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The Seasons at Colorado Bend State Park

/ gravescolleen / 1 Comment

When I first learned about Colorado Bend State Park, I was enraptured with the idea of a spot where I could see a 70 ft waterfall, paddle the Colorado River, swim in cold springs, and even go wild caving! It’s a lot to do in one trip- and a great reason to visit this state park- multiple times! On our first trip, we brought our Airstream and camped outside of the park at Barefoot RV park. (This is one of only two places to RV camp near here as Colorado Bend SP only allows tent camping which lends to it’s authenticity as a remote oasis.) Barefoot RV park is a nice established place with an absolutely gorgeous spot on the Colorado River with cliffs along the riverbank if you really need the comforts of your RV.

Beach at Barefoot RV Park

Up until our first visit to Colorado Bend, my family had only stayed and visited very well-attended state parks not too far off the beaten path. But to get to Bend, one has to drive down country roads and out to lands where cell service doesn’t reach. So when camping here, make sure not to forget anything!

It’s a beautiful park in any season, but it is remote and wild. It will really make you appreciate and respect the Texas wilderness. When we first entered the park, we all remembered gulping with nervous excitement about the flippant sign stating, “Only 4 people rescued today.” What were we in for?

Once you enter, it’s still a long drive to get to the river; there is a great windy road with quite a few parking lots at different trailheads. So stop and enjoy a gorgeous hike if you have the time. If your main destination is Gorman Falls, after the entrance there is a quick turn off to the left with plenty of parking. If you want to head to the river or cool off in Spicewood Springs, then continue on down the long and winding road until you reach the river.

Summer: Spicewood Springs

There is almost nothing better on a hot, Texas day than cooling off in a natural cold spring. (There will be a post for you soon of my favorite swimming holes!) The Spicewood Spring trail is 3 miles long, but it’s only a short .5 a mile or so to the actual spring creek. Don’t worry about the sign warning you of mountain lions… you’ll be fine… but maybe carry a few rocks in your pockets!

Mountain Lions live in the park!

In the middle of the summer, this path might be a little overgrown, but the payoff is worth it! As you hike along the trail, if the tall grass tickles your shoulders, keep hiking! You’ve almost made it. Pretty soon, you can switch to your water shoes and wade in ice-cold water! The sensation of the cool water on your skin is refreshingly invigorating, especially after the overbearing Texas heat. The first pool is deep and oh so fun to jump in (but don’t slip on the algae!) Plus, there is a natural water slide perfect for sliding down into the wading pool below. The sweet summer sounds of laughter and natural cold spring water, make this hidden gem a perfect summer escape.

One year, while we were enjoying this spot, a happy little snake swam right down the waterfall slide, gave us the side eye, and slithered off for lunch. My girls were like, “Oh, a snake,” in what I consider the most deadpan of voices. Meanwhile, I jumped out of the pool, scared for my life. But Mr. Snake gave us no mind, so I got back in and stayed away from the murky edges the rest of the trip.

I guess the girls made the slide look like so much fun that Mr. Snake had to try it too!

As you walk up the creek, there are more and more pools to enjoy, each one presenting its own unique charm, sparkling under the sun like a treasure waiting to be discovered. It’s wild to find this tropical paradise after hiking through burnt brown grass. You’ll likely meet some other swimmers along the way, so be friendly, say hi, and perhaps share stories about your favorite swim spots. Take your time to wade through the cool, refreshing water, feeling the gentle current against your legs as you relax and soak in the natural beauty surrounding you (and forgot about those snakes-they’ll probably leave you alone.) Meander through the rest of your day exploring the nooks and crannies of the creek, discovering hidden waterfalls and shaded glades, all while chilling with fellow nature lovers before heading back to camp, where you can reminisce about the day’s adventures over your campfire dinner.

Spicewood Springs

Fall: Wild Cave Tour

One of the most unique things about this park (other than the waterfall, mountain lions, and pure wilderness of it) is that you can book a Wild Cave tour and go spelunking! This is a great experience in the fall, and Nichols Outdoor Adventures offers this adventure tour for only $25 per person. They normally have two different tours, but as of 2025 a pack of vultures has decided to move into one of the cave entrances, and so there is only one option until nature decides otherwise!

