If you like to kayak and are near the Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, or Bandera areas, you're going to…read morewant to know about Nichol's Landing (also called Specht's Crossing) on the beautiful upper Guadalupe River before it flows into Canyon Lake. From this spot, you can end your short paddle trip from Guadalupe State Park, or start a longer 3-6 hour trip down to FM 311 or Rebecca Creek Crossing. This small day-use park under an overpass off Old Spring Branch Road has just 20 parking spaces, so depending on when you go, you may need to arrange a drop-off or pickup via friend or river outfitter that doesn't leave a vehicle. There is a dumpster for trash and a couple of porto-johns if you really need to answer nature's call. The signage at the entrance is a bit confusing on when and how you need to pay a fee, the proceeds of which are used to maintain the park. The clear facts are that it's free when there is no attendant on duty. Otherwise (generally weekends & holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day, basically summer months from end of May through early September), you pay a fee upon entry based as follows: If parking... $4 per person over age 12 $2 per person age 12 and under If not parking... $1 per person drop-off (any age) Open 9am to sunset, year-round (gates locked at 8:30pm) If you are putting in or taking out, there is a cul de sac where you can park briefly to deal with loading and unloading your 'yaks. The water is less than 50 yards down a couple of pebbly paths. On our recent sunny January Sunday visit, there were very few other vessels on the river and less than 10 people in the park. So peaceful. The Water Oriented Recreation District (WORD) of Comal County manages the park and their website is a great source of information on current river conditions, river laws, and any special events that could impact your day on the river. The Texas Parks & Wildlife "Texas Paddling Trail" page also has great info about Nichol's Landing and what you'll see on the river. For the upper part of the Guadalupe and the lower outside of New Braunfels city limits, the rules (enforced with fines up to $500) are: Wear a life vest or other PFD Don't trespass on private property Pets on leash at all times No firearms No fireworks No campfires No camping No glass No styrofoam No plastic containers under 5oz No littering No jumping from bridges, dams, trees, or cliffs

What a nice, clean place to go swimming! This place is…read morelocated near the bottom of a bridge that crosses the Guadalupe River. This spot charges for access to the river, I paid $4 to get in. They seem to have various other charges that can apply if you're just launching a kayak or a tube. The river was clean here! There wasn't trash floating around, and the place was picked up. The water wasn't very deep here, the deepest spots being chest deep, but most of it was about knee deep. Someone has come through here and made lots of little wading pools out of rocks and set up stone dams so your tube doesn't go floating away very easily. There's also lots of shade through here, with many large cypress trees lining the far side of the river. On the near side, there aren't many trees, so many people brought their own canopies. Since there's a charge to get in, this place wasn't so crowded, so it was easy to get a patch of river to myself. There are trash cans provided, and they also give away mesh onion bags for your garbage. There are no restrooms, or changing rooms. Parking was easy, along a paved road and spaces painted in white. The end of the parking lot doubles as a helicopter landing pad for added safety.

Pedernalas Falls. We hiked the short path to the falls. The view was beautiful. But guess…read morewhat... no falls. Pretty dry here at the park. Well there was some water running on the other side We did hike down to the river bed and walked around the rock formations. Pretty cool! On the way out of the park we saw some Greater Kudu! Beautiful animals!

Located just west of Austin near Johnson City, Pedernales Falls State Park is one of the most…read morescenic natural escapes in Central Texas. Spanning over 5,200 acres along the Pedernales River, the park is known for its dramatic limestone formations where the river cascades over wide, layered rock slabs--creating the iconic "falls" that give the park its name. Pedernales Falls has a rugged, peaceful Hill Country vibe. It's the kind of place where you can spend hours exploring rocky riverbeds, hiking through shaded trails, or just relaxing by the water. The mix of open river views, rolling hills, and quiet wooded areas makes it feel remote. Ideal for a day trip from Houston, definitely worth checking out.

I have been going here for years, hiking and mountain biking. I've done a few races also. It is…read moremarked fairly well, but obviously whether can change making trails. Look different and signs get weathered. Always take a map, as they are always passing out at the Ranger station

We always make a stop here to hike, swim, and picnic with our kids. The rangers are awesome and…read morehappy to answer all of our kids questions. The trails are clearly marked and scrambling over the rocks to explore the falls and wading in the river are always a blast. This year we went after a heavy rain and it was awesome to see the river roaring over the falls.

We had a great time fishing with Brandon! He was very professional and super easy to get along…read morewith! We caught a cooler full of crappie and some catfish too! Definitely give him a call if you'll be at Lake LBJ!

