We had a lot of rain last week and so this weekend I decided to go to Colorado Bend State Park and hike the waterfall trails. There are two waterfall areas on opposite ends of the park from each other and they are both spring fed. This part of Texas is underpinned by many caverns underground, many of which fill up with water, producing springs. Colorado Bend State Park, which sits along a bend in the Colorado river, is know for its springs and caves.

On the south end of the park, Spicewood Creek meanders through the canyons, tumbling over several small waterfalls on its way to the Colorado River. I first took the trail that climbs up to the cliffs above the canyon through which the spring-fed creek runs. This trail junctions with the trail that runs back down through the canyon along the creek and waterfalls. There are many nice pools along the stream that make for nice cool swimming holes in the hot weather. The image below shows people swimming in one of the many pools along Spicewood Creek with one of the dozens of small waterfalls in the distance.

The way back down along the creek involves about 8 water-crossings. There was so much water flowing, that there was no choice but to get my boots wet as most of the stepping stones were under water. But, my boots are waterproof and I made it through this hike with dry feet. The real danger was the slippery rocks in the creek. I didn’t fall, but I did help stabilize someone else who nearly slipped and fell. The image below shows one of the many creek crossings along the hiking trail.

After a couple of well-earned apples at a picnic table, I headed for the north end of the park. My plan was to hike up to Gorman Spring, and from there follow the creek back down and eventually make the treacherous climb down to Gorman Falls, which is fed by this spring. Gorman Spring is a constant spring that creates an isolated creek in the park, which is home to a unique strain of Guadalupe bass. On this day, the spring was flowing from the rocks at full force and roiling the surface. The photo below shows the spring emerging from the underground caverns in a canyon. As you can see, this particular hike is quite shady and nice for midday.

The hike along this creek also involve a couple of water crossing that were also nearly completely submerged. At one crossing, I began to lose my balance and had to step in a deeper part of the creek which meant the water came over the top of my waterproof hiking boots and soaked my feet. My boots are still riding around in the bed of my truck drying out.

Once back down to the road, there is a trail that leads to the bottom of Gorman Falls, a 70 feet tall waterfall that empties Gorman Creek into the Colorado River. About halfway down the climb, the top of the waterfall comes into view through the trees. On this day the water was flowing faster than I have ever seen and I could hear the falls long before I got to them. The picture below show the top of Gorman Falls as it tumbles over the high cliff and as you can see, much of the waterfall is shrouded in tree branches. This photo was taken from a ledge about halfway down the climb to the bottom of the falls. There is a cable fence to hold onto as you climb.

At the bottom of the falls is a shaded viewing area. It is generally much cooler and louder down here. You can see parts of the water fall between the trees from here. As it is a very sensitive area, the waterfall is roped off and people can’t go jump in it, which is nice. I find this waterfall very difficult to photograph around all of the branches and logs and such. Below is a photo of the right half of the falls looking through the branches from the viewing area. The left half of the waterfall is much more difficult to see through the greenery.

I backed up and took the widest photo I could, 14mm, to try to capture the entire waterfall, but didn’t quite get it all. You can see that the left side is heavily covered with trees and I could mainly just see and shoot that part on the right.

I tried to pick out a few details that I liked in the waterfall. In the image below the water is cascading down the green rocks. I don’t love the log in the bottom of the photo, but that’s what was there.

The image below shows a rainbow in the water streaming down in front of the mossy travertine behind the waterfall. The rays of sunlight cut across the lines of the falling water.

After all this fun, it was time for the not so fun climb back up the cliff to get to the mile-long stumbly hiking trail back to the parking area. Not a bad Sunday with 8 miles of hiking up and down canyons and along waterfalls.