Rio Hermoso Loop

Dogs No Dogs

Features River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Waterfall

A great loop to hike around with family, friends and anyone that can handle a nice hike around!

You can camp at Hermoso Lake, the campground is great, the facilities are pretty good and the stars are more than 5 to my opinion......(know what i mean??).

For me, this is a very special hike, as I was there with my family and brother (who lives overseas) so what can I say, it was a different experience for me...

But let's talk about the hike; it's a great all around hike, and it combines some climbs, great views, and some mellow spots for picnic.

First of all, you get to cross the Rio Hermoso right where it's born, on the coast of Lake Hermoso, right next to the campground with the same name, which by the way is a great campground. After that, you get a pretty steep climb, short but hard (kind of like a bee sting). I'm sure that if you lay back, take it easy, and enjoy what happens behind you, once you are done climbing, you won't even notice it. There are great views of the lake for the entire climb. All of this part of the trail seems like a fourwheeler track, so you have enough space to hike side by side or help each other.

The terrain then levels out and the hike is pretty much an easy hike; you still get great views of the surrounding mountains and areas, and after a while you get to this open area where there is an old abandoned ranch house and the bridge that crosses the Rio Hermoso. If it's warm enough you can jump from the bridge to the river--it's quite deep and the water is great.

After you cross the river, hiking the coast back can be a bit tricky, but you can follow the trail if you pay attention, and it will lead you to many side "beaches" of the river, where you can swim a little or even like we did, have a great picnic and just enjoy.

When you get back to the campsite, you get very close to the water jumps formed by the Rio Hermoso, where you can swim and spend some time with family and friends.