I would give Bray's Fishing 10 stars if it was possible. Brandon is AMAZING! My daughter and I did…read morea 1/2 day fishing tour with him on Lake LBJ and we had such a great time! Brandon has a great boat with high-quality equipment. He provided everything we needed to have an excellent morning of fishing on the lake. We had to have caught over 50 fish. My daughter is 12 and he was extremely patient and careful with her. I am a total beginner and had very low expectations, but he blew us away. Like the old phrase goes, it was good because he not only took us fishing, he actually taught us how to fish. My daughter really wanted a catfish and he even stayed out longer than we had agreed in order to help us get a catfish (which we did). We brought home fish enough fish for several meals and overall, just had a very pleasant experience. You can expect clear, timely communication in the booking process (we booked via Yelp), a professional and knowledgeable guide and teacher in Brandon, who also cleaned and dressed our fish, pleasant conversation and an easy day on the lake. We caught a variety of fish and learned much about each one through his knowledge of the local lake life. Brandon is a father, so he's great with kids and adults alike, and he is also just a really solid, nice guy. His pricing is more than fair for the value of the experience and he was much more easy to book than the other services we looked at in the Marble Falls area. A nod also to safety. He made sure we were safe at all times and I never felt even remotely uncomfortable being out with him, even though I was a mom out alone with my daughter. He's a solid guy and we'd recommend him for your next fishing adventure. We will be back out to fish with Bray's the next time we need a lake getaway!

We arrived early this morning for our first hike of the year. The rangers were very efficient; our…read morereservation was checked and our permit was brought out. We drove out to the water and decided to walk those trails. The trails are all very easy to navigate. The more challenging trails may not have actually been trails at all, but got us down to the river bank for some lovely photos. The grounds and trails are very clean and well maintained. The camp sites look really nice and the bathrooms (I'm told) were Buccees level clean. There's a Discovery center that seemed to be interesting for the littles. I really enjoyed the solitude and the zen. I suspect it probably gets pretty packed though.

Lovely park! Make sure to prepay entrance fee online and discount was offered with military park…read morepass. We parked near the end of the road where you'll find a parking lot with bathrooms and changing facilities. We met our hiking group and trekked off walking along the Guadalupe River. Make sure to bring water shoes with grip cuz you'll cross the river to get to more hiking trails. The water was cool and the flow perfect...depending on the time of the year, it can get quite powerful. The weather was gorgeous - fall vibes of overcast and cooler temps. We hiked a mix of many shaded forest areas and open fields . Captured many pics of the fall changes - leaves turning shades of yellow and orange. And I gotta kick seeing live armadillos scurrying amongst the long grasses. So cute!!! With the great weather and scenery, we hiked a steady pace and clocked in approximately 8.5 miles ! Loved hiking through the river : ) Clean bathrooms and changing rooms were a plus!

It was nice.. older community but nice.. you have to pay to get into the park.. we drive down to…read morethe boat dock and it was free to get out and enjoy for a few minutes

Lake Buchanan is well a "lake" and not much different from most lakes. It is great for boating,…read morefishing, swimming and camping. What sets it apart from the other Highland Lakes is that it has a beautiful waterfall and Garret Island (a large forested island with a beautiful cove with a pink granite sand beach) and is the perfect opportunity for birding. Lake Buchanan is about 1 hour NW of Austin and well worth the drive for all things lake. Feb. through May is great for fishing White and Striped Bass that as I understand are stocked by the city as they do not naturally spawn so they are abundant as well as Catfish, Large Mouth Bass and Carp. And you probably do not want to know this if you are swimming but the lake also has ALLIGATOR GARS - my last visit I took a picture of a dried up dead one on the Garret Island beach which I will post. Have fun and watch out for the Gars!

Very well thought out, they have something for everyone. My dog had a blast and my boyfriend…read moreenjoyed fishing. I had a great time looking at all the beautiful rocks and scenery! Colin is a thoughtful owner. Cute family and dog friendly place!

This is the best Texas Hill country getaway I've ever been to. It offers anything you would ever…read morewant for everyone in the family. We like to tent camp on the river, they have the glamping set ups that are great for the kids, my in-laws stayed in a rental cabin along the river and also rented a RV spot with full hook up. We spent our Central Texas vacation with all of our family on the lamp River and went fishing for rainbow trout and bass. We're gonna come back for the tubing adventure when it warms up a bit. The campground hosts are awesome people and made sure our stay was excellent.

I bought his trip as a gift and the birthday boy was very happy…read more Great communication. Knows lot of good fishing spots. Very pleasant guide.

I booked this tour and had a great day of fishing. If you are in the Austin area and want to go…read morefresh water fishing, call them up. You won't be disappointed.

