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Texas trails · Blue Creek

Blue Creek

A 5.9-mile out-and-back in Texas, with 2,606 ft of climbing. Reaches Homer Wilson Ranch Overlook. Managed by the National Park Service.

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Length
5.9 mi
Elevation gain
2,606 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
26%
Steepest mile
+847 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.9 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
National Park Service

Elevation profile

4,165 – 6,769 ft12345

The climbing leans toward the final third: 50% of the ascent falls between mile 3.9 and mile 5.9. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Blue Creek

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

Blue Creek access — parking nearby. 29.21657, -103.36928 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:30 a.m., the sun rises at 7:54 a.m. and sets at 7:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:48 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 30 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 11.7-mile round trip takes roughly 6 h 57 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:50 p.m. — 4 h 34 min before sunset.

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