Commons Ford - Waterfall Trail

Type: Trail Rating: (3.75) Difficulty: (2.56) Solitude: (3.92) Length: 1.25 Miles Elevation Gain: 420 Feet ADAAccessible: N/A Interpretive Guide: No Dogs Allowed: Yes Bikes Allowed: Yes Cost: Free More Information: More Info City: Austin County: Travis

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Getting there: From MoPac in Austin, head west on FM 2244. Continue west on FM 2244 through the intersection with Capital of Texas Highway. Aproximately 3.5 miles after that intersection turn right on Cuernavaca Drive and then turn left on Commons Ford Road. Continue down this road for and look for the entrace to the park on the left. Parking is along the shoulder of the road. Look for a brown wind gauge and antenna on the left for an indication of where to park.

The Hike: Commons Ford Park was something of a mystery when we first found out about it. We had hopes of miles of trails and few people to disturb a peaceful hike. In some ways the park and the Waterfall Trail did not live up to those expectations. However, we found that we enjoyed the trail immensely.

Much of the trail is heavily wooded with Junipers, Oaks and other trees.

This small creek is carving the Commons Ford valley and providing some pleasant waterfalls. We're happy to report that the water appeared to be very clear.

A more significant flow of water became evident near the waypoint "Waterfall 1". The sound of flowing water can be heard well before it is seen. The waterfall here is not very large but it does produce a nice soothing sound. The creek runs into a slab of igneous rock here which it flows over. The rock surface has been carved by the water to resemble the curves and pitholes reminiscent of Sculpture Falls along Barton Creek.

Did we mention that the trail is heavily wooded? Note that there were a lot of broken branches along the trail.

The trails pulls away from the creek slightly as it continues south. As it does so it also gains altitude. There is little strenuous vertical gain. The change is altitude is mostly felt by the views of the steeper slope beneath the trail. Although some spots along the trail are a little narrow, the danger of falling down the hillside is remote. The trail is well positioned along the slope of the hill overall.

The waypoint "EF" marks the location of the Enchanted Forest geocache. There was not enough room on the map for the full name to be printed. This tough one is located on a ridge looming over the Waterfall Trail. We won't give away too much but plan your route up to the cache location carefully as the choice you make can determine how tough the ascent to the cache is.

Occassionally the trail breaks into an opening, providing for some views of the hills.

The falls at the "Waterfall 2" waypoint are taller than it's downstream companion so it produces a richer sound. Like the waterfall encountered earlier the water runs into a large slab of rock that withstands weathering better than the looser rock around it. At this point it looked like the end of the trail and really it was, though we found a way to extend the trip and find some great valley views. Turn around here for a shorter hike.

This pleasant multi-waterfall appears to be the end of the trail, but not entirely.

On top of the ledge there appears to be a continuation of the trail on the opposite bank. By using the highpoints of the rocks carved surface it's possible to get across the stream without getting your feet wet. The trail continuation scrambles up a short but steep slope and then quickly disappears. However, the foliage here turns slightly less dense. The juniper is more spaced out with grasses in between. This provides plenty of room to continue straight up the slope of the hill. In some places there appears to be evidence of a fire having raged through this section of the hill some time in the past, which would explain the sparse sprinkling of the highly flammable junipers.

By hiking along the clearings on the opposite bank one can catch glimpses down the creek valley and cliffs on the far lake shore.

The geocache that was placed in this park provides a way of describing the environment. In many ways it does appear to be an Enchanted Forest. The hour and a half that we spent hiking the trail was enchanting indeed.