If you’ve always been interested in exploring a cave, but aren’t ready to get too muddy or too cramped, this is the perfect introduction to caving. The tour group is small and all equipment is provided. You’ll be amazed at how fun it is to slide down into a tiny crevice of the earth and explore a wild cave. Crawling around on your hands and knees, you’ll pass by tiny cave scorpions, but don’t worry these little guys just want to feast on cave crickets, and I’m told the sting is comparable to a bee sting. We passed hundreds of them and they didn’t bother us at all!

Texas Cave Scorpion Photo by Shana Steinhardt

The inside of the cave is so dark and quiet. It made me wonder what it would be like to sleep in such a calm, quiet spot. Unfortunately (or maybe that’s fortunately?!), no overnight camping is allowed. Take your own in-depth look at our spelunking adventure below.

Winter- Backpacking & Shakedown Hikes

Any season other than summer is a dream for camping at this park, but I’ve done most of my trips here in the fall and winter when the air is crisp. The Windmill Backpacking area is perfect for beginner backpackers as the camp sites are only 1.5 miles from the parking lot, making it an inviting destination for those new to packing in their gear. It’s close enough to pack extra things in your car and hike back to get them, which is especially useful if you forget something or want to store extra water in your car. My adventure buddy Shana and I packed our gear out here last fall, and I loved it so much I took my teen back out in the winter to get a 10 mile hike in for her Scout Hiking merit badge. The great thing about practicing here is you can continue to wear your pack and hike the connecting trails to see just how many miles you can really handle carrying all that weight in your pack, thus building your stamina and confidence as a backpacker. My teen and I decided to hike to the waterfall from our campsite, which is a rocky hike in the sun and on our particular winter day it was 90 degrees outside! Oh, Texas- you stinker.

Shana and I also hiked the Cedar Chopper loop to the Tinaja trail, where we were saw nary another hiker, and over to Gorman falls and back out from the Gorman Falls trail, allowing us to immerse ourselves fully in the hikes available at Colorado Bend. We timed our hike a tad poorly and got a bit worried when the sun began its descent, but the gorgeous orange of the setting sun complemented the blue so serenely, it eased our minds. Plus we knew had our headlamps in our pack for making it back to camp. All was well as we settled in for the evening, boiling water for our salty dehydrated meals and sharing stories under the dark night sprinkled with bright Texas stars.

The tinaja trail is a really cool ecological feature that features a depression in the bedrock caused by springs in this arid environment. But be warned, this trail is moderate to hard and not for the weak! It is quite rocky and strenuous compared to the other trails in the park.

Spring or Winter- 70 ft Living Waterfall

You can hike to the falls any time of year, but if you are lucky in the spring or winter you might catch the falls flowing well. Gorman Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Texas, but it is in an arid environment and your experiences may vary. Since it is spring fed, there is almost always a little bit of flow, lush ferns, and moss. We learned from our cave tour that these falls host a unique tufa deposit formed by the spring and limestone with visible stalactites and stalagmites. Instead of hiking back out after seeing the falls, you can hike towards the Old Gorman Road trail to see some of the tufa up close. The hike from the lot to the falls is 1.5 miles, so be prepared for a 3 mile hike at least, but my favorite way to do it, is to hike one way on the Tie Slide Trail to see the overlook which really shows you the bend in the Colorado river from whence this park gets its name!

Be warned, this trail is ROCKY and mostly exposed in the heat. Please bring water. There are multiple signs posted at the trailhead about remembering to drink water, so be responsible and bring enough to stay hydrated.

All this talk about Colorado Bend has me itching to get back out there! I’m ready to book another backpacking trip and spend some nights outdoors, surrounded by the quietude this park has to offer. The trails winding through the varied landscapes and geological wonders provide an unparalleled experience for nature lovers. What part of the park do you want to explore? There are so many options, from the breathtaking waterfalls to the unique springs that make this place so special- any time of year.

