Climbing Near Utopia, Texas

DISCLAIMER: While I am not aware of any regulations that disallow climbing, I did not receive explicit permission to climb from the park rangers. If you want to fully cover your bases it might be a good idea to ask a ranger. We were not hassled or approached, but that's not to say that future climbers will have the same experience.While most folks head to Garner to have a picnic and float the Frio, the area has some decent potential for climbing. The face of Baldy is the most obvious option, but there are a few other cliffs throughout the park that may also have opportunities to climb. We only committed half a day to actually trying to climb as it was over 100 degrees, but hopefully others will get out there and see if there's anything else worth climbing. Definitely bring a helmet, as there is a lot of loose rock, and there is a real risk of people throwing/kicking rocks off the top of Baldy. Overall, the rock has good sections of solid limestone with sections of loose, crumbly limestone sprinkled throughout, and the walls are dead vertical to slightly overhung. Expect to work around cacti, lichens, and loose rock. You'll be in the shade most of the day which helps keep things cool. If you decide to climb here, many hikers will likely approach you and ask what you're doing. PLEASE assure them that you are being safe and taking the necessary precautions to do so. A lot of young kids will likely be interested in what you're doing, and it may be their first exposure to climbing, so making a point of safe practice may set the precedence for their climbing career if they ever get into it. From San Antonio: Take 90 West to Sabinal. Turn right onto FM187. Continue to Concan and turn right onto 83. Take a right onto FM1050 and the park will be on your right. The best access to the trailhead for Baldy is at Pecan Grove Camping Area. Take Old Baldy trail by the overflow parking area.

Red Bluff is a tranquil little piece of riparian bliss at the junction of Red Bluff Creek and the Medina River within spitting distance of San Antonio. Limestone boulders of various sizes host problems of various difficulties, all dotting intervals along perhaps the most beautiful waterway in Texas. Some of the boulders are freestanding; others are short cliff bands scoured out into spectacular wave-like formations by the occasional apocalyptic flash floods that Central Texas is subject to. Much of the more popular (read: harder) bouldering lies along the Front Wall and Fontainebleau Wall, which are at creek level and the landings of which are often until a foot or more of water. These walls are home to the classics Peace V8 and Hooks V8. This is what most climbers come here for. These walls may only be climbable during the drier late summer and winter. The rest of the climbing is along the Medina itself, including some short cliffbands and some boulders. In an effort to flesh out this entry, many of the route descriptions on here are taken more or less directly from Jeff Jackson's "Texas Limestone Bouldering" (Rock Hound Publishing, 2007). Another Note: I mentioned flash floods for a reason. Look around at the jumbled rocks and gnarled cypresses. THIS AREA GETS WRECKED. Don't bother climbing at RB if it has been raining a decent amount anywhere in the hill country. And if you are there when there are storms in the area, even pretty far upstream, be prepared to leave moment's notice. The water can rise to lethal flow in minutes even on a bright, sunny day. THIS AREA HAS BEEN CLOSED TO CLIMBING and the landowner has requested removal of directions to this area.

This is the first creek level wall accessed after parking your car. Down and to the right from parking.