The Narrows, Texas: Journey to a Hidden Paradise
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- #texas #paradise #nature #stateparks #nationalparks #outside #outdoors #summer #travel #roadtrip #texashillcountry #thenarrows
Imagine escaping the crowds in a secluded, hidden oasis; a mythical, secret paradise tucked away in the harsh, rocky canyons of Texas Hill Country. Well, that's our plan for today. So grab your popcorn and follow our journey as we brave 14+ miles of elements, terrain, and wildlife in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Disclaimer: This video is for entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to encourage or deter anyone from visiting the depicted location. If you do choose to visit, that is your personal choice, and you do so at your own risk and consequence.
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I am a native born Texan, but I have never heard of this place. I am way too old and stove up to attempt this sort of adventure. Thank you for showing me this beautiful part of the great state of Texas
My pleasure!! Thanks so much for coming by. 🙏🏻
My son and I did this hike a couple years ago and it is incredibly long, brutal and very dangerous. So many things can go wrong out there, and there's no help for miles. However, being rewarded by a breathtaking, otherworldly landscape with fern-walled cliffs and cold, deep pools of clear, refreshing water was absolutely worth it!
Then there's the hike back
I did this about 7 years ago in July. We also added 4 miles of road walking to allow us to park. Its a brutal hike, landowners at the narrows are not friendly, but it is beautiful.
My son and I were fortunate enough to get dropped off 200 yd from the top of the narrows. A friend of mine knows one of the ranchers that has access to the gate. It was one of the best days in Texas I've ever had. When you get up into the narrows take your shoes off and your socks will stick to the slippery rocks. Also look for freshwater jellyfish in the upper pools right near the springs. It is the One of the most beautiful places I've ever been and I grew up in Utah, having spent countless days in some of the most beautiful places in the US. 🤠👍🏻
This is a beautiful place. I’ve lived in Wimberley for 25 years and found out about this place just about 5 or 6 years ago. Yes the property owners will call the police if you trespass. And I can’t blame them seeing what people do when they’re allowed access to places like this. So, if you go, find out who to get permission from and get it. They’re not bad people, they’re not mean, they’re protecting a beautiful piece of nature and they do a fantastic job of it.
💯
There's no way to get permission unless you know one of the land owners..
YOU DON'T NEEE PERMISSION! THEY DONT OWN THE RIVER!!!
They’re not protecting it, they’re hoarding it. I’m glad their efforts to stop people are being thwarted.
@@dbcooper1509 Yes. What I meant was I don't know anyone that got to do this the "easy way" and talked a local land owner to use their property as ingress/egress instead of doing the river hike.
That hike to the Narrows looked brutal...but so worth it. Thanks for taking us there.
Probably the toughest hike I've done, to be honest. But yes, it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much for coming by! 🤠👍🏼
6th generation Texan here with two boys about to Eagle out of Scouts, so we've done some trails. I had never heard of this place. This is amazing! Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure! Happy hiking. 👍🏼
Be careful.. several years back my hiking partner cut his shin on one of the rocks. Ended up getting a really bad infection almost losing his leg. You’re right about going when it’s warm, the water is full of bacteria from little to no movement.
Oh my, then you all had to hike back lol wow.
What an adventure,
thank you for sharing 🙏☀️
We were exhausted by the end of it! But it was well worth it. Thanks so much for watching! 🙏🏻
I saw this on my feed last night after work and thoroughly enjoyed the hike. Thanks for sharing the beautiful views here in Texas!
Amazing clear and concise description and commentary as well. Keep it up brother!
That means so much. Thanks a lot for your upbuilding feedback! 🙏🏻
I grew up swimming there I lived next to the ranch this runs through truly special place I wish the land hadn't changed hands I could still have access to it
I admire you for doing this hike. I would do it in April, not June. The heat in Texas is just as dangerous as the cold is in Alaska.
Thank you! I absolutely agree; June was a bad idea. Thanks for watching. 🙏🏻
Good idea. I was thinking the same. Late October would be nice too, but April is better as all the bugs are still hibernating and the water was cool all winter. I'd never venture into warm standing water like this repeatedly on a hike. At any rate, there's much nicer hikes in the world without any of these risks, so I won't be doing this one.
