My Favorite Mountain Bike Trail in Texas? It’s at Pedernales Falls State Park!
On my first visit to Texas Hill Country, I really didn’t know what to expect. I’d heard good things about the mountain biking outside of Austin, but what – exactly – that entailed, I had no idea.
One of my first destinations to ride was Pedernales State Park. I’d booked a campsite for 4 nights as a basecamp and did a big day of riding on my first day there. I think my total mileage was 23 miles but with only about 1,100 ft of climbing (spoiler alert: Texas Hill Country has hills, not mountains).
At first, I didn’t really enjoy the trails at Pedernales, but that was before I got on Juniper Ridge Trail. Juniper Ridge is awesome if you like techy, rocky riding. In fact, I really only recommend building your ride around Juniper Trail, especially if you only have one day to explore Pedernales.
In this post, I share how to enjoy the mountain bike trails at Pedernales State Park with a few options to customize your ride based on skills and fitness.
Where is Pedernales Falls State Park?
The park is located in Texas Hill Country on the Pedernales River. It’s about:
- An hour west of Austin
- 3.5 hours south of Dallas
- 1 hour 20 minutes north of San Antonio
Here are the Google driving directions to Pedernales Falls State Park.
Planning a trip to Texas Hill Country?
Here are a few more places to check out:
Juniper Ridge Trail
Juniper Ridge Trail is the trail for mountain bikers at Pedernales Falls State Park. It’s packed with lots of embedded rocks, tight tree squeezes, some narrow ledges with a bit of exposure, and not much elevation gain for such an engaging trail.
All that being said, Juniper Ridge is tiring. It’s almost 10 miles one-way and you’ll be working hard to tick off those miles. Be sure to have plenty of water and snacks with you and maybe don’t do this ride on a mid-summer Texas day.
The route below is my favorite way to enjoy Juniper Ridge Trail. If you’re looking for a ride that is a bit easier, I give an alternative option below.
Route Suggestion: Full Juniper Ridge Loop
Trail Basics
Ride it for:
- Fun rocky tech
- Very unique trail
Need to know:
- Don’t let the minimal elevation gain make you think it’s easy
- Carry plenty of water
- Don’t ride it if you don’t like rocks
Route directions: Wolf Mountain Trailhead > Horse Trail South 2 > Juniper Ridge Trail > Madrone Trail > Juniper > Horse Trail South 4
Route notes: A more fun way to finish this ride is to take Madrone all the way to the end, jump back on Juniper Ridge for a bit, and then return back to the parking area via Horse Trail 4
Make it shorter: Instead of jumping back on Juniper Ridge to Horse Trail South 4, take the Park Road 6026 back to the parking area (Horse Trail South 3 isn’t worth it)
An easier Option
If you think the full Juniper Ridge Trail will be a bit too much to chew (no shame in that!), it is possible to do a shorter loop that still includes part of it, but makes it a bit more digestible.
Route Suggestion: Half Juniper Ridge Loop
Trail Basics
Ride it for:
- Get a taste of Juniper Ridge without doing the full thing
Need to know:
- Even though it’s shorter, doesn’t mean it’s easy
Route directions: Wolf Mountain Trailhead > Horse Trail South 2 > Juniper Ridge Trail > Horse Trail South 4
What about the other trails?
I rode most of the trails at Pedernales State Park and truthfully, the only trails I’d ride again are Juniper Ridge and Madrone Trail. The other trails are either very wide doubletrack/walking paths or not in great shape because of erosion and horse traffic.
Good to know’s
If you’re planning to head out to Pedernales State Park to ride the mountain bike trails, here are a few ‘good to knows’ before gearing up:
Looking for a new hydration pack?
Carry all your tools, water, and snacks for your ride. I know there are three camps when it comes to mountain bikers: the hydration backpackers, the hip packers, and the water bottlers.
I fall firmly in the hydration backpack club for a few reasons. I drink a lot of water, I eat a lot of snacks, and I like to be prepared with all the tools and spares I might need (especially when mountain biking alone).
The Osprey Raven (Raptor for the guys) is my favorite pack that I’ve tried. It has a ton of organization including its own tool roll, it’s comfortable, and it can carry a 3L water reservoir.
Camping at Pedernales State Park
Pedernales State Park has a nice little campground where I based myself out of for four days. I don’t think I’d stay four days again, though, because you really only need one day to explore the mountain biking trails in the park.
But if you want to relax by the river and enjoy the ‘falls’, it’s a nice place to spend a few days.
Pedernales campground amenities include:
Learn more about camping at Pedernales State Park and book your campsite.
Have you been to Pedernales Falls State Park to ride Juniper Ridge Trail? What did you think? Did you love it or was it too techy? Leave a comment below!
I’m new to San Antonio, and I appreciate the work you put into these articles! I’m looking forward to riding some of these trails!
Awesome! It’s comments like yours that inspire me to keep TWW going 🙂 Thanks for reading and enjoy the trails!