Return to Gorman Falls Trail

User: Blaze - 6/23/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 1star Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 3point5stars
Distance: N/A Duration: N/A

Not sure why this one park has been split into eleven separate locations...  Seems like overkill.  In any case, I logged my hike here.

True Gems
User: Blaze - 6/22/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 11.50 Miles Duration: 5 hours, 24 minutes

This hike spans the River Trail, Old Gorman Road, Gorman Falls, and the Gorman Springs Trail.  Rather than break up my hike for each trail, which would be a lot of unnecessary, self-inflicted work, I will make one single log entry here.  Hopefully, in the future, a single park like this one won't be split into 11 separate locations!

I did this hike as a part of a group.  The River Trail was nice and shaded and provided scenic views of the Colorado River.  We took the Dogleg Canyon Trail up the hill to the Cedar Chopper Loop cutoff, then went back down Old Gorman Road over to Gorman Falls.  On our way back, we hiked up and back on the Gorman Springs Trail, then returned to camp along the River Trail.

I enjoyed this hike very much, even though it occurred on a day when the temperature was close to 100 degrees.  Gorman Falls was a very scenic spot, much like a living postcard.  Gorman Springs was also a very nice hike up a short, shaded canyon along the water.  These two spots made the hike worthwhile and it also highlighted the tremendous diversity in this state park.  In some areas, you see cacti and prairie grass; in others, you see waterfalls, moss and ferns.

The River Trail is a nice walk along the Colorado River.  The mosquitos were not that bad, although a few came out at dusk.  The Colorado River makes for some good swimming and a chance to cool off after the hike. 

 

Beautiful waterfall is your reward
User: rodavenport - 7/28/2012  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 1.70 Miles Duration: N/A

Typical hill country trail. Lots of loose rock and cedar trees. Not a lot of shade so think twice about going mid day during the summer. The last 200 yards is really steep and treacherous. There are cables on poles to help assist in you club up and down. The waterfall itself is extremely beautiful. Consider hopping over to Gorman Spring trail while you are in the area. Well worth the additional 2 miles of hiking.

Beautiful, fun hike~
User: pjberonio - 10/9/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3point5stars Solitude: 2point5stars
Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Good hike with an awesome payout in the falls area.  My brother in law went back two weeks later without thinking twice.  We were told we could take a stoller most of the way - before I found this site - we were misled and had to leave the stroller behind some trees for a while.   All in all - a great hike!!  We will return.

Nice trial, waterfall is awesome
User: no_3of4 - 9/30/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A

we got here just after a rain and the falls were nice, the trail down to them is a rough but slow and steady and no issue

Impressive waterfall
User: ee_achee - 8/15/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: N/A

The hike itself is one of the classic in Texas (hot, rocky with little shade) but the Gorman falls is truely rewarding.

User: cmbarrick - 5/31/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: N/A
User: blargfest - 3/16/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: N/A

There are several hikes that lead you to the falls, but only one is short; that's the one we took. Us, and everyone else in the state of Texas, and their kids, and their dogs... we went on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty crowded. The trail itself was hot and flat and boring; the path was filled with rocks and tree stumps. Then, after a mile or so, there's a sudden steep descent to the viewing area - there are wire handrails, but old and young people were still having trouble getting up and down it. The waterfall was, of course, awesome, though difficult to take pictures of. The viewing area was more dangerous than I'd expected because some kids had climbed up to higher ground and were knocking rocks and sticks down onto the people below. So, watch your head!

Nice hike
User: Chinacareys - 11/27/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: N/A

On the day we hiked (4 adults and 7 children) the trail was very crowded.  Waterfalls were great, well worth the hike.  The pictures I had seen didn't do it justice.  Be careful when hiking, it is easy to stumble with all the stumps and rocks in the trail.

User: tnkntx - 8/23/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: N/A
Nice, Easy Hike Leading To An Excellent View
User: BewareOfPenguin - 5/23/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: 45 minutes

On the day I hiked the trail leading to Gorman Falls, it had been raining off and on pretty consistantly.  Despite this, the trail was wet, but not excessively muddy.  As previously mentioned, the trail is rather tame until the last couple hundred feet at which point, the trail becomes particularly rocky and drops off sharply.  The wet rocks weren't unusually slippery, but I used the cables for the sake of safety.  I arrived early enough so that I had the place to myself.  There's an observation deck/sitting area that offers a most tranquil expereience.  I'm looking forward to a return trip.

User: gzkemp2 - 11/29/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: N/A
New Route to the Falls
User: Ralph Ladd - 11/17/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 5stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

After hearing about the new trail the Park Service has carved out for the public to reach the Falls I was ready.  The new trail is marked by orange flagging and is very visible the entire way.  There are opportunities to catch some vistas in route.  I also took the opportunity to hike the Gorman Spring Trail.  Both are not to be missed. 

steep hike down to pretty, delicate water fall
User: haggai - 9/20/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours

We did this as an out-and-back hike to the lower falls.  Only saw a couple of other people the whole time.  The hike was pretty steep and rocky, with a couple sections containing slippery enough rock that you needed to hang onto the guardrails provided.  I can only imagine how slippery these areas would be after a rain.  The waterfall at the end was worth it, though.  And though we couldn't jump in the water at the waterfall because of the delicate waterfall ecosystem, right below the falls is the Colorado River, which we swam around in for a while to cool off.

Nice short guided hike
User: mrhinman - 5/17/2003  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4point5stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: halfstar
Distance: 1.50 Miles Duration: N/A
Beautiful Gorman Falls tops off any trip to this state park. The hike is a paid guided tour only and only on weekends at specific times. We started out with just me, my wife, our 20 yr old daughter and our newly adopted 2 year old daughter, who was walking quite well. The hike begins by showing you the top of Gorman Falls, then the guide leads you about 3/4 mile to a somewhat steep, rocky descent to the river base where the falls can be seen. The 60 to 70 foot drop does have cabling installed to assist in descent, but my 2 year old with some help did it fine. At the bottom, you can view the falls and surrounding area for about 15 to 30 minutes before the guide requires everyone leave and hike out. While there, however, you can relax on a deck built around a massive tree. The falls are viewable only and not accessible. In years past, the falls were open, but had to be closed to protect the foliage and the falls themselves. A nice treat was to hear the story of some kids who drove their car off the falls (before it became a state park). You can see part of the car sticking out of the river bed where they crashed (they survived). All in all it was a great hike. We will likely do it again!