Great narration! Thanks for sharing this hidden gem and showcasing how beautiful Texas is! ❤
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for supporting my channel!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
For real, if you plan to visit, stay in the riverbed and do NOT trespass. I visited with permission earlier this year and the property owners will absolutely call the cops on you (they said it to make it feel exclusive and safe but it made me feel bad about all of these beautiful formations that aren’t accessible to the public). I wasn’t even allowed to cross to the other side of the narrows because apparently THOSE property owners will also call the cops on you.
Owners call the cops even if you do it legally
Then just don't go.
ok. So what. Cops are gonna know the law about this. Stay in the riverbed. Period. End of discussion. \_O_/
Well, it is accessible to the public if the public can hike in via the riverbed.
they do that because people are dumb and leave trash and destroy things....
Amazing Video. Really enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the effort to make and share it. Texas is such a beautiful State ❤
Thanks so much for watching! 🙏🏻 The natural wonders of Texas never cease to amaze me. 🙌🏻
Great job! On my bucket list!
Thanks so much for watching! 🙏🏻 Be safe out there, and have fun. 😎👍🏼
Been there many times luckily the person we went with knew several of the owners. So we could go anywhere. STAY AWAY IN summer many cotton mouth and rattlers. We usually went in the winter always had lunch at the dripping rock we would start a fire cook heat our tortillas. Enjoy relax, make sure fire is completely out, chill more and pouring water make sure no embers nothing. Then start our hike to head out. The Rock home, so many old names carved in the walls. Have a pic on my normal page and have several pictures from our hikes there. 💜
Such a fun hike. We use to go all the time but now no one will let you park in front of their house or on the street.
thanks for sharing
Adding to the bad stuff, it is likely not a good idea to swim in the pools that do not have water flowing.
Yikes, you just made me realize they could have contacted the brain parasite (PAM), which is nearly universally fatal. Very few cases a year, but this is exactly how you get exposed.
Stagnant water is different though, look it up @@lrvracer3515
I haven't had the chance to go yet, but I definitely need to add this to my list of places to visit. I have to give you props-it sounds amazing. Just watch out for those tall grasses; they're prime spots for snakes. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure!
It was a rough hike, but totally worth it. Thanks so much for watching, and safe travels! 🙏🏻
This the best “How to” on The Narriows”. I’ve watched as videos as I’ve come across and read blogs and followed along on Google maps and this tells me I’m not cut out for it!
Other videos do mention to go in April or November and bring rope! Good Job! Crazy impressive and Cool 😎
I would also advise how long to stay before heading back
Thanks so much! That means a lot. 🙏🏻 Yeah, I guess that would depend on your hiking speed. We only stayed an hour at the Narrows because we did 12 hours round-trip on the hike. 😅 But I've heard other people have done the whole thing in 6, so I guess those people could afford to stay at the Narrows a little longer. 🤷🏻♂️
Excellent!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Very nice!
Thanks! It was one for the books. 📚😂
That looks awesome!
It was amazing, bro! Brutal, but amazing. 😅👍🏼
Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Thanks so much for watching, Tom. 🙏🏻
We called this place "Edge Falls", paid the owner a small fee $3.00 in 1960-70's to park our cars or trucks. The water was quite cold and deep at the base of the falls. I and my buddies took turns diving from the top of the falls. It was about 40-50 ft deep and the bottom was littered with broken beer bottles so we stopped short of reaching the bottom. Good old days.
This looks beautiful but as an RN I would never ever get in that water! Imagining flesh eating bacteria, snakes, and who knows what else. Also, is flash flooding a possibility?
Flash flooding is always a possibility in the hill country, especially in the Blanco river, however spontaneous rain is rare and you would need a whole lot of it. Just constantly check for changes in the forecast.
Yeah you better stay at home. Leave the adventures to us.
Vibrio vulnificus is only in brackish or salt water, NOT in the hill country...
I don't know how you find these places but glad you had company along with you just in case... Thanks for sharing your adventure. You probably walked on the same ground people centuries ago have already walked on too....
My pleasure! Thanks so much for coming by, and have a great rest of the weekend, QueensJack. 👋🏼
I’m hoping lots and lots of hikers continue to enjoy this beautiful river for years to come despite the bullying, entitlement and greed of the property owners!
