State: Texas
Address 1: 2585 Park Road 6026
City: Johnson City
Zip: 78636
Phone: 830-868-7304
Open all Year: Yes
Electric Water: 69
Camp URL: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/pedernales_falls/
Full Hook: Yes
About: Activities include camping; picnicking; hiking; river swimming; tubing; wading; mountain biking; fishing; bird watching (checklist available); and horseback riding (Customers must bring their own horses and no overnight equestrian camping is allowed.) River recreation is in a limited area beginning at the Youth Group Camping area and down river to the park boundary.
Facilities include campsites with water and electricity; a sponsored youth group area, which may be used by any youth group with an adult sponsor; hike-in primitive campsites (2 mile minimum; no pets allowed; no groundfires; self contained fuel stoves only); picnic sites; restrooms with and without showers; a trailer dump station; 19.8 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails; 10 miles of equestrian trails; and 14 miles of backpacking trails. Be sure to stop by the Texas State Park Store located in the park headquarters building.
The park has a covered bird viewing station with feeders and a drip bath. Food is provided all year. The station can accommodate about 15 people. There is no charge to use the viewing station other than standard park entrance fees. This is a wheelchair accessible facility.
Although the Pedernales River is the focal point of the park, there are other areas of interest to hikers, nature lovers, and the general visitor. Well-marked trails pass through hills dotted with oak and juniper woodlands and provide access to more-heavily-wooded areas of pecan, elm, sycamore, walnut, and hackberry in the major drainages. Ash, buttonbush, and cypress grow on the terrace adjacent to the river.
Fish commonly caught in the Pedernales River include catfish (predominantly), bass, perch, and carp. The park is not really known as a “fishing” park, but catfishing is good after a river rise.
Wildlife in the park is typical of the Texas Hill Country and includes white-tailed deer, coyotes, rabbits, armadillos, skunks, opossums, and raccoons. Over 150 species of birds have been seen in the park, and about one-third of these are permanent residents. Birds seen throughout the year include ravens, vultures, herons, quail, doves, owls, roadrunners, wild turkeys as well as the endemic rufous-crowned sparrow and western scrub jay. The endangered golden-cheeked warbler nests in the park, arriving in mid-March.
