Pedernales Falls

We went to Austin area to have the 4th of July long weekend with Justin. The original plan was to visit McKinney Falls first on Saturday afternoon, and visit Pedernales Falls the next afternoon.

Unexpected traffic jam on I-35 on Saturday made us arriving at McKinney Falls around 3pm - and we could not get in because McKinney falls reached capacity !! We went to Pedernales Falls instead mid-afternoon.

Pederrnales Falls is about 30 miles west of Austin TX. It is formed when Pedernales river flow over huge slabs of limestone. A beautiful place to visit in the Hill country.

We went to the swimming section of Pedernales River first - clear water gently ran through rugged river banks. Due to impromptu change of plan, we were not really ready for a dip in the water - in fact I was the only person enjoyed the running river under a beautiful sunny sky. 

Pedernalees River

We went to Pedernales Falls shortly afterwards. A short hike from parking lot led us to the scenic overlook over the falls. It was splendid down there. Another short hike led us to the river bed and falls.

The river is very wide in this section, and water level is low. One can see large slabs of limestone exposed dry, patches of the river bed are sandy, and there are small or large puddles here and there on the river bed. We took off shoes and waded in the shallow water over rocks.

The clouds came and went, and the breeze along the river waterway made it quite comfortable on this very hot day. Look downstream from the falls - rocks over the shallow water looked like islands in a lake, and many people simply sat on the rocks in the middle of the river to enjoy the beautiful surrounding and lazy sunshine.

Further down stream, a big rock blocked the river and allows water to go through via a narrow channel.

This is a scenic tranquil place that made us lingered,

Pedernales Falls viewed from Scenic Overlook

The bed of Pedernales River near the falls 

Enjoying the cool water downstream from the falls

"islands" in the river

Natural dam on Pedernalez River

Enjoy Pedernales River and Falls

Note  - This park should be a great place for hiking, bird watching and "white" water kayaking. We will definitely camp there if we go back to the place.