Pedernales Falls State Park — Attraction in Johnson City

Not far from Johnson City, where the Pedernales River tumbles over ancient limestone, there’s a place where time seems to pause — a place where hikers speak in hushed tones and park rangers tell only the brave of heart what really roams after sunset. Welcome to Pedernales Falls State Park, home of the legendary creature locals have dubbed “El Cabra Grande.”

The Origin of the Beast

Long before Texas was Texas, when the Comanche still rode freely and Spanish missionaries wandered these hills, an old hermit named Esteban lived alone along the river’s edge. Esteban raised goats and tended to a massive, solitary longhorn bull — a beast too mean for any rancher to claim. They say Esteban was part man, part medicine man, and he mixed strange brews beneath the full moon, muttering in tongues and scratching runes into the rocks.

One night, lightning split the sky and the river flooded with a fury no one had seen before. Esteban and his animals vanished without a trace. Days later, the water receded, but in place of Esteban’s home, there were only massive hoofprints and the stench of burnt sage and sulfur.

The First Sighting

In 1892, a traveling preacher named Josiah Merton claimed he saw “a foul creature, half goat, half steer, with burning yellow eyes and horns as wide as a church door” standing on the limestone ledges at dusk. His horse bucked, and Josiah barely escaped with a broken arm and a tale no one believed — until two boys went missing that same week while camping upriver.

Their tent was found torn apart, and strange fur clung to the jagged rocks nearby.

Modern-Day Encounters

Since then, stories have trickled in. A hunter’s rifle jams as the beast walks silently between cedar trees. A group of kayakers swears they saw it drinking from the river, steam rising off its back like smoke from hell. Phones fail to capture it. Tracks vanish within minutes. Some say it speaks — not in words, but in thoughts, in urges that draw folks deeper into the woods.

Park rangers dismiss it publicly but have a file locked away labeled “CBG-001.” Inside? Castings of oversized hooves, clumps of unidentifiable hair, and a warning scribbled in red ink: “Do not approach. Do not follow. If it sees you, do not run. Pray.”

The Legend Lives On

Today, if you camp near the river and hear a low, grumbling bleat mixed with a distant bellow, you might have wandered too far. And if you spot a beast with the shaggy body of a goat, the eyes of a demon, and the sweeping horns of a longhorn, you’ve found El Cabra Grande.

Just don’t expect to find...

Everyone comes here to see the falls, and I can honestly say I don’t blame them. BUT, after you check out the falls, check out some of the other areas of the park.

The Wolf Mountain trail is a good hike. It’s about a 6 mile loop. The first half of it seems pretty boring. It’s a very wide gravel trail, not rugged at all, but after you get to the Jones Spring, it gets a little more interesting - a bit more rocky, but not terribly crazy. The scenery really changes at this point. Once you have found the Jones Spring, look for the remnants of the Jones rock house. Not much left, but still something cool to check out. There are some steel nails, pottery and glass pieces that look like they are from that era, but I’m not 100% sure. Just don’t mess with them! Give other visitors a chance to see them.

Swimming area - if you find yourself all alone in a parking lot on an awesome summer day wondering why you’re the only one going to the swimming hole, it’s because you’re in the wrong parking lot (I’m so dumb sometimes). Drive a little further to the next lot then walk about a quarter mile to the swimming hole. It’s deep sand, like at the beach, so bring flip flops. Water isn’t deep at all. Very hard to swim in, if you’re lucky you’ll find a spot about 3.5 feet deep. It’s more like one of those places where you sit your butt down, put a big rock on your lap so you don’t float away and drink a few beers. There’s also a swimming area at Trammel’s Crossing that is similar.

Trammel’s Crossing Trail and Twin Falls can be accessed by parking in the lot right before the camping area - the parking lot is not marked on the map. There are a few spots within the camping area, but signs say to park outside of the camping area. Twin Falls was short but probably the most fun of all the trails I did. 98% of it is shaded.

Pedernales trail system near the falls is confusing AF - make note of the spot where you entered onto the big rocks so you can find your way back, or you will be rock hopping and climbing to get out - seriously.

Lot’s of RV and tent camping spots with electric and water, but most of them were “closed for construction” in July 2018.

The trails at this park offer everything you can imagine. Limestone rocks, sand, dirt, gravel, and hopping from rock to rock at the falls area. Bring shoes with a decent grip, and probably a pair of flip flops or old river shoes.

Duck Pond is bone dry as of July 2018 - avoid that trail, nothing to...

One of my favorite parks for a quick backpacking getaway.

But it's hot in Texas during summer, and with daytime highs already reaching the mid 90's with the heat index well over 100, I wanted to keep backpacking to a primitive campsite under 3 miles. Another prerequisite was that we had to be close to water.

So we packed up our gear and heading to Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnston City. This 5200+ acre state park located along the Pedernales River is gorgeous. With 14 miles of backpacking trails, almost 20 miles of hiking trails, a designated river swimming area, and a secret swimming cove just waiting to be discovered, we couldn't wait to explore.

Upon arriving and checking in, we learned the main gates close at 10 and we would need to keep the access code handy if we wanted to leave and re-enter the park.

Our first stop was to make camp, and with the temp reaching 93°, the 2.3-mile hike took us about 2.5 hours. Taking the Wolf Mountain trail to the primitive campsite, I had to stop, rest, hydrate, and catch my breath due to the heat, limited shade, and elevation changes. Good thing there was plenty of seating areas nestled under the trees, leading to the primitive campsites.

Finally reaching the camping area, we took off our packs and explored the area a bit before deciding where to set up. Since I was a bit wobbly from the heat, we quickly choose a secluded site with a spot for a tent and my hammock.

After promptly setting up camp, we changed from our sweating hiking clothes to our swimming attire and headed to a hidden swimming cove few know about.

And as I stepped into the refreshingly cold waters, hiking in the heat of the day was so worth it.

That evening as we sat and ate dinner, we reminisced about the swimming hole and planned our next day's adventure.

But little did we know we would have a nocturnal visitor that would have us wondering if Bigfoot was real. If you've never heard this animal up close and personal, they sound like someone walking around the campsite.

After a brief discussion about what it could be, she flashed her headlamps toward the sound; what do we see but a fat baby raccoon swinging from our Ratsack trying to get at the food within.

We enjoyed its antics for the next few hours, but we knew we had to rehang the food bag as the night wore on, not wanting to tempt fate.

As always, let’s take all the side roads together and enjoy the views...