We have lived next to Overlook Park and Canyon Dam for 10 years and it has gone to hell in a…read morehandbasket in the last two or three years. It's like the county government, in coordination with the Army Corp. of Engineers has decided that they just don't want people here. First it was erecting "no parking signs" on the road and handing out tickets by the sheriffs department. Then they installed tire flattener spikes at the exit and gate barriers so that access was restricted. They had the sheriffs department come in every night to throw people out at sunset. We used to call that person the "Dam Nazi" (Canyon Dam). Now they close the place early even before hours are over and sometimes they don't open it at all. And worst of all they've started lining tow trucks up to tow people's cars at sunset without warning. It's ridiculous. It's like they are practicing for totalitarianism. It's like the government has decided that they hate people. My daughter and son-in-law walked the over-the-dam walkway with our 3-year-old granddaughter; when they came back to leave, his pick-up truck was in the air - the tow truck driver said he would take $150 to lower it again so they could drive home. People are literally starting to move out of Comal County. It has become downright evil and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority seems to be getting rich by selling all of Canyon Lake's water downstream. This is the rural version of Los Angeles, Seattle or Denver. It's getting nasty.

Overlook Park and Dam at Canyon Lake (about 50-60ish miles from both Austin and San Antonio) is the…read morepublic park I visit most often since joining the CL community in June 2020. At least a couple of times per month, we make our weekend run over the dam from North Park and bask in the seasonal beauty of the big blue lake, the variety of plants on the slopes and forest, and the joy of other visitors taking it all in. Who knows how long it will last in these troubled times for public works, but today, the park remains free to enter from dawn to dusk. The enforcement of parking and capacity limits is by Comal County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), while the authority for the water and 1964-built dam falls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Game Wardens, and the Guadalupe - Blanco River Authority (GBRA). Finally, the Water Oriented Recreation District (WORD) helps with safety signage and waste management around the park by providing free litter bags to make it as easy as possible for visitors to pack out their trash. The park technically doesn't promote swim access, and there is no lifeguard or buoy barrier system for protected swim zones, but you will see many swimmers and floaters in the cold water around the rocky shore during warm weather. The closer to the dam you are, the more likely you'll see fish swimming in the clear water, so bring your snorkel and enjoy. Keep in mind, depth drops off steeply down to 120 feet, so if you're not a strong swimmer, a life vest or other safety provisions may be in order. Certainly, keep an eye on your kids at all times. If you want a coveted spot for the day at the shoreline, you're going to need to plan ahead. Pack up your provisions, chairs, shade tent, what-have-you and get to the park as soon as possible after dawn to secure a parking spot. You'll need your goat feet and maybe an all-terrain wagon to get down the rocky trails to your place at the water. The shore is entirely limestone, so you typically won't be able to use stakes for a pop-up; plan to weigh down with something else, as Canyon Lake gets VERY windy. Restrooms are at the far southeast end of the park, near the Gorge overlook. You'll also find porto-johns near the dam gate and disabled parking spots. If you're still there by sunset, you'll hear the sheriff's deputy over a PA system asking you to leave. There is no camping or overnight parking allowed. Note that this park is also home to USACE headquarters for Canyon Lake. Their visitor center is open Mon-Fri, 8a-4:30p except for federal holidays. A few times per year, special events may open up an opportunity to drive across the dam's paved path (a.k.a. the Verada Real). These spots are secured through a charitable donation to the DAM Community Alliance (damcommunityalliance.com) and tend to sell out fast. Otherwise, only pedestrians, strollers, and bicycles are allowed on the paved path. Dogs should be on leash and poop should be picked up, please, for the love of all that is holy. More to come....

Nestled right along the lake, this park is the perfect spot for a fun-filled family day outdoors…read more With plenty of open green space, shaded picnic areas, and beautiful waterfront views, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The kids loved the playground and splash areas, while the walking trails and peaceful lake breeze made it relaxing for the adults too. Whether you're grilling with family, playing games in the sun, or just enjoying the scenery, this park has an inviting atmosphere that makes it easy to spend the whole day there. Clean, family-friendly, and full of activities, it's definitely a go-to destination for sunshine and outdoor fun.

