So you want to go wheeling in Central Texas?
Believe it or not, even with the vastness of the great State of Texas, your options are surprisingly quite limited. (That is unless you are secretly a ridiculously wealthy land owner and have your own play area for Jeeping. By the way, if you do, please contact me I’d love to come wheel on your property. Ahem… ok moving on… )
For the rest of us mortals, there is Hidden Falls Adventure Park just outside of Marble Falls, Texas.
Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Photo: Barry BeardHidden Falls Adventure Park Overview
Hidden Falls Adventure Park holds the title of being the largest off-road park in Texas.
Imagine a 3000+ acre oasis in the middle of the Texas Hill Country that is practically Disneyland for off-roaders.
Heading up the creek toward the falls on a newbie run.The park is located approximately 57 miles northwest of Austin, Texas at 7030 East FM1431 Marble Falls, Texas 78654.
A truly family friendly experience. Off-roading enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels will enjoy honing their skills and testing their mettle on 240+ miles of trails ranging from very mild to extremely wild.
Two up, two down at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Photo: James CollierOne of the things I really like about Hidden Falls Adventure park is that it has innumerable trails specifically designated for various types of off-road vehicles. Jeeps (and other wannabe 4×4 full sized vehicles), ATVs, UTVs, Motorcycles, and custom built rock crawlers can regularly be found enjoying the park.
True to the theme park format, Hidden Falls Adventure Park comes complete with the amenities one would expect from an established off-road park. These amenities include ATV and dirt bike rentals, restrooms, showers, an entire row of air compressors to fill up your tires after a long day on the trails, a shop, and a pavilion area for events.
But they also have other amenities you wouldn’t expect, included among these is a full service shooting club including skeet, trap, rifle, and pistol ranges for those with an itchy trigger finger, archery ranges for those into the bow, and beyond that CHL and tactical firearms training and sales.
Camping at Hidden Falls Adventure Park
If one day isn’t enough and you are looking for an extended stay, Hidden Falls Adventure Park offers RV camping with full hook ups, as well as primitive camping. They also have bunkhouses available to rent.
In short, if you want to go out for an entire weekend it is easy to make that happen. Even though we have a 40′ diesel RV we haven’t been out there camping yet, but we have taken a look at the RV park and it looks like a perfect little spot for an off-road weekend.
Camping facilities at Hidden Falls Adventure Park.Though camping at Hidden Falls Adventure Park isn’t cheap, it is far cheaper than Disneyland, and for the off-road enthusiast just as fun, so keep that in mind as you are making your vacation decisions.
Hidden Falls Adventure Park Membership
Members of Austin JeepPeople flexing their Jeeps at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Photo: Shawn Banfield.For off-roaders who live in the Central Texas area, a Trail Park Membership to Hidden Falls Adventure Park is practically a no-brainer.
The first and most impressive benefit is that members get access to the park 7 days a week even though the park is only open to the general public Thursday through Sunday, and members can also camp during the week with their membership!
In addition you get a 20% discount on camping and other park services. The Trail Park Membership covers all trail park rider fees for the people under membership too.
Membership Fees for Hidden Falls Adventure Park as of September 2016.Since there aren’t many options when it comes to the Central Texas area, membership at Hidden Falls Adventure Park makes sense if you will be in the area for any length of time. I’d offer you a link but as of right now you can’t purchase memberships on their website, you need to do it in person.
Hidden Falls Adventure Park Rules
As always, rules are subject to change and this is by no means a complete list of rules so please read the full rules upon check-in.
Rock crawling at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Photo: Crystal Lynn SmithSome of the rules that I thought were interesting enough to share:
- Dogs are welcome but must be cleaned up after and kept on a leash.
- All park roads have a speed limit of 15MPH.
- No trailblazing. Ride on marked trails only. They will give you and your toys the boot if you fail to comply with this.
- No alcohol is allowed on the trails. Period.
- Night riding is permitted on Friday and Saturday nights, you must be back at base camp by midnight. All other nights wheeling is only allowed until sunset.
- Children 14 and under are not allowed to ride without adult supervision.
- Legally carried firearms are allowed but you may not be in possession of or consume alcohol while carrying.
- Ground fires are allowed and you can use any dead or broken off tree limbs found on the trails but you may not cut any wood for fires. Firewood is available at the shop.
All in all, the rules at Hidden Falls Adventure Park make sense. They aren’t overly restrictive and the folks enforcing them are off-roaders themselves. So they get it. Some folks aren’t going to like some of the rules, but the rules are intended for the safety of everyone involved and the enjoyment of the majority. So please abide by them and keep this place a fun place for everyone to enjoy.
Note that they do have a group of Hidden Falls Park Rangers patrolling the area regularly to enforce the rules and help out off-roaders in need.
Hidden Falls Adventure Park Photos
Here are some images captured at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. It really is a fun place to wheel and a great place to cut your teeth if you are new to the lifestyle!
“Flexy” got a few battle scars but came back all smiles. Photo: Mark Ott
Dueling in the mud Jeep style. Photo: Kelly Patterson
First time wheeling. Look at that smile! Moments before this the driver had lost a tire and fellow Jeepers helped her get back on the trail.
Don’t ask. Photo: Matt Waldron
A slippery obstacle soon to be conquered during the Polar Bear Run at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Photo: Crystal Lynn SmithOne of the things that I remember distinctly about being out at Hidden Falls Adventure Park was the sense of camaraderie among everyone out there. People were all smiling and simply kind to one another.
