Top 3 Texas Hill Country Waterholes for Your Summer Bucket List I Hill Country Homestead Texas
The Texas Hill Country boasts some of the best whitewater and most beautiful natural rivers and lakes in America. From the Austin hill country straight through to Fredricksburg then Bandera and right back to San Antonio, natural spring-fed rivers in The Texas Hill Country are deep and wide. On a tourist level, this area of Texas is best known for its excellent shopping, dining, weekend getaways, weddings, tubing, bluebonnet wildflower drives and brushing up on German history. When you peel back the layers of retail shopping and fine dining it’s easy to see the expansive natural beauty the region has to offer. The Edwards Aquifer right here in the Texas Hill Country is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. That's pretty impressive. Our family has been scouring this area for decades searching for the next great swimming hole or boat trip, and we have narrowed it down to our top 3 favorites for your summer bucket list. These picks are family friendly, crystal clear water and a one on the scale of how easy the water is to access.
James Kiehl Riverbend Park + Comrfort, Texas
James Kiehl Riverbend Park can be found directly in between Interstate 10, FM 473 and Sisterdale Road. Get the map here. The drive will lead you down a quaint Hill Country lane and past a few expansive pastoral fields. Each way into the park boasts a historical cemetery well preserved and still holding on which really adds to the nostalgia of the country drive. Almost out of nowhere, tucked between picturesque farmhouses and noble oaks, the limestone rock sign for James Kiehl Riverbend park will appear. Turn there.
2. Garner State Park + Concan, Texas
The toddlers play in a shallow pool at Garner State Park.
If you haven't noticed Im altogether captivated by the area. In fact, I wish I was there now! There is a lot to know if you are going to Garner State Park, it’s kind of an iconic trip, so I wrote a 3 part series on the topic going over everything from gate access to the tip tip of Ol’Baldy (the mountain). The list of things to do there is listed below. I also have a Get In Guide and a Hiking Guide for the park. Garner State Park is a must see!
3. Comal Park + Canyon Lake, Texas
Canyon Lake is one that keeps calling us back. The landscape around the lake is pristine and represents the Texas Hill Country well with deep canyons and stunning peaks. The water is clear and blue and many of the banks are lined with beautiful rock formations, some of the rock formations being very tall. Tall rock formations in combination with deep blue water is a recipe for adventure and wild fun, right? Well, that's what we think!
At the house, Guadalupe River
