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Visited October 2020. Pros: beautiful, lots of parking, lots of trails, beach area (this was super awesome to cool off in), pets allowed.
Cons: No park map provided, online park map is not helpful, no directions provided at entry (you drive quite a way after entry, and there are several different parking areas), NO TRAIL MARKINGS!
Y'all, we pulled up to pay and expected a map, or some sort of direction. Nope. Drove for what felt like an eternity. Parked at 2 different parking areas before we finally found the one closest to the trail we wanted. We picked the Upper and Lower River trails because they would be nice and short for the puppy. Guys, the trail was only marked at the entrance. After that, we were on our own. This would normally be fine but no map, and the pdf from the website is useless. It was all good for about 10 minutes, then we were hit with the first fork in the road. By fork, I mean there were suddenly 3 options with absolutely no direction as to where to go. We picked the one that stayed closest to the river. This proceeded to happen about 20 more times. Nothing was marked. It was total chaos. The 1/2 mile hike we prepared for turned into a 2 mile hike. We ran out of water, climbed gigantic rocks, and took several routes that ended up with us in big bushes, and fallen trees. Super scary. We definitely thought we would end up getting stuck in between the rocks, and would have to cut off a limb to break free.
Not an easy hike at all. Poorly marked. The only redeeming aspects were the badass beach at the end, and this cool tree/watering hole that looked like a fairy garden. Don't go here if you have any mobility issues. Weird experience overall; do...
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Used to come here all the time for the MTB trails. I like it because the ranch actually does a great job maintaining the trails. The staff was always friendly and informative. But yea, cash only, many can't stand that, and it's not advertised for obvious reasons. Conveniently, the closest ATM is at least 10 minutes round trip. No big deal, just let me ride.
The trailhead is about 4 miles in past the main gate off Hamilton Pool Road. The facilities are new and well taken care of. It's a great place to get caught in the dark at, the trailhead is right next door to the observatory. Take a look at the beautiful night sky while you're out there it is incredible.
The staff there is largely very nice. There was a year-and-a-half. Where I would come there three days a week and I got to know most of the folks who worked the gate. Almost everyone there was fantastic and friendly. Exthere's an employee there named "Raven", she works the entry booth on Saturdays and some week days, try to avoid her if able, you'll still get into the park but she will give you a hard time about every little detail...
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TICK ALERT! DOG OWNERS BEWARE!!! We found no less than 7 ticks on our 2 dogs after hiking here yesterday; only one managed to attach before we found it thanks to thick doggy coats. Dumb of us to not think of ticks being a problem here (we are just visiting, and home does not have this issue), but be sure that your dog has some sort of tick preventative and CHECK YOURSELF for ticks after hiking, too! Lyme disease is no joke. Remember if you pull any ticks off that are attached, do it with tweezers, pull from the head straight out steadily without twisting, and keep in a plastic bag so that it can be tested if any symptoms occur.
Other than the ticks, the park is lovely, and the trails well maintained (plus surprisingly soft with minimal rocks, unusual for Austin!) and there are actual views. However due to the tick infestation, we won't be coming back....
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