Comanche Bluff Trail

Type: Trail	Rating: (3.69)
Difficulty: (2.95)	Solitude: (4.03)
Length: 7.50 Miles	Elevation Gain: 650 Feet
ADAAccessible: N/A	Interpretive Guide: No
Dogs Allowed: Yes	Bikes Allowed: Yes
Cost: Free	More Information: More Info
City: Granger	County: Williamson

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Larger Map

The Comanche Bluff Trail lies in Taylor Park and follows the southern shore of Granger Lake. (Click on map for larger view)
Maptech® USGS Topographic Series™, ©Maptech®, Inc. 603-433-8500, www.maptech.com/topo Copyright 2000 Maptech, Inc.

Getting there: From I-35 in central Round Rock take the Highway 79 exit and head east towards Taylor. Once in Taylor turn left onto Highway 95 and head north. Near the community of Circleville turn right onto FM 1331 and look for the park entrance on the left in about 4.5 miles.

The Hike: Granger Lake is one of the lesser known recreational areas around Austin. Situated in the rolling terrain of northeast Williamson County on the Blackland Prairie, it offers some interesting sites and good solitude away from the RV camping areas. An added bonus is that there is no charge for park admission for day hikers.

The Hoxie Bridge is one of the old Williamson County bridges salvaged from the scrap yard for the trail.

The hike begins at the waypoint "Trailhead" at a parking area that includes a restroom. Printed trail maps are available here and at a couple of other stops along the trail.

A view of Granger Lake from the trail.

The first section of the trail alternates between wooden sections and small pocket prairies. The trail skirts around a bluff on which RV camping takes place. In the first mile of the hike, the campers can occassionally be seen and are usually heard along the trail. One of the better views of Granger Lake can be found along this first section of trail, however.

The trail consists of a mix of wooded segments and open prairie.

The highlights of the first mile are the bridges. Granger Lake and the parks around it are administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. So one would expect them to know how to build a good bridge. Rather than settle on a small wooden span across two creeks they chose to over-engineer and save a little bit of history at the same time.

The Friendship Bridge.

The Hoxie Bridge can be found perhaps a quarter mile from the trailhead. It originally spanned the San Gabriel River, but was washed downstream in a flood in 1921. It was reconstructed and remained in use until 1979. Rather than send the outdated bridge to the scrap yard it was moved to Granger Lake in 1982.

A few portions of the trail are a little challenging. Here I had to crouch to get under the brush in a creek bed.

The Friendship Bridge can be found at the waypoint of the same name about 1 mile into the hike. Like the Hoxie Bridge this one was destroyed by a flood in 1921, likely the same flood as the one that destroyed the Hoxie Bridge, and reconstructed. It too was moved to Granger Lake by the Corps of Engineers in 1982. These two bridges make for fine, if not overbearing, crossing of two of the trail's streams.

Not all of the bridges on the trail are historic or overkill.

The relatively flat, rolling terrain of the area surrounding Granger Lake is somewhat misleading. The lake's south shore hugs a modest ridge by hillcountry standards, but it provides a bit more of a challenge than the drive in would indicate. This becomes particularly evident as the trail proceeds west from an alternative trailhead at the waypoint "Alt TH". Not only does the vegetation close in on the trail, but the going gets tougher as the path descends into small, but steep, creek beds. On a few occassions I was not entirely certain if I was still on the approved trail and not some maverick trail.

A view of the lake along the trail before plunging into the woods again.

Following the ups and downs of the creek crossings, the trail flattens out a bit, but a new obstacle presents itself in the form of cow patties, and lots of them. It's like tip-toeing through a minefield, though without the danger. Still, by all means, watch your step.

This carpet of driftwood provides an obstacle along the trail.

Just when the worst seemed over, a more daunting challenge emerges. High water at some time in the past deposited a large amount of driftwood near the lake shore, smack dab in the middle of trail. When I say a large amount, I don't mean a few hundred limbs scattered abount, perhaps in a contour line marking the old water line. No, I mean thousands of branches and trunks that litter the ground like poorly constructed wooden planking. There is no stepping around them, there is only walking on them, and trying very hard not to twist an ankle in the process. One might think about turning back, but that would be a mistake.

After the trials and tribulations, a serene segment in a glade.

Things change dramatically at the waypoint "Gate". A fence has kept the cows out and so the cow patties almost disappear. A gentle glen of trees marks one of the quietest spots I found along the hike. A short distance to the west the tree cover recedes and some open prairie leads to a small inlet of the lake marked by the waypoint "Lagoon". Where I found two boys fishing who seemed to think it odd that I had walked about 3 miles at that point, with more to follow.

One of the larger pocket prairie segments along the trail.

