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April 28, 2016 Slideshows » Arts

15 Essential Texas Rock Climbing Spots You Have to Explore

By San Antonio Current Staff

        
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If you're rock climbing in San Antonio, chances are you're most likely hanging out an inside a gym. With the help of the Mountain Project, we've rounded up 15 spots in Texas for you to get outside, explore and do what you love most — climb.

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Franklin Mountains State Park

1331 McKellingon Canyon Road, El Paso
Travel time from San Antonio: 8 hours
There's designated areas at the park in the McKelligon Canyon and Sneed's Cory in the Tom Mays Unit for rock climbing. The drive is a bit on the longer side, so stick around and camp for a night or two.

Photo via Instagram/downtown_kb

Tonkawa Falls

Crawford
Travel time from San Antonio: 3.5 hours
Near Waco, Tonkawa Falls has several routes to choose from with varying difficulties.

Photo via Instagram/austinclimbing

Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway

100 Park Road 71, Mineral Wells
Travel time from San Antonio: 4.5 hours
Close to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Lake Mineral Wells State Park offers walls ranging from 20 to 40 ft. Routes are in the 5.6-5.9 range with a few offering more difficult paths.

Photo via Instagram/brandonmosleydesign

Eisenhower State Park

50 Park Road, Denison
Travel time from San Antonio: 5.5 hours
Eisenhower is more popular as a bouldering area with a number of spots to explore. A large pad is suggested when climbing at Eisenhower, as landings can be a bit rocky.

Photo via Instagram/climbonsister

McKelligon Canyon

El Paso
Travel time from San Antonio: 8 hours
McKelligon Canyon is known to have numerous spots for climbers to explore with varying difficulties. Be prepared to camp for the night — McKelligon Canyon is about an 8 drive from SA.

Photo via Instagram/cgandresen

Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway

Quitaque
Travel time from San Antonio: 6 hours 45 minutes
Caprock Canyons offers a few choices of climbing routes with beautiful views that overlook the Texas Panhandle. The sight is almost 7 hours away, so it might not be a bad idea to plan on camping for the night.

Photo via Instagram/brabertx

McKinney Falls State Park

5808 McKinney Falls Pkwy, Austin
Travel time from San Antonio: 1.5 hours
McKinney Falls is the place to go if you're looking for a day trip. There's a range of difficulty levels — be prepared to be steep areas.

Photo via Instagram/cosmic_greens

Pedernales Falls State Park

2585 Park Road, Johnson City
Travel time from San Antonio: 2 hours
Another day-trip worthy spot, Pedernales State Falls Park has several areas to climb and boulder. If a day trip is not enough for you, climbers can camp and continue climbing the next day.

Photo via Instagram/ falconfresh

Seismic Wall

Austin Green Belt, Austin
Travel time from San Antonio: 1.5 hours
Perfect for a day-long getaway, hit up Seismic Wall and you get climb on.

Photo via Instagram/toredwards

Reimer's Ranch

Dripping Springs
Travel time to San Antonio: 2 hours
Reimer's Ranch is a rock climber's dream. There's several paths with varying difficulties that overlook the Pedernales River.

Photo via Instagram/zac_heiliger

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Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park
A few climbing spots can be found at Big Bend, though the environment has been known to be harsh. Best for experienced climbers and those looking for a challenge.

Photo via Instagram/ dub_yuh

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

400 Pine Canyon Drive, Salt Flat
Travel time from San Antonio: 6.5 hours
Though it's a more common area for bouldering, hiking and mountaineering, the Guadalupe Mountains have been known have some solid climbing paths.

Photo via Instagram/ztnipnivek

Hueco Tanks Sate Park

6900 Hueco Tanks Road, El Paso
Travel time from San Antonio: 8 hours
Hueco Tanks is said to be the best rock climbing spot in Texas, but don't take other folks' word for it — check it out yourself.

Photo via Instagram/lanshansen

Davis Mountains State Park

TX-118, Fort Davis
Travel time from San Antonio: 5.5 hours
A great place for both bouldering and climbing, the Davis Mountains are a little over five hours away, so be prepared to camp or stay the night in Fort Davis.

Photo via Instagram/jefflynchphoto

Monster Rock

2208 Pace Bend Road S, Spicewood
Travel time to San Antonio: 2 hours
Climb all day and then take a dip in the lake to cool off — what could be better than that?

Photo via Facebook/Monster Rock

Franklin Mountains State Park

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Tags: climb, mountains, Outdoors, Rock Climbing

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