Colorado Bend State Park: Tie Slide Trail (Blog Hike #1050)

Trail: Tie Slide Trail
Hike Location: Colorado Bend State Park
Geographic Location: southeast of San Saba, TX (31.05847, -98.50094)
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: A loop hike through arid desert terrain to a fantastic blufftop Colorado River overlook.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/colorado-bend
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=980190
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming February 17, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From San Saba, take US 190 east 3.2 miles to FM 580 and turn right on FM 580.  Drive FM 580 east 14 miles to the town of Bend.  Where FM 580 turns left to cross the Colorado River in Bend, continue straight on CR 442, which dead-ends at the park entrance in another 3.8 miles.  Pay the park entrance fee, then drive another 0.3 miles to the first park road on the left.  Turn left and drive a short distance to the Gorman Trailhead where this hike begins.  Take it easy on this last road: it is unpaved and rough but passable in an ordinary sedan.

The hike: The narrow winding county road you have to drive to get to Colorado Bend State Park passes through a pasture with free-roaming cattle, which gives a first indication of just how wild, remote, and rustic this park is.  The park's 5328 acres straddle the Lampasas/San Saba county line, and it occupies the sites of 2 former ranches: the Gorman Ranch and the Lemons Ranch.  The former ranchland was acquired by the State of Texas in 1984, and the park opened in 1988.  The park's name comes from the fact that a sweeping bend of the Colorado River forms most of this park's eastern boundary.  (Aside: there are multiple Colorado Rivers in the western United States.  This Colorado River is the one that flows southeast through Texas to the Gulf of Mexico/America, not the one that flows southwest through the Grand Canyon.)

            True to its rustic nature, the park's campground offers only 43 primitive campsites with no RV hookups available, and most of the park is managed as a wilderness that is accessible only by trail.  As such, hiking takes centerstage here, and the park offers 14 main trails totaling over 31 miles.  The park's most popular trail is the 1.5 mile each-way Gorman Falls Trail, which takes you to its namesake waterfall in the Colorado River's canyon.  I arrived here late in the day and did not have time to hike to the waterfall, so I decided to hike to the Tie Slide Overlook instead.  The Tie Slide Overlook is the park's best canyon overlook, and this hike offers some classic arid desert hiking in addition to fantastic Colorado River canyon views.

Gorman Trailhead

            From the information board at the rear of the parking lot, follow the sign that directs you to turn left to begin the narrow Tie Slide Trail.  The wider trail going straight is the Gorman Falls Trail, and it will be our return route.  The narrow and somewhat rocky Tie Slide Trail heads north through a dense forest of cedar trees, which are also called juniper trees.  The trail descends gradually, but most of this loop passes through terrain that is fairly flat.

Hiking through cedar forest

            At 0.3 miles, you come alongside Tie Slide Creek, a seasonal stream that sits in a scenic but rocky ravine 10 feet below you to the left.  Tie Slide Creek eventually flows into the Colorado River, but the trail gradually curves right and begins heading east away from the creek.  The park's remote location should lead to good wildlife viewing.  Although I did not see much wildlife on my evening hike, I saw plenty of paw/hoof prints and scat, indicating that there is indeed plenty of wildlife in this area.

Tie Slide Creek

            The trail undulates with small elevation changes as it meanders east toward the Colorado River.  Several old dirt ranch roads cross the trail, so you have to watch the trail markers to stay on the narrow track.  While there are plenty of trail markers, the markers are not consistent.  I saw red paint blazes, blue metallic squares, and brown carsonite posts marking this same trail at various points.  Large amounts of prickly pear cactus and yuccas live here, and the hike has very much an arid desert feel.

Crossing an old dirt ranch road

            Just past 1.5 miles, you reach a signed trail intersection.  The Tie Slide Trail turns sharply right, and we will go that way eventually.  First angle softly left to head to this hike's main attraction: Tie Slide Overlook.  A brief rocky and steep descent brings you to the overlook platform.  The Colorado River appears a couple hundred feet below you, and while I have read that you can see Gorman Falls downstream from here, the waterfall blended into the long shadows when I came here.  Take some time to admire the blufftop view.

View north from Tie Slide Overlook

View south from Tie Slide Overlook

            After taking in the overlook, retrace your steps to the trail intersection and angle left to continue the Tie Slide Trail.  The trail climbs gradually through more of the same cedar forest and arid scenery you saw on the way out to the overlook.  At 2.3 miles, the Tie Slide Trail ends at a signed intersection with the Gorman Falls Trail, which goes left and right.  Turn right to begin the final leg back to the trailhead.

Returning to the trailhead

            The meandering Gorman Falls Trail heads the general direction of west.  The scenery is similar to what you have already seen, but the trail is smoother and wider than most of the trails you have hiked so far.  An old dirt ranch road comes in from the left just before you return to the trailhead to complete the hike.  As I stood outside my car just a few minutes before sunset, I enjoyed a rare experience in today's world: a moment of total silence.  Remote and rustic parks have their advantages, some of which are very quiet.