Pedernales Falls State Park: Pedernales Falls and Hackenburg Loop Trails (Blog Hike #1111; Golden Staff Hike)

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 Map

Photo 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Lake Casa Blanca International State Park: Roadrunner, Mesquite Bend, and Osprey Hill Trails (Blog Hike #1110)

Trails: Roadrunner, Mesquite Bend, and Osprey Hill Trails
Hike Location: Lake Casa Blanca International State Park
Geographic Location: northeast side of Laredo, TX (27.53830, -99.45086)
Length: 3.9 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A mostly flat lollipop loop through desert scenery to an old earthen water storage tank.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lake-casa-blanca
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 2028)

Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Lake Casa Blanca International State Park is located on the northbound lanes of the Bob Bullock Loop 0.9 miles north of US 59 BUS on the northeast side of Laredo.  The park is NOT accessible from Bob Bullock Loop's southbound lanes.  Enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park in the large picnic area at the west end of the dam that forms Lake Casa Blanca.

The hike: Located on the northeast side of Laredo, a quintessential border town, Lake Casa Blanca is a 1680 acre man-made lake on Chacon Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande.  The lake was built to provide water recreation, and a 525-acre park on its south shore was established as a municipal park operated by Webb County and the City of Laredo.  In 1991, the municipal park was transferred to the State of Texas to form the Lake Casa Blanca International State Park we visit today.

            The lake remains the park's centerpiece: it offers swimming, fishing, water skiing, and boating.  The park also offers a 66-site developed lakeside campground, several picnic areas, some athletic fields and courts, and 4 hiking trails totaling over 4 miles.  I have to admit that the lollipop loop described here is a little on the mundane and repetitive side.  The "stick" of the lollipop is almost a mile long, and it goes right beside a park road across the lake's dam.  Yet this hike offers nice views across Lake Casa Blanca, and it leads to this park's site of greatest historic interest: an old earthen water tank.

Roadrunner Trail trailhead

            From the entrance to the large picnic area at the west end of the dam, cross the main park road to find the signed start of the Roadrunner Hike and Bike Trail.  A simple wooden sign marks the trailhead.  The wide two-track dirt trail rises slightly and then curves sharply left to begin heading southeast across the dam that forms Lake Casa Blanca.  The scenery consists of dusty, grassy, desert-like land with the lake visible to the left.

Lake Casa Blanca, as seen from the dam

            Traffic noise from Bob Bullock Loop Road fills up your ears from your right at first, but soon the road and dam curve different directions and the road noise fades.  The scenery remains the same, but at least the dam makes the going flat and easy.  Near 1 mile into the hike, you reach the east end of the dam, the park's boat launch parking area, and the end of the Roadrunner Trail.  To continue our hike, stay straight on the south side of the road to begin the Mesquite Bend Trail.

Hiking the Mesquite Bend Trail

            The Mesquite Bend Trail is a single-track dirt trail that is designed mainly for mountain bikers, and it takes the usual serpentine route that mountain bikers enjoy.  In fact, the trail winds back and forth many times between the park road to the north and a housing development across the park boundary to the south.  The terrain has minor ups and downs, and the scenery retains its desert feel featuring mostly mesquite trees and prickly pear cactuses.  I also saw some common birds including cardinals and mourning doves while hiking this trail.

            After much winding and bending, you come around the eastern-most portion of the Mesquite Bend Trail, where the White-tail Loop exits right at 2.2 miles.  The White-tail Loop explores the lake's spillway, and you could add it onto this hike if you wanted to extend the hike by about 1 mile.  At 2.35 miles, you reach the end of the Mesquite Bend Trail where it intersects the main park road at a parking lot.  To continue this hike, cross the road and begin the Osprey Hill Loop.

Start of Osprey Hill Loop

            Turn left at the next intersection, and notice the low but steep hill off to your right.  At first you hike west along the base of the hill, but soon the trail curves right to gradually take you up the hill.  At the west side of the hill, turn right to head directly up the rest of the hill.  When you get to the top of the hill, you realize that this "hill" is actually a constructed earthen water tank.  The park trail guide tells you that this tank was used for holding water to fight fires in Laredo, and today it provides nice views across the campground and lake to the north.  Benches make nice places to sit, rehydrate, and enjoy the view.

View north from earthen water tank

Old museum building

            Descend the west side of the water tank to pass an old museum, a stone building with wooden doors at the base of the tank.  Past the old museum, walk out to the park road, then turn right to walk a short distance along the park road to get back to the east end of the Roadrunner Trail.  Retracing your steps across the dam on the Roadrunner Trail returns you to the west picnic area parking lot to complete the hike.