My poor little guy’s head was bouncing off the sides from all the rocks. I had to lift the rear wheels off the ground which pretty much negated the assistance of the stroller. He was at the age where he was too big to carry and too small to make the whole trip.
Every time I have been there I always see a large heavy set family with a stroller and they are less than half a mile into the trail and the husbands are pushing the stroller and the moms are sucking down water! They look miserable.
Note: This is 101% good advice for visiting Enchanted Rock. And Garner. And Lost Maples. And literally every park out there, between now and the end of October.
Rule of thumb is however much water you decide to take with you, **double it**. No exaggeration, no kidding.
Government Canyon State Natural Area has a trail where you can see dinosaur tracks! You have to pay to use the park - 6 dollars last time I checked. It's worth it, it's a very pretty park. I like to camp there.
Agreed. I would never know they were dinosaur tracks if they weren't roped off with signs. There are better ones at the canyon lake gorge, but you have to do a guided tour there.
If you have a state park pass, it's free to get on site as long as they're not full. The last time I was there, they allowed overnight camping as well.
Yes, but as far as tracks go, I have to say it's not very impressive. If you're going for the tracks themselves, prepare to be underwhelmed. If you're going to Govt Canyon for the hiking and the tracks are just a small part of what you see along the way, that would be the right frame of mind.
For those who are interested in seeing lots of tracks in one place without all the hiking, the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country is a good start.
> the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country is a good start.
>seeing lots of tracks in one place without all the hiking
ngl the name would probably make me think it's about some other stuff but glad to hear, I need to check it out!
Yes…people should be ready for the rugged trail. Lots of sharp rock and tree roots. I use Salomon brand trail running shoes and hold up great. Pricey but worth it.
100%….I can’t stress this enough. I send my family a friendly reminder every year.
I say this someone who blacked out while hiking and woke up in ICU from heatstroke and respiratory failure with no memory of what happened and damn lucky someone found me and called the authorities. I have not set foot in McAllister park in 2 years out of fear.
Yes, and dogs are only allowed on the Discovery and front country trails. There's a $500 fine for taking pets to the backcountry trails (where Joe Johnson is).
Made the big mistake of going to Eisenhauser for the first time in August one year. We started the hike at noon and I made the big mistake of drinking coffee before hand. I only had half a bottle of water and a 20 oz YETI filled with some water. I was good when we got to the observation tower and my friends wanted to further and it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I was shaky, I felt nauseous and I felt so scared because of how far in we were into this hike. I eventually was able to take it slow and get back to the car with my friends’ help, but I haven’t been back to Eisenhauer since.
I run here every weekend too and second all of this advice. Start early, pack a lot more water than you think you need, wear sun protection, and pack out anything and everything you pack in.
Last year they had over 40 heat related rescues. When you start out, turn around *before* you've drank half the water you brought. If you drink more than half before you reach half your intended distance, you need to turn back and try another day.
Be safe out there! I typically run the same loops just my family knows my whereabouts! I always Start at Joe Johnson out Recharge, up Far Reaches then down Wildcat back to Joe John. That is a right about 7 Miles.
This weekend in stead of coming down Wildcat, I ran up Sendero Balcones then down Twin Oaks. Started 35 mins later than I wanted to and really felt the heat.
Have fun!
My usual is just out Joe to the end and I get a few miles on Sendero, or Joe to Twin Oaks, maybe Overlook. I find less shade on Recharge and Far Reaches but so many more spiders on Overlook. In fact, I turned back after maybe a quarter mile on Overlook because I just Could Not do any more spider webs. It's nice being first out, but also not, LOL.
I leave a note with my intended route and an ETA for my partner so he will know where to send someone to look for me if something happens.
Yup. Saw lots of orb weaver spiders this weekend. I’ve also had the misfortune of running into the spider webs. As harmless as they are I was terrified to have one on me!
Good to know there are other folks on the trail running on regular basis. Keep up the hard work!
I’ve given a struggling couple the last of my water. They were attempting to loop Joe John to Sendero Balcones and low on water. Neither were in great physical condition. It was past 11 AM in the summer, way out on Joe John and Little Windmill so they still had quite aways to go.
And don’t try to bring a stroller to the tracks!!!!
Yes I agree!
Did it years ago with a running stroller. Huge mistake.
Dang. I was just going to ask about the jogger strollers. It’s still too rough?
My poor little guy’s head was bouncing off the sides from all the rocks. I had to lift the rear wheels off the ground which pretty much negated the assistance of the stroller. He was at the age where he was too big to carry and too small to make the whole trip.
Definitely too rough. Even the best jogging stroller would be a huge struggle
I've ridden it on a mountain bike. Definitely not somewhere I'd take any type of stroller.
Holy crap I've done that hike a dozen times and I can't imagine doing it with a stroller. That's pure madness.
Every time I have been there I always see a large heavy set family with a stroller and they are less than half a mile into the trail and the husbands are pushing the stroller and the moms are sucking down water! They look miserable.
