The Hill Country’s best trick is hydrological. Rain falls on the Edwards Plateau, disappears into the limestone, and resurfaces — sometimes miles away — as springs that run cold and clear all summer. The payoff is a region full of swimming holes that stay in the 60s and 70s when the air is pushing 100.
Two warnings up front. The famous ones now require reservations, which is a good thing. And one of the most famous is not currently open to swim at all — Jacob’s Well has been closed to swimmers since June 2022, after drought and groundwater pumping dropped the spring’s flow. Book ahead, go early, and keep a backup in your pocket.
The famous ones (reserve ahead)
- Hamilton Pool — a collapsed grotto with a 50-foot waterfall into a jade-green pool. A reservation is required every day of the year; swimming depends on bacteria testing, and the trail under the overhang to the base of the falls is closed.
- Blue Hole, Wimberley — cypress shade and rope swings on Cypress Creek. Daily May 1 through Labor Day plus September weekends, and every pass is sold online in advance.
- Jacob’s Well, Wimberley — closed to swimming since June 2022. The natural area is open 8 a.m.–6 p.m. for hiking and looking, free, no reservation. Worth the stop; bring a towel for somewhere else.
The rivers (just show up)
- The Comal, New Braunfels — spring-fed, ice-cold, and about two and a half miles from spring to confluence. A classic family tube float.
- The Guadalupe, below Canyon Lake — longer, livelier floats with outfitters all along the banks. Flow depends on releases from the dam.
- The Medina, near Bandera — quieter and cold, good for a paddle or a swim.
The local favorites
- Krause Springs, Spicewood — a privately-run set of spring pools under cypress, with camping.
- Inks Lake State Park — the Devil’s Waterhole, a granite cove you can swim on a plain day pass, no reservation.
- Pedernales Falls — wade the slabs east of Johnson City, and take the flash-flood signage literally.
- Reimers Ranch — river access on the Pedernales next door to Hamilton Pool.
Limestone is slick and sharp. A cheap pair of water shoes is the best ten dollars you’ll spend all summer.
Whatever you choose, check the water-quality and flow status the morning you go, pack a dry bag, and have a Plan B. And never get into a river that is rising, running muddy, or under a flash-flood watch — the whole point of a Hill Country summer is the water, and the same limestone that makes it beautiful makes it rise fast.
