Some days, you pick trails that blow you away, and others are just meh. While it was a gorgeous day, I have explored other trails that were a little more visually appealing. I had seen a few websites devoted to this area, but none of them were too descriptive on how to get there. So, we just went for it.

We googled McCommas Bluff Preserve and it took us to a dead end. There wasn’t a parking area, just gate and a sign indicating no motorized vehicles beyond this point. So we locked the car and went for it.

I knew we were hiking along a creek, but without really seeing it with your own eyes, I didn’t know what to expect. The terrain was sometimes rocky as we were hiking down, and lots of wildflowers to observe, including some blooming cacti. We passed a few meadows, some downed trees and a little bit of trash, including a few tires (how in the world do they get back here?).

As we got closer to the water, that’s when we were met with all sorts of bugs. Bug spray is highly suggested. About halfway through our walk, we found a little scenic overlook where I would suggest for those with younger families might be the ending point.

As we ventured on, we were met with lots and lots of muddy tracks filled with water, and when we tried to navigate around them, we saw lots of poison ivy. So we walked as far as we could and turned around.

But I was a little disappointed because we didn’t find what I was looking for, which was a bluff with water rapids below. So once we walked back to the car, we decided to drive to what we thought was the end of the hike, and that’s when we hit gold.

When we arrived, a young man was picking up trash; he had already gathered a trash bag’s worth of garbage. The cleaned-up scene was a nice getaway, even if we stayed for just for a few minutes.

I imagine during the summer months you could hike all the way through to the bluff. But it would make for a long hike with little ones. The trail is both sunny and shady.

Length: We walked 1.6 miles round trip, google map.