Feb 19, 2018 — This hike ended up being a very pleasant surprise, despite the first half mile being covered in graffiti and first-time hikers attempting a Class 2 steep trail. The Ron Coleman Trail runs from the Franklin Mountains State Park visitor center to the Woodrow Bean Transmountain Road that separates the Franklin Mountains as north and south. Both trailheads have the highpoint being South Franklin Mountain, but the trail from the Transmountain Road seems a lot less fun than the southern route. Anyway, after leaving the visitor center, like I said, a steep trail leads to the Franklin Mountains ridgeline and then north along the ridge, where the crowds die out almost completely. Unless you did research, unlike me, you won't be expecting chains to be set up to aid in climbing the Class 3 ridgeline. There were three sets of these chains, and the longest of them leads to feature called "The Window". After getting past the chain areas, the trail mellows out significantly and you can head to the summit of South Franklin Mountain, and although I think the true summit is gated for a radio tower, you can get pretty close.
After summiting, I noticed Mammoth Rock a few hundred feet below the Ron Coleman Trail, but at the time, I didn't realize northern section of the Ron Coleman Trail passed by the feature. So, I scrambled unnecessarily on a Class 3 ridge to get to Mammoth Rock before finding out, but it was definitely fun. From the base of Mammoth Rock, continue to the southeast gully on a use trail that leads to a reasonable Class 3+ (maybe Class 4?) climb that takes you to safer ground and then to the summit. It's a fun scramble, but definitely the hardest thing of the day. Head back along the Ron Coleman Trail to the visitor center.
Please consider helping me out if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all site fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing these trip reports is unpaid. You can also hire me as a web developer. I really appreciate it!
If you find my site helpful, please help me replace my many broken cameras, fund my website fees (hosting, APIs, security), or just support my countless hours of work. I pay for all expenses myself, and all trip reports I post are unpaid and unsponsored, so any support is really appreciated!
If using PayPal, please select their option for "Sending to a friend" so they don't take out fees, thank you.
My site is free to use, but consider sending me a few bucks to help keep it running. Thanks in advance!