The trail west of the lagoon occassionally splits off from the jeep trail into which it transforms. However, it may be a good idea to stick to the jeep trail, particularly when poison ivy is out. While the trail was mowed to keep the weeds at bay, the trail surface showed how prevalent poison ivy is in the part of the trail. Walking on poison ivy stems is as bad as brushing against them if you happen to touch the soles of your shoe for some reason.

A few segments of the western end of the hike follows a jeep trail.

The end of my hike is marked by the waypoint "Turnaround". However, it may not be the end of the trail, depending upon your view. The jeep trail continues to south from the turnaround point, but from this point it appears to be a service road for the primitive camping area that can be found here. There was not another soul in sight as I stopped in this well maintained camping area to have a snack and drink of water. The facilities include tent sites, picnic tables and a chemical toilet.

The San Gabriel River before it empties into the lake. The primitive camping area here was deserted.

As I sat on a dead log right along the San Gabriel River just before it feeds into the lake, I noticed some ants hard at work. Three large ants were busy excavating a depression in the log, making a home for themselves. Two of the ants would pick up bits of wood and crawl to the end of the log and drop the chip off the side. The third ant below picked up chips from the pile and moved them farther away from the log. On and on they went, in tireless toil. Who am I to complain about driftwood and cow patties on the trail?

Doubling back to the trailhead I ended up hiking 7.5 miles, quite a bit more than I was expecting, but well worth it. On the way back I used the alternate southern loop marked on the map in blue around the southern edge of the RV camping area. I would generally not recommend this route since it cuts right through a busy section of the camping area complete with lots of people, vehicles, boom boxes and the like.

This is a shot I took along the trail.Notice the hiking trail in the lower right hand corner. (Photo by Miles)	Indian Paintbrush (Photo by IAHiker)	This is where we started our hike to Fox Bottom Primitive Campground, and then returned. (Photo by Miles)
Ah, Spring Break! (Photo by Miles)	If you make the hike, and camp here, this is what you need to know. (Photo by Miles)	Oh, The Smell Campfire Smoke! (Photo by Miles)
No lights, No Water. You'll have to bring your own! (Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)
(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)
(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)
(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)
(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)
(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)	(Photo by Miles)
(Photo by Miles)

Logs

Have you visited this location? What did you think of it? Submit your own log entry to let others know of your experiences and to keep track of your adventures.

User: Daniel N - 11/7/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Fox Bottom Primitive Campground
User: narpigeon - 9/5/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A

I thought the trail was perfect, difficult to follow and required quite a bit of back tracking. Due to this I believe most would not return. That is exactly why I am going again. The trees are in poor shape because of the lack of moisture. There was a lot of cows towards the campground. I heard a group of coyotes during the evening. The campground is well maintained and has a nice toilet. There needs to be peat moss available to compost. There is also a nice smoker grill. I made a map of the path I took to find the campground and it is available here.

User: johnbivona - 2/22/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 15 minutes

This is a nice half-day hike with medium difficulty. The trail is not well marked, especially during the last mile near the primitive camping area. Stay on the beaten path and you should eventually get to the campsite. I was amazed at the amount of drift wood and plastic trash that has accumulated around the trail area during periods of high lake levels. Be on the lookout for deer and hogs as you approach the last 1/3 of the hike!

good thing I like bridges...
User: hikingfreak - 12/7/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 9.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

I wasn't sure if I hiked the entire trail but it was a great hike either way. I did get to the area with the birdhouses, and walked at least a mile and a half past that on the jeep trail until the high reeds were surrounding me. I saw a deer on the way out and 5 armadillos and 2 hikers on the way back. The solitude was wonderful. I didn't have to pay a fee to get in Taylor Park, but that might only have been because the gate was up and no attendant was on duty today.

Poorly maintained but pleasant
User: raediant - 10/25/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A

The trail was hard to follow at points, especially with so much leaf fall. I followed the car tracks beyond the trail turnaround for about 3/4 mile and found myself at a lake inlet dotted with birdhouses. Litter was all too common along the driftwood sites. Other than that, the hike was extremely enjoyable. If you enjoy photographing wildlife, bring a camera and be ready - I spotted at least six armadillos, a black snake, a few lizards, a hawk, a blue heron, and various smaller birds. The high degree of solitude was refreshing and occasional unobscured views of Lake Granger were lovely. I recommend the trail to hikers that enjoy a raw trail full of surprises.

This trail needs work
User: ANDYROOSKY - 10/28/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

This was a fun trail until you cross the first big bridge. I went immediately right and the trail died out real fast. So I went back to the bridge and then the trail took me into a camping area...after walking around for a while I found a small little nice trail that went alongside of the trail however it soon died out also.....I found a little playground that my child on and then we did the trail again....I was kinda disappointed...I think I will stay left of the camping grounds next time and I might pick up the rest of the trail....I only rating the difficulty so high because it was so hard to find the trail....no maps or anything......

