If you’re looking for rock climbing in Texas, here’s a location you cannot miss. Texas is so huge, there are dozens of amazing rock climbing locations in the state. But what can we find near Austin? Try Reimers Ranch – the perfect sport climbing location with world-class routes.
I live in Dallas, so Reimer’s Ranch is a 3.5 hour drive away. You’ll want to sleep somewhere nearby in order to get an early start (especially in the heat of Texas summers). Although you can’t camp inside of the park, there are a few places you can stay overnight. The closest option would be an RV park, but you can also find some cabins/Airbnb options available within a 30 minute drive. If you’re traveling with a larger group, you may need to sleep further away.
The climbing routes in Reimers Ranch are very popular with the locals. The park WILL get crowded on weekends and in the afternoon, full of rock climbers and adventure enthusiasts alike. If you can visit on a weekend instead of the weekend, you’re more likely to have free rein to climb where you like. Try to pack everything you need so that you can carry it out to the crag in one trip. Then you can set up a hammock and snack in between sends!
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Location
Reimers Ranch is located in Travis County, Texas. It provides amazing rock climbing in Texas and is very popular with Austin locals. 25 miles southwest of Austin, Reimer’s Ranch is the perfect distance from the city.
Access and Fees
Reimers Ranch is open from 7:00am until twilight (just after sunset) every day. You’ll need to bring $5 cash for each person entering the park. Travis County provides a variety of guided activities and special events you can go to in the park. Make sure to check out the website for more details on the astronomical observatory, guided bird walks, guided hikes, and guidelines on what else you are allowed to do in the park.
Scenery
Once you get inside, you’ll have 2,500 acres of land to explore! There are 18 miles of hiking trails in the park, and at least 13 miles of mountain biking trails. Many of these trails lead down streams and into some beautiful rock formations for you to explore.
One of my favorite things about climbing at Reimers Ranch is being able to look back across the river from the top. The Pedernales River runs through the park for 3 miles, and you can swim, go fishing, or paddle in the river as well. There’s even a beach that you can access either by walking (or driving on less busy days).
Amazingly, Reimers Ranch was declared an International Dark Sky Park in 2021. If you can visit when the stars are out, make sure to appreciate the lack of light pollution there.
Rope Climbing
Reimers Ranch has about 300 climbing routes available in the park overall. When it comes to rope climbing, you can find difficulty ratings from 5.4 to 5.14. When it comes to finding good rock climbing in Texas, this park is an amazing find. Although the tallest route is 92 feet high, most of the routes will be shorter and more technical. Rock climbers of all experiences will find something challenging at Reimers Ranch. This is a great place to bring friends if you want to introduce them to outdoor climbing for the first time.
I went to Reimers Ranch for my first outdoor rope climbing trip ever! I can personally attest that it’s a great place for all levels of climbers. For this trip, our rock climbing group ranged from people who just wanted to relax in a hammock and swim in the river all day, to people who were setting (and sending) routes for about 8 hours (7:30am to 5:30pm). We climbed at the Middle Earth wall, which was amazingly in the shade for most of the day and overlooked the river.
You can find detailed descriptions on the climbs on mountainproject.com, but here’s a summary. There are 303 total rope climbs listed in Reimers Ranch Park. 297 of them are sport climbs (lead). 27 of them are top rope only, and 3 of them are trad routes. Top rope climbers – keep in mind that if you have a friend who knows how to set and clean lead routes, you can top rope any sport route as well!
Bouldering
There are only 7 official bouldering routes at Reimers Ranch, according to Mountain Project. They range in difficulty, from V1 to V5. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if they’re sandbagged or not (sandbagging in rock climbing is where a route is rated easier than it actually is). If you visit Reimers Ranch to rope climb, I would still advise you to go visit the bouldering locations – if only for the exploration opportunities. My favorite place to explore was Sex Cave. After walking down a stream surrounded by lush vegetation, you can admire the stalactites and stalagmites and scramble across the limestone. There’s a small cave you can explore as well – and bring a headlamp if you want to see what’s hiding in the darkness.
Rock Types
The rock at Reimers Ranch is limestone, which has both pros and cons when it comes to climbing. Some people hate limestone, while others love it. While limestone is not likely to crumble in your hands, it can be slippery in more humid weather. Texas is often rainy wet, and bad weather can definitely ruin your climbing plans. Also – be careful if you’re climbing trad, because it’s harder to find a solid spot on limestone for your protection.
You can climb at Reimers Ranch during all seasons, although the most popular months for rock climbing in Texas would be from November until March. It starts to get warmer from April to October, and many rock climbers take advantage of summertime to go find climbing opportunities up north.
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