Red Bluff is on private property and may be CLOSED at this time. MORE INFO >>>
It seems as though Red Bluff may now be CLOSED due to a change in land ownership. Please see comment at the bottom of the page.
Mr. Rita is a very nice man and is doing us a solid by letting us climb here. All sorts of people use his land for all sorts of reasons. The limestone crankers of SA and Austin like Red Bluff; it popular with fishermen; it is also popular with beer-bottle-smashing dipshits. Let's make sure that climbers are the good ones. As moot as it might seem, pack out your trash, shit in the portapotties, say your thank yous, be polite. At Red Bluff there is to be NO ROPED CLIMBING, NO BOLTS, NO PETS. Leave Fido and your pooper-scooper at home. Stop at the main house with barking dogs and pay Mr. Rita $5 per person for your day use of his beautiful property. If he doesn't come to the door, he's probably working in the vicinity. Look around.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
The emerald flowage of the Medina and just a few o...
Description
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.
Getting There
THIS AREA HAS BEEN CLOSED TO CLIMBING and the landowner has requested removal of directions to this area.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Red Bluff:
A really fun problem starting on two small huecos up to some scrappy crimp action and tough footwork to surmount a bulge followed by a demanding slopey topout. Full value. Downclimb the rope. ...[more]Browse More Classics in TX
Hello I traveling here from Pennsylvania and I am looking to climb here at the beginning of October. Can anyone tell me if the area will be dry around this time or should I look for another area around San Antonio to climb. I am in town for a few short days on business and thought that my family and I would check it out. Any feedback is much appreciated!
Red Bluff is closed for good. I ventured there back when I visited the area on Oct. 10th and found a big No Camping and No Trespassing Sign. I talked with a neighbor that is on the other side of the road and he informed me that the owner's son is now owner of the property and his wife did not like all the people coming on to the property. There are visible signs down by the river that state a $5000 reward for anyone who alerts authorities to trespassers. Pic from my attempt to go climb at Red Bluff
Yes, Red Bluff is closed. I missed the info that it was closed and tried to go. I stopped at the house and the owner (Mr. Rita?) said he had closed down the camping and the bouldering.
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