Madrid Falls
Presidio County, Texas
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Presidio County, Texas
- Access status
- Partial guide: overlook view only on a cairned route; four-wheel-drive road and permit needed
- The walk
- 0.15 miles from Chorro Vista Trailhead to a large cairn, then 0.3 miles to the overlook, per the park; the full Chorro Vista Loop is 4.6 miles
- Ground & access
- Marked cross-country route with steep descents and ascents and loose rock. Carry a GPS and the West Fresno Rim map sold at Sauceda Ranger Station.
Madrid Falls, about 100 feet tall, is in a lush canyon in the remote interior of Big Bend Ranch State Park. Texas Parks and Wildlife describes a view of the falls from above, at the Madrid Falls Overlook on the Chorro Vista Loop. From Chorro Vista Trailhead, the route descends 0.15 miles to an intersection marked by an exceptionally large rock cairn. From the cairn, follow the trail southeast 0.3 miles to the overlook. Return to the cairn and climb back to the trailhead. The longer loop from Mexicano Falls Trailhead also passes Crawford-Smith and Madrid House viewpoints. This is more of a route than a trail: it follows rock cairns and is faint in places. A route to the base of the falls is not described.
Plan your visit
Chorro Vista Trailhead on the West Fresno Rim, cairned route to the Madrid Falls Overlook above Chorro Canyon
Texas Parks and Wildlife gives 0.3 miles from a large rock cairn to the Madrid Falls Overlook, and 0.15 miles from that cairn up to Chorro Vista Trailhead. The full Chorro Vista Loop from Mexicano Falls Trailhead is 4.6 miles round trip.
Marked cross-country route with steep descents and ascents and loose rock. Carry a GPS and the West Fresno Rim map sold at Sauceda Ranger Station.
Where to start
Chorro Vista Trailhead, or Mexicano Falls Trailhead (the park recommends the latter for the loop). From Sauceda Ranger Station, drive west on Madrid Falls Road, pass the Llano Loop turn after one mile and continue another 3.8 miles to Javelin Camp Road, turn left (southeast) on Madrid Falls Road, which needs four-wheel drive with high clearance, and continue past the campsite roads to the junction of the Chorro Vista and Mexicano Falls trailheads. Drive time is about 1.5 hours.
Timing & water
No season limits are stated. Carry extra water; cell service is unreliable.
Before you go
Entrance fee: $5 per person per day for ages 13 and older; 12 and under free. The park requires a special-use permit for travel on its high-clearance roads; day-use permits for primitive roads are free.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.