Not the right time to hike this one
User: kstahnke - 6/24/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.20 Miles Duration: N/A
I've hiked this trail before but it has been a while. Right now, the trails are overgrown with poison ivy and trees have fallen over several spots requiring some cutting off trail. This can be a fun little hike, but I definitely didn't pick the right time to take it this time. I cut the hike short when I hit the western trail head and the trail followed a fence line and the trail was hemmed in with honeysuckle and poison ivy. At that point, I turned back because I'm quite allergic. I'm not dogging the trail, just advising anyone else thinking of heading out right now.

Nice and relaxing
User: sprucega - 4/21/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A
This was a great hike. It wasn't overly hilly -- though there were some hills -- and there were wildflowers everywhere. I'd recommend it to anyone at this time of year. FYI, it's easy to temporarily lose the trail at the first campsite. Watch for it on your left immediately after crossing the first metal bridge.

Had no idea it would be so cool...
User: LVX - 4/20/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours
We went out to Granger lake because we were looking for a geocache. We had no idea that it would be so cool. It was very wet and muddy but we didn't care.

Highly recommended for the more adventurous type.
User: lordvallsbyrd - 3/18/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 9.00 Miles Duration: 5 minutes
The Comanche Bluff Trail was quite an experience. It seems that the trail has been flooded at one part, or perhaps this is where the trail ends because the trail brochure did say that it was not complete. Regardless this problem of course would not stop us. After a ways of beating through the brush and a little trailblazing we were able to find a road that would lead us to the Foxbottom Meadow, which was absolutely beautiful.

Kinda Flat
User: jsr59jsr - 3/10/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 6 hours
Close to the water but a little dry.

Saw some feral hogs
User: toobsox - 1/24/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: 3 minutes
Nice hike. I ran into a group of feral hogs which was kind of cool.

Walking With Thunder
User: Miles - 9/17/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 4.16 Miles Duration: N/A
My dog China,and I hiked the Western end of Comanche Bluff today.It rained on us about a mile out.The hike must go on I told myself,as China looked at me as if I were crazy.We hiked out to the lagoon,and back.The only thing I can say,or tell you about hiking Comanche bluff during a rain storm is,that the trail gets very slick,and will be hard for a human(one with two legs)to get back up those hills,you just when down while hiking out.When it rains,and your out on the west trail more than a mile remember this.This trail is NOT for the city slicker.The trails can be unforgiving at times.This is way I love this hike so much.Every time I hike this trail,it's a different challenge.This trail is where it's at,if YOU want to really GET INTO Mother Nature.Be ready for a good,but a tough hike.One that you'll proud of at the end!

Geocaching on Comanche Bluff Trail
User: Miles - 8/13/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Spent a couple of hours on the trail hiding Geocaches today.Come on out and look for them, now that the weather is getting cooler.

Fun tough hike
User: Stylie - 7/28/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A
The Challenges of Commanche bluffs is fun.. it has the ups and downs and the poison ivy. Its best on a really hot day. :-). Its also senic and fox bottom is a great turn around.

POISON IVY
User: tone - 6/3/2006 [View Log Page]
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Difficulty: N/A Solitude:

Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: N/A
You are nicked $4 just to get in. Then you find that the trails are overgrown, loaded with spider webs, and POISON IVY abounds! All three of us got poison ivy. Nine days of agony. It was a quiet trail, I did get some nice pix, but I won't be doing this hike any time soon. Just thinking about it makes me itch.

Great Hike
User: sbrent - 4/8/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: N/A
We really enjoyed this hike. We only did part of the trail and got a little turned around in one part. If we had been paying attention we would have found the trail pretty easily. It was very pretty, the lake was nice and we only saw one other person on the trail. There was quite a bit of trash laying around, looked like from when the lake was up higher and there was poison ivy EVERYWHERE! We put on preventative stuff and avoided it as much as possible and nobody in our group of 4 got it. Overall it was a very enjoyable day.

Nice Rolling Hike
User: rnlott - 3/14/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.20 Miles Duration: N/A
I hiked this with my 18 year old son. You must pay $4.00 at Taylor Park to hike. Not much to see as foliage is still brown.