Awesome footage of the journey, i had always wanted to explore them however thanks for sharing that it is a 14 mile round trip hike. Maybe 10 years ago. lol Is that the only way in??
Thank you!! Yes, it's the only legal way in unless you obtain permission from the owners of one of the adjacent properties. 👍🏼
If anyone goes please please be respectful and do not litter they will close this place if it keeps getting damaged.
Amazing spot!! Thanks for taking us along
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks so much for your support! 👍🏼
Great job, thank you for going and sharing!! PS: I bet you wear out some shoes/boots on these trips!!
Thank you! Yes, I had to throw away my shoes and socks after the hike. They were destroyed! 😂🤦🏻♂️
Interesting formation. Most states would buy public access to this.
It's way too dangerous for public access. I was dropped off at the top and fortunately had the locals to educate and help. This place needs to stay remote.
@@BreakOutOfTheAlgorithm Big Bend: too dangerous. Zion: too dangerous. Yosemite: too dangerous...
@@2flight Good point, however I don't find anything in Zion as dangerous as the narrows. Even angels landing is no big deal. But I grew up hiking on slick rock so maybe it's just me. Perhaps fragile is a better word. There are freshwater jellyfish in the pools directly below of the spring. If it were open to the public there would be parties going on every week. Another place I can think of that's open to the public is Havasupai falls at the bottom of the Grand canyon, you're basically rock climbing on completely wet rocks with chains. That place is way more dangerous than the narrows or any other place I can think of open to the public. Too bad it's Texas and the farmers will never let it happen. The locals know if anyone is pulling into that area a halfhour before you can get to the gates.
I hope you have your part 107 for the drone as well. You need it for social media use...
That looks like part of the place that used to be called Little Arkansas
What do you know about lil’ark? I graduated SM (edit: sm HS) in ‘93 we went every weekend almost. Friday after class taking off through the Freeman and then the McCoy ranch easements. Like 4 highschool dudes, $10 in earl Campbell sausage and $20 in beer. Lil’ark shaped my youth. As a side mission I’d get on top of the rocks at Jacob’s and with a stone in each hand I’d thread the needle headfirst and dive until I could go any deeper. I worked at CCreek cafe as a barista and waited on some celebrities. I’m going to listen to songs about Ramona & her favorite band, The Alarm and ne tx women and cotton candy hair.
Never heard of this place.
In Helotes in the 80s there was a tenaja behind every gate and wild ferns in the dry creeks. Amazing places when you’re from Laredo and Cotula. (I lived ON both of those rivers) I gotta get out of town. Sorry for rambling on, thanks for sharing the video.
The amount of public property is pitiful compared to other states sucks having so many beautiful areas that are private property
They don’t own the river
its alot easier to hike in from the other side, less water
The water seems a bit lower than it has ever been
OK so I've located the drop off spot, my question is if you continue forward when you reach the narrows how far past is another pick up location
About roughly the same distance. Around 7 miles on each side of the Narrows.
@beyond_civilization thanks, If I ever get there to check it out that's good info to know
How do you get in contact with anyone to get permission or at least let know you want to hike this trail…can you let local law enforcement know or anything like that I plan on going this year later on in the fall season
I guess I better go get my license to fly a helicopter and go buy one just so I can go visit this place 😂
That's another option! Please be sure to share the footage when you do; that would be epic! 😜😝
Myself and a friend plan to go late September or later in October. A Sept date may still be too hot. It was interesting to see you started from downriver, as most start from upriver. Your journey was over 7 hours rather than most people saying 4-5 hours. I've read that the larger the group, the longer it will take. I bring it up because our plan was to start from the North (upriver) and exit going the way you entered. Our reasoning is that going with the flow, literally with the water, and the however slight down grade of the terrain would be easiest. Which way did you exit and how long did it take? Our other concern is water flow. The river flow is below normal as of a couple days ago and probably about what you experienced. Was the water at the Narrows ok? We were concerned that a slow flow might result in some stagnation at the Narrows. Welcome any further input you have.