It is one of those places you look forward to visiting again the moment you leave.
Hidden Falls Adventure Park Summary
Wheeling along the back fence line at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Photo: Ted AlexanderI’ve been out to Hidden Falls Adventure Park a handful of times so far. Each time I go, I’m like a little kid in a candy store. The folks there are friendly, there are tons of trails for all skill levels and the Hidden Falls Adventure Park Rangers are really helpful.
I’d highly recommend this park to anyone in the Central Texas area and would personally rate them easily a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only thing they don’t have that I wish they did is a place to wash off the undercarriage of the Jeep before leaving the park.
I hope to find more places like this as we travel across the United States!
Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions for me or if you’d like to share your thoughts on Hidden Falls Adventure Park.
If you want to contact Hidden Falls Adventure Park directly you can reach them by phone at (830) 798-9820. You can also email the park at info@hiddenfallsadventurepark.com. The official website can be found here.
Until next time, keep it dirty and wheels side down.
~ Eric
This is an amazing article. For anyone that is interested in off roading this is the information they would need and want for a great weekend of fun. Thank you for providing it.
Thank you for the kind words! You are one of the first commenters on the blog Tammy and I appreciate it. I’ve really enjoyed my trips out to Hidden Falls. It is one of those places where you want to go back the minute you drive out the front gate.
This is my favorite place to off road!
You are such an amazing person. A true sweetheart! Hope we get to wheel together soon Tammy! Really have enjoyed hanging out with you at some of the meet ups in the area.
Good read and great pictures. I was unaware that this park existed… seems like I need to make some friends who own a Jeep/4×4 to go have some fun.
I can always use a co-pilot on the trails. If you are seriously interested, I’d be happy to take you out sometime! I’ll tell you what though, it is the Jeep community itself that makes the journey special. I’ve found the community to be a very helpful and welcoming bunch. It is easy to make Jeep friends.
Never did I imagine I would own a jeep let alone go 4 wheeling at one of the best parks ever! Our experience in the newbie run with the jeep group was one of the best memories ever. New friends, new adventures and more to come. Great article and pics Eric! Can’t wait to go back. ? #jeeplife
Janie you and Art were so much fun to hang out with. Glad we got to go on that newbie run together. Is your front bumper still dented? If so, I just got my new front bumper and my old stock one which is not dented is going to need a new home. Let me know!
This a great article about Hidden Falls. It’s my favorite place to go off-roading. They have trails for every level, everyone is having fun. There’s a great water hole right down the street if it’s too hot in the park. It’s great to jump in at the end of the day after driving the trails. I totally agree with the Jeepsies review!!! Look forward to more!
Thanks Tawnie! What watering hole are you referring to? That’s a great tip.
I would love to hit a water hole after our runs at HF.
Right? Me too. Should be a post HF ritual where we sacrifice Toyotas or something. 😛
What a fantastic article! Everytime I think about our times at HF I smile. The trails, people and rangers are simply the best. My husband and I are new to this Jeepers world…it’s been such a bonding experience for us. Jeep on!!
That feeling of camaraderie among Jeepers is hard to describe. Truly an awesome group of people and proud to be part of it.
HF has become my latest passion, I am a first time Jeep owner, will the “need” to upgrade ever end? Great article too!
Thank you Alan! A bunch of us are going to be out there this weekend. If you are out there and you see GUARDIAN, flag me down.
Great article. You mention all levels, but our Wrangler is very tame, pretty well stock Sahara. Are there many trails that are suitable for that? We’ve only really done forestry roads so far, but I’d like to try getting a bit more adventurous. Hopefully we’ll be able to check it out next time we’re in the area!
Oh, and I don’t think you actually ever link to their site (or perhaps I didn’t spot it).
Thanks Jason. Yes the link to their website is in the summary at the end of the article.
There are trails suitable for a stock Sahara. Even a stock Sport will have a great time out there. I’d highly recommend you connect with a group in the Austin area. There are plenty of them that do newbie runs. Check out the article I did on DarkSide Jeepers here on Jeepsies. They do a newbie run once a month and any Jeepers are welcome to join them.
Happy trails!
I am thirteen and in 2 and a half years I will be able to be a driver and not a passenger my dad is a part of AJP and I was wondering how I can join when I’m old enough
Hey Travis! You may be our youngest reader. Just go to Austin JeepPeople on Facebook and apply to join.
We didn’t have our mods last time we were in Austin, but this is definitely going on our list for the next visit. Very useful review Eric – glad you’re having so much fun with the new toy!
We are having a blast! Thanks for the comment. I’m actually going out there tonight and tomorrow too! We’d love to wheel with y’all anytime!
Howdy, great write up. I’m a Taco guy and a novice looking to get my feet wet at hidden falls. Are there decent novice trails that make it worthwhile?
Got a 4×4 with OME suspension, ARB w/winch so im more or less stock but lack sliders and under carriage armour
Gonna be hitting up the park this friday mid morning solo with the lady? I know its always best to go out with others but didnt know if this park is good for a chill solo ride?
Any advice is appreciated!
Cheers!
Dylan, my advice never wheel alone. Reach out to Austin Jeep People and see if anyone is going up on Friday. Also there are a few trails that you could do that are super easy just to break in your off-roading out there. Fence line is easy if you take the bypasses. So is Valley Road. Have fun and let me know how it goes! ~ Eric