I think I finally got my new hiking spot here in San Antonio/Boerne! Such a nice spot to get some…read morefresh air and exercise while being out in the outdoors! Everything is super maintained than most parks I've been before! I usually go with my MIL, my baby girl and our dogs to get them some exercise as well and try to do 1-2 miles each time we are here. Depending on what trails you walk/hike on, theres some with shade and some that you will hit up the blazing sun, but with fall upon it hasn't been horrible! Everyone who hikes here are really respectful with the trails/area which is such a pleasant thing as there's usually not a lot of people who do that now a days. Will of course be returning weekly to get our steps in and vitamin D!

This was actually a great place to come visit with the family on spring break! The weather was…read moreperfect, wasn't overcrowded, plenty of places to sit and enjoy fresh air. Loved they had a dog park and a playground you can take your kids to. There are places you can even go fishing if you want or just sit by the water to relax. Loved how there were plenty of signs around too talking about the animals and plants common there. Good information about the park too and didn't feel I would get lost either (good flat paths you can take). I barely saw any trash flying around either and could tell they keep this park well kept. I absolutely plan to come back here in the future when I have time. Definitely worth the visit!

Little Ponderosa River Outfitters was the company our group chose to get us right to float the…read moreGuadalupe River. This was my first time floating so there were alot of unknowns. Their website was helpful with some of the questions I had and all other questions were answered when I got there. Our group was around 16 deep and we were the first customers of the day. The staff here was very patient with us and got us situated smoothly. There's a fair amount of parking out front and they are really good about maximizing the space. They do have bathrooms available as well as a place to rinse off if you would like. They do have items to purchase for your tubing needs like rope, bungee, etc. One thing we assumed we had on our tubes were ropes, but that they did not so we struggled a little bit trying to stay together as a group. A little upselling would have been appreciated in this instance. Once you are all paid up and ready to go, they bring around one of their shuttles that pulls a trailer for your tubes. We packed tight into that little bus and off we went. Before heading out, they gave us a run down on how things operate and rules to abide by. We were given specific instructions on what to expect and landmarks to remember when it was time to get off the river to where we parked. There are different float options depending on what you're looking for as far as how chill or how much time time you want to spend on the river. We chose a float that was estimated to be 4 hours with a little bit of chill and thrill. It really all depends on the flow of the river. This review is based on the company that facilitates your float trips and not so much a review of the actual experience. This company did a great job and I would use them again if I ever decide to float the Guadalupe again.

Came here with a large group on July 4th for a float day. Just before the chaos and tragedy of the…read moreGuadalupe River overflow. When we arrived we parked in their gravel parking lot. Their entry point process was pretty straightforward. You sign a disclaimer and pay for either the rental of the tube $25+ or pay for using your own tube from home for $25+. I think we did the 4 hour float option. If you rent you do get the option of picking a tube that has a bottom to it, which can be used for coolers, or to prevent your back from scraping on the rocks. They give you a free fishnet bag for trash that you can rope tie to your tube, or put inside your cooler. There is a mini store where you can purchase items you forgot or didn't think to bring. They have a "no glass, cans only" policy, which I think is pretty standard. When we were finally ready. You hop on their school bus with a hitch out back with the tubes piled high and get some rules to live by. Including that if you hear sirens to get out of the river immediately it means there is a surge coming. Also there is a damn drop off, and a bridge you aren't suppose to go past before getting out. Honestly, while I appreciate the safety session, I wish I had been able to read and study the rules beforehand, so I felt more confident in remembering all of them before embarking? If all the rules they say on the bus are posted on their website, it was my fault for not reviewing them before arrival. We got out at our dropoff point where you make your way down some steps with your tube in hand and get started in the river. If you bring coolers be sure to get a bottom tube and bring some rope to strap yourself to it. The water was chilly. The journey started out pretty ok. But then we go to what they call the "damn" or really a drop off point, like a 2 foot straight drop. It got kinda hairy since you have to get out of your tube and step on slick rocks with tube in hand and make your way further down the river where the current picks up even more, step down from the drop off with the current flowing. I suppose if you are use to it, it doesn't seem that challenging, but if you aren't and are with a big group, with multi coolers it's a little challenging to figure out. Make sure to bring rope for the coolers and tubes if you can. Some parts have a strong current other parts are less. Then you travel down for a while sometimes getting caught by trees, debris, the sides of the marsh, or rocks. Eventually, you get into the neighborhood area where folks are parked outside their houses or tents, playing music, watching the floaters go by. Our group got separated since we weren't all tied together. At the time, the weather was pretty dreary and it rained on and off the entire time. So it made for a cold experience. Don't forget to wear your water shoes for the rocks. If the sun had come out, it likely would have been better. I think I will find a more gentle and relaxing float experience for next time.