15 Essential Texas Rock Climbing Spots You Have to Explore

By San Antonio Current Staff

        
Share on Facebook

  Tweet

Submit to Reddit

Email

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.

OF 15

PREV NEXT

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

Skip ad in

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