Milton Reimers Ranch

We hiked Milton Reimers Ranch for the first time today, and it really stands out compared to more run-of-the-mill hill country trails. The trail started along a narrow, deep ravine lined with maidenhair ferns--very dramatic and romantic.  The flora is very arid--most of the plants here bite, from agarita to tasajillo to the copious prickly pear cactus.  Even the live oaks here (Quercus fusiformis) have prickly leaves. When the trail reaches the bluff above the Pedernales, you get a really stunning view of a bend in the river, which had plenty of water for a change and was an arresting aqua-green.  There are tumbled piles of boulders, small gushing streamlets, skeletons of dead trees, and plentiful river views.

The main(?) trail had lots of nice interpretive signage about local wildlife and natural history, and a crushed granite surface.  But we only ever saw one trail marker, which didn't actually correlate to anything on our map, and although we were trying to follow the "primitive" trail, it kept disappearing and merging with the main trail. You can't get really lost, though, as all the trails are roughly parallel, between the river and the park road.

As a side note, the trail(s) touch lots of different access points, all with restrooms and picnic tables.  This has to be the best trail in Austin for people with bladder issues.  Or people who like to picnic a lot.  There were lots of benches, too.  Other than the fact that our trail kept petering out, it is a really remarkably hospitable park.

On a mild and brilliantly blue January day, we saw about 3 other groups of people, mostly rock climbers.  Plenty of solitude, picnic tables notwithstanding.  Will definitely come back for more hiking and for kayaking (before the river dries up again).

All easy hikes. Found some slippery mud on upper river trail the hard way. Was very quiet. Facilities at park not opened fully when I was there

This was my first trip to Reimers, so I was not sure what to expect. I hiked the climbing access trails near the river's edge practically from one end of the park to the other.  There were plenty of people in and around Reimer's Canyon where the more popular climbing routes are located, but few people elsewhere.  The trail downstream from the River Level Parking area though was almost deserted.  I only saw one other person on the trail.  If the park's master plan gets implemented this park will have even more in store for us.

We walked down the canyon until we could see the climbing wall.  It was really pretty here, but we couldn't tell if there was a trail that would wind down to the river so we decided to hike the bluff.  A really beautiful hike here though in some areas it was hard to determine where to cross the little ravine.  However, we figured it out and went all the way to the beach which is really nice.  The river is gorgeous and our dogs really liked swimming for a bit.  Great place to hike with dogs as there are several places they can cool off and drink water.  Along the bluff hike there are several interesting geological sites.  We saw some small caves.  Next time, I'd like to hike one of the double diamond trails for the mountain bikers.  The topo map drawn next to the difficulty levels seems to offer really varied ups and downs.  Definitely plan on hiking more here.  If anyone hikes down to the climbing wall, please comment on the trails that go off from there.

While the Pedernales river was amazing and beautiful especially from the tops of the bluffs, it was difficult to actually follow the trails for hiking.  They look much like deer tracks than trails.  That being said, we didn't pass anyone in a mile or so of hiking which was terrific.