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.
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
From San Antonio, head West on Bandera Rd (Rt. 16) past Helotes. Approx 2 miles West of the Junction of Rt. 46 is Pipe Creek Jcn. Turn L on RR 1283. After several miles go down a dip to Red Bluff Creek, and take the first R after the bridge. This is Red Bluff Ranch Rd. Stay L at the first fork on the dirt road; at the second fork go L again into what looks more like a private driveway. Because it is a private driveway. A sign there says: TO CAMP.
From Austin: Take 290 W to 281 S to 46 W to Rte 16. This will put you 2 miles East of Pipe Creek Jcn. Turn R onto 16 W, hit Pipe Creek and follow directions above from there.
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.
The Front Wall and Fontainebleau Wall are at creek level on Red Bluff. The rest of the climbing is downstream along the Medina, reached by turning R at the creek-to-river junction and hiking downstream along rugged trails and rickity boardwalks at river left.
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