Dripping Rock Trail is the perfect winter hike for families. The destination is fun and often amazing, and it’s a flat, easy walk. This is a great trail in the summer, too, but when we hiked Dripping Rock Trail in Winter we definitely weren’t getting in the water to splash around.
This gentle trail is paved the entire way and leads to a really cool overhang where water comes pouring down. The hike is only about 1 mile round trip. Our boys love to look in the water and walk to the suspension bridge. In the winter, we didn’t see too much wildlife, other than a few robins and a dipper. Depending on the year, the trail can be mostly clear, or it can be covered in snow.
We like this hike, but we were a little disappointed in the amount of dog poop that we had to hop around. This got better farther up the trail, but it was pretty bad right by the parking lot, so watch out. This is a dog-friendly trail, but if you decide to hike with your dog, please remember to clean up after him/her.
Since the trail is paved, we were able to avoid the mud, and the temperature was just right. We did this hike after a warm spell in February, so most of the snow was melted. There were patches on the sides of the trail, but we never had to walk through any snow, so we hiked in tennis shoes. We even climbed down to the edge of the water and stayed mostly clean by sticking to the rocks and dry places. Our boys are pretty good at avoiding muck, though. And it is definitely slippery going down, so be very careful.
Once we got to the dripping rock area, we carefully headed to the bottom. One February it looked just like it would in summer time with lots of water dripping out of the bank. Another year, the water had frozen into beautiful icicles. We hiked both times the first week of February, so it will depend on the year what you might find. This year (2023), I hiked this trail on January 15 and there were lots of icicles mixed with a little bit of dripping water. The trail was covered in snow and ice.
We only spent around 45 minutes on this hike, and the trail is wide and clear, so you could definitely push a stroller or wheelchair depending on the snow conditions. There wasn’t anyone else on the trail, and we love spending a few moments out in nature as a family. This is definitely a favorite hike because the water is always dripping, and it is so fun to watch. And the frozen icicles were amazing!
Make sure to walk just a tiny bit farther past the dripping rock, and walk across the suspension bridge. You will cross a normal bridge and just beyond that, the Suspension Bridge is part of the Dripping Rock Trail. You can also catch a glimpse of the windmills when you get to this part of the hike. After checking out the bridge, turn around and head back to the car.
If you need an easy, fun hike: give Dripping Rock in Winter a try! Park at the parking lot directly across from the Spanish Oaks Golf Course. The trail begins right from the parking area. More details on our original post. We have a list of Easy Winter Hikes if you want a few other ideas, too.