Yeah, I definitely can see it taking longer with a larger group. 👍🏼 I mean, you can only go as fast as your slowest member. That's an interesting idea. There was little to no water flow when we went, and I didn't feel any detectable down grade at all. Most of the river was bone dry, with only a few isolated water sections, plus the Narrows, of course. What little water was there during our hike was pretty stagnant, with some bodies of water being clear, while others were quite dirty and we just simply had to get in whether we liked it or not; I don't think there is much avoiding that with this hike, unfortunately. Hope this helps, and safe hiking! If you do end up hiking from north to south, let me know how it goes, please. 🙏🏻
Respect the property of the land owners alongside the river/ creek bed.
The last thing any property owner wants is a group of undesirables setting up a camp site with loud music, alcohol, littering, and obnoxious behavior.
Be respectful, go there for the hike, the scenery, and to enjoy the wild untamed beauty of Texas.
What time did you guys make it back to your pick up location ?
We went slow. 😅 We left at 6:45 am, and returned to the same pick up location at 7:45 pm.
You forgot to mention you need a gun
That looks like an awesome experience
all I can think is...snakes
Warn them about water moccasins
Where is this?
Too bad Texas is a hot and humid 💩 🕳️
Early June was hot for you? Lol thats still almost like spring for us here in Texas.. lmao just messing with ya, no way anyone should be making this hike any later in the year!
Texas sure is something else! It was "only" in the 90's, but the high humidity makes it feel even worse than it is. 😂 Thanks for watching! 👍🏼
@@beyond_civilization absolutely! It gets brutal! Great video by the way!
One could benefit by bringing a portable (inflatable?) boat.
You could, but you have to be very mindful of the weight. It's a very long hike, so even something relatively light can begin wearing down on you after 10 miles or so.
whats the closest town?
No Thanks
Looks cool but no Thank you 😂
There used to be quite a river there. I wonder how long since it was full enough to fill from bank to bank & cut the channel?
I've wondered that as well! Based on how dry most of the river was, my guess is that it's been a good while. But I hear flash flooding is a thing there, so maybe not? Who knows. 🤔
It's a flood zone. No river, just a small spring at the top of the narrows.
@@BreakOutOfTheAlgorithm we're not talking about this millennium. Or the one before even...
@@HM2SGT Now that I think about it, it most definitely was a river at one point in time. To be able to cut through the limestone that much it had to have been a running river. Thanks for the clarification. 👍🏻
5:30 lol are y’all hiking in life jackets?!?
Yeah. 😂 We didn't know how far we would have to swim over the deeper areas, so we came prepared just in case. 😁
The property owners sound like they believe themselves to be real special.
how would you like people walking "around" your back yard, or through it because "it's public property"? pretty sure protecting tresspassing tourists is not why that land is owned by the state. if you don't own property on one side or the other, you have no business being there, period.
I know, so annoying. Maybe one day the state can allot more land publicly instead of letting it be private land.
@@EternalEventEYes, that's the entitled mentality the op is taking about. Good job!
@@txnmia8613 ? is not the entitled mentality the interpretation that since the waterway is declared to be owned by the state, because it's a waterway, the law says I am allowed to go there? Just because it is not illegal, does not necessarily mean it should be okay and/or safe.
lol don't worry about the fences... those are only for cows, not people. lmfao... okay...
@@EternalEventE it's not that serious. I was taking my morning shit when I felt compelled to reply to you.
A good way to protect the ecosystem is to not post about it on the internet for clicks 🙄
Messed up dude. You shouldn't put this on UA-cam, those poor property owners have had to deal w so much since social media. Hundreds of people partying inches from their rural property on a technicality. You literally show the map man. There has been so much legal crap for them over the ast decade or so. Most of the people that go down there are not respectful at all. They come down there with speakers and smoke and drink in groups back in the tranquility of someones property
Sorry we know about your property. But we're there for the river, NOT your property.
They harass people regularly- they aren’t “poor property owners” by any means 😂 aw the poor bullies
@@elisabethmcallister3989 Its just like everything, if you were in their position youd hate it too. Imagine a sidewalk through your own backyard that people can legally walk around on and hangout, just cant step off.
Not the city people going “hiking” 😂😂😂😂
We trying, bro! 😂