Trails: Pedernales Falls and Hackenburg Loop Trails
Hike Location: Pedernales Falls State Park
Geographic Location: west of Austin, TX (30.33408, -98.25211)
Length: 1.7 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A loop hike, mostly easy but with 1 rocky section, past Pedernales Falls.
Park Information:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/pedernales-falls
Hike Route Map:
On The Go MapPhoto Highlight:
Hike Video: (coming January 29, 2027)
Directions to the trailhead: From Austin, take US 290 west 31.8 miles to Ranch Road 3232 and turn right on Ranch Road 3232. After driving Ranch Road 3232 north for 6.4 miles, turn right on Pedernales Falls Road, then almost immediately turn left to enter the park. Pay the entrance fee, and drive the main park road to the falls parking area at its end. Park in this large blacktop lot.
The hike: Rising in the heart of Texas Hill Country west of Fredericksburg, the Pedernales River follows a general west to east course as it drains part of the Edwards Plateau. The river flows along the south side of the famous LBJ ranch, which I featured in
my hike at Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site last year. Over its 106 mile course, the river loses more than 1600 feet in elevation before it empties into the Colorado River and Lake Travis on the west side of Austin. The word
pedernales is the Spanish word for the flint rocks that are prevalent in the river's bed.
About 20 miles upstream from its mouth, the Pedernales River drops over a series of low limestone ledges known as Pedernales Falls, which of course form the centerpiece of Pedernales Falls State Park. One of the crown jewels in the Texas state park system, Pedernales Falls State Park consists of 5212 acres that were operated as the private Circle Bar Ranch before the State of Texas bought the ranch in 1970. The park is one of the most visited state parks in Texas thanks to its fantastic scenery and its location just west of Austin. The park offers many amenities including a 69-site developed campground, primitive camping, swimming in the Pedernales River, and several picnic areas.
Pedernales Falls State Park is also a top-tier hiking destination: it offers 10 trails totaling over 40 miles, some of which are also open to horses and/or mountain bikers. The park offers many fantastic hikes, but the falls remain the park's main attraction. This hike takes you to Pedernales Falls, but it also takes you around the Hackenburg Loop, which has more of an old ranch feel, thus exploring both the touristy and more natural sides of this park. Be advised that, like most rivers in Texas Hill Country, the water flow on the Pedernales River varies widely from nary a trickle to a raging torrent, and therefore the water volume in Pedernales Falls also varies widely. When I came here on a rainy morning in mid-February, the river had some flow but was well below its peak.
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| Falls Trailhead |
This hike starts at the Falls Trailhead, which is marked by an information kiosk at the rear of the parking lot. Clearly this is the touristy part of the park: the super wide gravel trail descends gradually through thick forest dominated by juniper and mesquite trees. Almost everyone who visits this park walks down this trail at some point, and I shared this trail with several other people even on the wet, rainy, mid-February morning that I came here.
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| Hiking the Pedernales Falls Trail |
At 0.25 miles, you descend some stone steps to reach the main overlook for Pedernales Falls. Unless the river level is very high, the view consists of the stone terraces that form the falls in front of cliffs on the other side of the river. You may also be able to see people walking around on the stone terraces, and you will have a chance to join them in a few minutes. |
| Pedernales Falls, overlook view |
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| Pedernales Falls, overlook view |
Exit the overlook to the right. The next part of the hike heads downstream on a maze of trails, none of which are wide and easy and none of which are marked. Therefore, what has thus far been been a very touristy hike takes on a more primitive feel. All of the trails in the maze eventually converge into the lower arm of the Hackenburg Loop, so my best advice is to work your way downstream using whatever route seems most feasible. If you stay close to the river, you will have a chance to climb up onto the stone terraces and explore the seasonal riverbed. You also get a nice base view of the falls and the large plunge pool, which is called Cypress Pool.
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| Cypress Pool at base of falls |
As you continue downstream from the falls, the trail becomes very rocky as you pass a couple of smaller cascades in the river on the left. At 0.7 miles, the lower and upper arms of the Hackenburg Loop converge, and the combined trail continues downstream on a wider and easier course. Wooded walls rise on either side of the river, and this part of the hike has more of a canyon feel with lots of grasses, yuccas, and prickly pear cactuses.
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| Pedernales River below the falls |
Near 1 mile into the hike, the trail assumes a sidehill course as it starts following what appears to be an old dirt road and starts climbing out of the canyon. Soon you pass atop a vertical dirt bank on the left. Although this area is at least 20 feet above the river's normal level, that bank was formed by river erosion, a testimony to how high and raging the Pedernales River can get after a good rain. |
| Eroded area along Hackenburg Loop |
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| Hiking atop the canyon rim |
Next the trail curves to the right, and a brief steep climb lifts you up to the rim of the Pedernales River canyon at 1.15 miles. The rest of the hike follows a mostly flat course through grassy prairie with a light smattering of mesquite and juniper trees. At 1.6 miles, you come out at a park road. Turning left and then right on park roads returns you to the falls parking area to close the loop and finish the hike.