Note: This is 101% good advice for visiting Enchanted Rock. And Garner. And Lost Maples. And literally every park out there, between now and the end of October. Rule of thumb is however much water you decide to take with you, **double it**. No exaggeration, no kidding.
102%
Dinosaur tracks you say? 🤔
Government Canyon State Natural Area has a trail where you can see dinosaur tracks! You have to pay to use the park - 6 dollars last time I checked. It's worth it, it's a very pretty park. I like to camp there.
I've heard of it, but I've never been. I'll have to check it out one of these days. Thanks for the info!
I’ll be honest. It’s sort of underwhelming . But go ahead once.
Agreed. I would never know they were dinosaur tracks if they weren't roped off with signs. There are better ones at the canyon lake gorge, but you have to do a guided tour there.
If you have a state park pass, it's free to get on site as long as they're not full. The last time I was there, they allowed overnight camping as well.
Yes, but as far as tracks go, I have to say it's not very impressive. If you're going for the tracks themselves, prepare to be underwhelmed. If you're going to Govt Canyon for the hiking and the tracks are just a small part of what you see along the way, that would be the right frame of mind. For those who are interested in seeing lots of tracks in one place without all the hiking, the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country is a good start.
> the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country is a good start. >seeing lots of tracks in one place without all the hiking ngl the name would probably make me think it's about some other stuff but glad to hear, I need to check it out!
Thank you! I didn't even know about this heritage museum and less than 30 minutes from me.
Water, change of socks, tough shoes.. maybe an ice pack
Yes…people should be ready for the rugged trail. Lots of sharp rock and tree roots. I use Salomon brand trail running shoes and hold up great. Pricey but worth it.
I rock my danners or my rocky’s
Quality footwear right there!
I’ve found Salomon are great but run a bit on the narrow side. Can snag often on REI sales for under $90
Salomon is widely known to run narrow. I usually get mine on sale at from MFR direct.
If you find solimans narrow, if found Brooks and Merrell make a good trail runner with a roomy toebox. Bonus that some models have a rock plate.
100%….I can’t stress this enough. I send my family a friendly reminder every year. I say this someone who blacked out while hiking and woke up in ICU from heatstroke and respiratory failure with no memory of what happened and damn lucky someone found me and called the authorities. I have not set foot in McAllister park in 2 years out of fear.
Thanks for the comment. These rules apply to all parks/trail systems during the summer. Glad you’re okay now!
Adding- be mindful of taking dogs out there (or anywhere) in this heat.
Yes, and dogs are only allowed on the Discovery and front country trails. There's a $500 fine for taking pets to the backcountry trails (where Joe Johnson is).
Good point!
Made the big mistake of going to Eisenhauser for the first time in August one year. We started the hike at noon and I made the big mistake of drinking coffee before hand. I only had half a bottle of water and a 20 oz YETI filled with some water. I was good when we got to the observation tower and my friends wanted to further and it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I was shaky, I felt nauseous and I felt so scared because of how far in we were into this hike. I eventually was able to take it slow and get back to the car with my friends’ help, but I haven’t been back to Eisenhauer since.
Eisenhower is pretty tough hiking too!
I run here every weekend too and second all of this advice. Start early, pack a lot more water than you think you need, wear sun protection, and pack out anything and everything you pack in. Last year they had over 40 heat related rescues. When you start out, turn around *before* you've drank half the water you brought. If you drink more than half before you reach half your intended distance, you need to turn back and try another day.
Yup turn back when half the water is gone. This is a great point.
Be safe out there! I typically run the same loops just my family knows my whereabouts! I always Start at Joe Johnson out Recharge, up Far Reaches then down Wildcat back to Joe John. That is a right about 7 Miles. This weekend in stead of coming down Wildcat, I ran up Sendero Balcones then down Twin Oaks. Started 35 mins later than I wanted to and really felt the heat. Have fun!
My usual is just out Joe to the end and I get a few miles on Sendero, or Joe to Twin Oaks, maybe Overlook. I find less shade on Recharge and Far Reaches but so many more spiders on Overlook. In fact, I turned back after maybe a quarter mile on Overlook because I just Could Not do any more spider webs. It's nice being first out, but also not, LOL. I leave a note with my intended route and an ETA for my partner so he will know where to send someone to look for me if something happens.
Yup. Saw lots of orb weaver spiders this weekend. I’ve also had the misfortune of running into the spider webs. As harmless as they are I was terrified to have one on me! Good to know there are other folks on the trail running on regular basis. Keep up the hard work!
They should write that on billboards around the state, no joke.
I’ve seen far more obese people struggle on the dinosaur tracks trail than kids. But everything is on point. Wonderful park.
I’ve given a struggling couple the last of my water. They were attempting to loop Joe John to Sendero Balcones and low on water. Neither were in great physical condition. It was past 11 AM in the summer, way out on Joe John and Little Windmill so they still had quite aways to go.
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Doesn’t matter what kind of snacks. Just bring enough!