A Day Hike To Fox Bottom Primitive Campground
User: Miles - 3/11/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.46 Miles Duration: N/A
AH, Spring Break! My Stepson and I Thought we would be tuff and make this hike in under an hour and a half. No way!This is a great area, I like it very much. We took off and made it in about two and ahalf hours, at a fast pace. Be sure to bring lots of water on this hike, if you hike all the way to Fox Bottom campground and back, from Taylor Park. You'll need it!Right now due to the lower water levels, you can hike the full 4.7 (miles) length of the Trail.(one way)So if you feel the need to get out and get in a great hike, this is it! Leave Only Footprints. Not Trash! Miles

Great silence, terrible trail
User: rad707 - 9/6/2005 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A
I'm always looking for a great hike East of Austin and am always disheartened when I get to a great place like McKinney Roughs only to hear highway/airport noise through the entire hike. Comanche Bluff has none of this. I was there on Labor Day and the only thing I heard was the stomping of my feet and nature around me. Unfortunately, the trail itself is terrible. Large sections are completely overgrown (as of 9/5/05) and the scenery is not much to look at. The lake itself is beautiful, but you only get a good look at it in two places along the trail. I would not recommend this hike, especially if you are from Austin, because the drive does not pay off. In addition to the cost of gas, you will now have to pay a $4 entrance fee just to get on the trail. Of course, you won't be far from Taylor and world famous BBQ, but this hike remains towards the bottom of my list for its lack of diversity, upkeep and scenery.

Beautiful wildflowers
User: IAHiker - 4/10/2005 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Hiked the trail today between the eastern and western trailheads. Many wildflowers blooming, including bluebonnets, indian paintbrush, and foxglove. Saw no other people on trail or lake. A beautiful day for a hike, took many pictures.

Neat quiet hike!
User: acer0001 - 12/27/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: N/A
I was the only one in the whole park today - many stars for solitude... The driftwood was a challenge to navigate and the trail was very muddy in quite a few places. In some places, the driftwwod was so thick that you would loose track of the trail! This area surely needs trail work and trash clean-up. Let's make this trail more beautiful!

Great Hike
User: austinsuziq - 10/16/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
We went with the kids... very nice hike. Easy. Enjoyed the bridges and gently rolling hills. Lots of shade! Easy access to picnic tables. Saw very few people. Nice and quiet!!! Would recommend

2.6 Mile Loop....Taylor Park
User: Miles - 9/6/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.60 Miles Duration: N/A
I like this trail alot.If you would like to meet at the trailhead and hike the trail and work on cleaning it up a bit,email me and we together can help the trail system,the park,and help other people enjoy the trail too!This trail system needs alot of work.the park system just does'nt have the money to work on the trails as they should,they NEED OUR HELP!Hope to hear from you fellow hikers!Thanks, Miles (Knobtwister51@wmconnect.com) P.S. If you would like to work on this Trail system yourself,you can contact the field office at(512)859-2668 talk to Scott to signup!

Nice, shady hike, avoid after heavy rainfall
User: Bentzin - 5/16/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: N/A
This is a very pleasant trail, although overgrown in portions. We hiked after several weeks of rainfall and the trail was muddy and due to a high lake level impassable two miles west of the Western Trailhead.

Wonderful hike with snakes and rabbits
User: Bombadil - 5/8/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 9.80 Miles Duration: N/A
I'm not sure how to gauge the length of this hike. The trail maps have different numbers than the trail heads. We hiked the whole trail, encountered clouds of butterflies, a few lizards, some rabbits, and a large snake with a pattern of diamonds down its back... not sure what species it was. The hike was relatively easy with the exception of the driftwood forest and some brush growing over the path.

User: Miles - 4/25/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Hiking with China Again today,good hike.

A nice change from the usual CenTex Hike.
User: moore9ksucats - 3/18/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Rolling hills instead of cliffs and rocks! The trail does continue on all the way to the intersection of highway 95 and highway 29. There are access points on both the north and south sides of the bridge, so you can hike the north side of the lake as well. The north side access area is a popuar fishing hole. This area is the wildlife area and some public hunting is allowed, so be aware of hunting seasons.

Father Daughter Hike
User: Miles - 1/11/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Hiked this trail again with my daughter and the dogs.It was a good day.

User: Miles - 1/4/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Hiked all the way in & out today with China.

The Trail Of Bridges
User: Riff Raff - 9/27/2003 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Hiked out as far as the 'driftwood' section today and turned back due to underestimating water needs. Will definitely need to go back out there and finish it some day. It really is amazing just how many bridges there are along this hike, not even counting the two giant salvaged bridges that were built in the 1920s. The further west you hike, the fewer people you'll see and the less maintained the trail seems. The back of the trail guide does say that "The trail is _NOT_ completed" though, so perhaps the western parts will improve. At any rate, highly recommended for an interesting long hike with few people around.

Dog walk hike today.
User: Miles - 7/5/2003 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A
Just took an easy stroll through Tablerocks Hiking Trail.

Something different at every turn
User: Austin Explorer - 5/25/2003 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: N/A
On Memorial Day weekend there still were not many people on this trail. This hike includes a bit of history, cow patties, drift wood and a few steep creek bed descents. Avoid the trail through the noisy RV camping area and you'll be rewarded with good solitude, particularly on the western end of the hike.