Colorado Bend State Park was as beautiful as we hoped it would be. We visited in late January (yes this post is super late) and recently spoke with friends who visited in May, and it seems safe to say that we visited the park under ideal weather. The days were warm and sunny and the nights were crisp with a chill in the air, especially since we set up camp down by the Colorado River.
The day we arrived at Colorado Bend was quite an active day. The park was hosting an educational program featuring actors who were role-playing as Buffalo Soldiers and sharing a bit of history about their contributions to the state of Texas. In many ways the Buffalo Soldiers, who were all black, fought racism and prejudice in order to be recognized as human beings who were capable of positively contributing to their government. As one of the kids in a video explains, black people are primarily defined by their enslavement in history books, not by their heroism, intelligence, and contributions to humankind. To the descendants of the Buffalo Soldiers, the work their ancestors did was heroic and important. At the same time, the Buffalo Soldiers were enlisted by the government to essentially fight and kill Native American peoples in order to continue settling the land (paving the way for more white settlers to come).
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has a page and video dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers that I encourage everyone to check out. The work of the Buffalo Soldiers is framed as “continuing the westward expansion of the United States,” which to me basically means “continuing the settler colonial project of eradicating Native peoples from the land.” However, the Buffalo Soldiers did build roads and telegraph lines, which were of great benefit to many people, and helped black people gain more acceptance by society. My aim in bringing this up is not to dismiss the hardships the Buffalo Soldiers faced or say that they were horrible people – I think that they did what they needed to do to survive. I bring this up because writing this blog from a decolonial perspective means that I have a responsibility to address narratives that people might not otherwise challenge or critique if it were any other kind of blog.
So yes, Colorado Bend State Park! After we pitched our tent we immediately ventured out to the peaceful and scenic Spicewood Springs Trail, which connects to the Spicewood Canyon Trail and allows you to do a little 3.5-mile loop back to the trailhead. We came across a small pool soon after we set off on the hike and encountered a series of small waterfalls immediately after. If you’re interested in getting to the breathtaking views right away, this loop does not disappoint! There were some areas of the trail that required that you get your feet a little wet, but it wasn’t anything that a good pair of hiking boots can’t handle. The colors on the trail were vibrant and required many stops just to take it all in.
*maps courtesy of the Texas Parks & Wildlife website
After we finished the Spicewood loop we went back to our campsite to rest for a bit before getting dinner started. As we were sitting down to eat, a herd of deer descended from the hill behind us to make their way to the water. It was beautiful and somewhat incredible that they weren’t bothered by us or the group camping next to us – all they cared about was getting down by the river.
That night the sky was perfectly clear and we could see thousands of stars in the sky. We stayed up late, using Google Sky to map out constellations and recount what we knew about their origin story. It didn’t compare to the stars in West Texas, but it’s also better than the night sky in Austin. At the time there was no burn ban so we were able to stay up late, warmed by the heat of the campfire.
Our big goal for the next day was to see Gorman Falls. The first time we visited Colorado Bend SP we had hoped to join a guided hike to the falls but arrived too late. We mapped out a route that took us through several trails we assumed were connected, only to find out that they were not connected. It was ultimately a happy accident – even though we finished exhausted – because the journey took us to the tinaja, which is a bedrock depression carved out by springs and seeps, that’s not easy to get to. We started off at the Cedar Chopper Loop (moderate), jumped on the Tinaja Trail (very challenging), and ended up on the Gorman Falls Trail (challenging): a total of approximately four miles to get to the falls.
The last portion of the trail to the falls is a steep descent. Many people we saw along the way were smart to bring hiking poles because it’s a bit of a sneaky descent and climb. There’s a rail and chain that you’re able to use for additional support but it’s really important that you take your time going down and coming up.
Gorman Falls is a majestic 60-foot waterfall and the vegetation around it is a bright shade of green. At the base of the trail we came to a seating area next to a tree that provided a lot of nice shade so that you could cool down after the hike. Because we hadn’t seen a lot of people out on the trails, it surprised me to find many people by the falls, talking excitedly and posing for pictures with their friends. Although we took the longer route, if you stick with only using the Gorman Falls Trail to get there, it’s only a hike of about 1.25 miles which makes it more accessible for people to get to.
Gorman Falls was a great way to end our time at Colorado Bend State Park. There are still a lot more trails to explore and areas to revisit and we can’t wait to return!
Colorado Bend State Park – Bend, TX 76824
(325) 628-3240
Adults: $5 daily / Kids Under 12: Free
