cold river, and then officially start your journey on the other side. My mom insisted she WOULD NOT be crossing a river, but was totally ignored by Lisa & forced to do it anyway. (What else is the point of a 30+ year old friendship, if you can’t force the other to do something they don’t want to do?)
The hike itself was decently mild, sans a few steep hills. Lisa led the way, which was a nice change. Instead of trying to navigate, I just got to walk and talk and think.
Because we had 10 people – Brian, the 3 step kids & me; Jessica & her two kiddos; plus my mom & Lisa – we ended up walking in groups that organically changed composition with the conversation. I sometimes found myself alone in the middle of the two groups, perfectly content on brief moments of silence.
We rested at the overlook at around mile 4. It was nice to take a break, take some photos, and look out over the hill country.
I want to move to the desert, but I will forever be a hill country girl at heart. This landscape makes me feel safe and grounded. Pedernales Falls State Park may be the prime example of Hill Country landscape & I’m already dying to go back.
Since it was a loop and there’s only one way in or out, we had to cross the river a second time to get back to our cars & the much-desired picnic lunch waiting for us.
The second crossing was still cold and equally unwelcome from the majority of the group. (Brian and Danzig were the exceptions – choosing to play in the water as long as possible.) But we made it across without much issue.
Once back at the campsite, we sat on some picnic tables and ate lunch, then drove over to the Pedernales Falls themselves. (Which I’ll explore during my next trip out there.)
I’ve found that about 5 miles is my daily limit right now. I want to build up my stamina to go longer. But, for now, I’ll take the 5 miles happily. It’s better than no miles.
I loved Pedernales Falls. Highly recommend.