San Marcos- Dream Paddling

/ gravescolleen / 1 Comment
TLDR:

1-2 Hour Paddle

7-8 Hour Paddle

Important to Note:

  • A can ban was instituted in 2024, and there is a significant fine if you have trash in the river!
  • There is also fencing placed at Rio Vista Park on weekends and later in the day that can make it difficult to park. You can always drop your paddling equipment (if you have a friend who can wait with it) near the Lion’s Club tube shuttle by Ivar’s River Pub, find parking, and then come enjoy the river!

San Marcos is known for this tubing spot, but it is one of my absolute favorite places to paddle. The water is clear, cold, and spring-fed. It’s a beautiful spot to paddle any time of year, but in the summertime, the water feels like the fountain of youth! It’s a constant 72 degrees no matter how hot it gets here in Texas. Heads up! The city introduced a can ban in 2024, and you must use reusable containers while enjoying the river.

The headwaters of this amazing river are the habitat for a rare and endangered aquatic grass known as Texas Wild Rice. Be careful not to paddle into it! You’ll see Texas State students maintaining and working in the area.

Since this spot is a tubers’ paradise, you’ll want to get to Rio Vista Park before 9:00 am if you want to experience the dream paddle! My favorite thing to do is park here and paddle upriver towards Spring Lake. You’ll have to work hard to go upstream, and I usually bring a kayak paddle on my paddleboard for this section of the river. But don’t fret, your first swim break will come up at City Park (where you can rent the tubes from the Lions club). This is a great spot to get out and bask in the cold, refreshing water.

If you keep paddling upstream past the campus, there’s a beautiful swimming hole behind Kerbey Lane that is so cold and dreamy! Just a little bit further up is the waterfall of water coming off of Spring Lake, but you can’t access this area from here.

If you want to visit Spring Lake where these headwaters start, you can book a guided paddle, ride in a glass-bottom boat, or even book a nighttime glow kayak with The Meadows Center. (Scroll to the end to see!)

From this swimming spot, it’s time to turn around and enjoy your peaceful drift back towards Rio Vista Park. All in all, this trip might take you an hour or two, depending on how long you relish the swimming holes. I love to paddle up and back a couple of times, just to savor my time on the river a bit longer!

Wanna go further?

If you have shuttle friends and a whole day– you can meet at Rio Vista Park in the morning, unload all of your paddleboards/kayaks, and then shuttle some cars down to the San Marcos Scout Camp behind the Pecan Park Riverside RV Park. It’s just a couple of bucks to park your car here. Then have at least one car drive everyone back to Rio Vista to start your paddle, and you can get a good 7-8 mile paddle in, depending on how many times you paddle up towards Spring Lake! You will have to portage at Cunnings Dam, make sure to head to the left as it’s a better walk than trying to drop your boat down the ladder on the right side of the dam. (Trust me, this sucks!) This trip will take most of your day. Remember it’s a peace paddle- so you are only floating about 1 mile an hour down this lovely river. Enjoy it because these lazy river days are the best kind of days!

The first time I went on this paddle with some friends, none of us had ever paddled it, and we were told it would take 3 or 4 hours. It was dreamy and peaceful, with the sun dappling through the trees and the gentle lapping of the chilly water against our paddleboards creating a serene atmosphere, but when dusk started to settle, we got a little worried we might never leave the river! The setting sun painted the sky in vibrant hues of orange and pink, which added to our sense of wonder, yet our anxiety grew as we realized none of us knew how far we still were from our exit point. We kept making Gilligan’s Island jokes about how it was just supposed to just be a “3-hour tour,” and laughter filled the air, momentarily easing our concerns. Most of the river from I-35 to the Scout camp is private land, so there is no escaping the river until you get to the Scout camp or Texas Tubes, which felt both like a thrilling adventure and a slight predicament. The sounds of nature became more pronounced as night approached, and we eagerly paddled onward, trying to make the most of our experience. Luckily, we made it to the take out point just before nightfall! Whatever you do, just make sure to plan ahead and enjoy your time on the water!

Rio Vista Park to San Marcos Scout Camp

Night Time Paddling?

If you want a truly unique experience at Spring Lake, the reason this beautiful river exists, you can book a lovely nighttime glow kayak with The Meadows Center. They offer this a few times a year along with snorkeling and more, so make sure to check it out! I’ve also night paddled the river with Paddle SMTX and really enjoyed the nighttime kayak with a guide!