Be careful with all the rules! We saw a staff officer walking around on Friday morning. He was…read morestaring at us (we are Asians and we brought our dogs). Luckily, I had read their rules and other comments, so we were very careful and kept our dogs on leash even when they were in the water, lol. The officer seemed very disappointed and walked away. However, he issued fines to at least two groups of families (minors) for some reason -- these two groups didn't bother anyone... But their trips were ruined and I felt sorry for them..( both of them stopped playing music after getting the tickets) We are from Austin, so we don't quite get their reasoning. I would recommend the park give a warning before issuing any tickets... It's $20 per vehicle per day with no re-entry. The park is dog-friendly (dogs must be on leash). The water on the bluff side was super clean, but it's quite dangerous to get down due to the low water level (especially with dogs on leash, but we managed, yay!). The other side (beach side) is very muddy and dirty... garbage everywhere.. It was quite busy on Saturday morning; the long line outside the park started forming around 10 am. We arrived around 9 am, so there wasn't a line.

What a wonderful experience. Everyone there went over the top to ensure that we were treated like…read moreroyalty. Best marina experience ever.

Canyon Lake Marina (CLM) is one of 2 marinas here managed by Suntex, this one being on the north…read moreside of the lake in the village of Hancock near the big red Brookshire Brothers store and Canyon Park, the other being the sister Crane's Mill Marina on the south side. CLM is located at the end of the Canyon Park peninsula, co-located with Baja Icehouse and Grill. CLM offers watercraft rentals, leased boat slips (22 - 50 ft, covered and uncovered, with and without lifts), dry docking, a fee-based boat ramp (USACE Ramp #19), a boat fueling station, a courtesy dock, boat maintenance/repair services, and a store with supplies for any day on the water of one of the prettiest, clearest lakes in the Lone Star state. The cost of renting a CLM boat varies by capacity, added amenities, season, and day of the week, but typically starts at about $250 for a 2-hour block and can go up if you also hire a captain. There are cheaper boat rentals around Canyon Lake, but perhaps none are quite as convenient if you are on the north side. Plus, you can start and end your outing with a meal or drinks at the Baja Icehouse. Just don't skimp on the pre-outing safety training & learning the rules of the water; there are quite a few tragedies on this lake each summer generally caused by inexperienced boaters not following common safety practices. CLM also has a "Suntex Boat Club" you can join so that you have regular access to all of their fleet of fun boats and jet skis without the storage and upkeep responsibilities, but there is an initiation fee of $3k to $4k (depending on service level & number of members), plus a monthly fee of $350-$600 for 12 consecutive months. We've been slip tenants at CLM for just a few months now and so far, we're happy with the experience. It's easy to park at Baja and get down the long switchback of stairs and ramps to the water if you are physically fit; if not, you can call the store and ask for a courtesy golf cart pickup. Thankfully, our slip is in one of the first rows, so the distance isn't too terrible when you're carrying a bunch of stuff to the boat. If needed, we can come down to the dock to unload the car from the "15-minute" parking spots and then use one of the courtesy pushcarts to get our gear to the vessel. We've observed that those "loading/unloading" parking spots are sometimes used as "all day" spots by some folks, and sometimes, people don't return the courtesy pushcarts for others to use them. It doesn't seem that CLM does much to enforce the time limit or make sure the carts make it back to their home. Otherwise, staff members have been friendly, responsive, and knowledgeable in our experience. A note on the fueling station and courtesy dock: entering and exiting this area can be a bit tricky during high-traffic days, as it's a fairly tight channel with a dead-end. If you aren't confident in your boat handling skills under such conditions, try refueling across the lake at Crane's Mill where you can pass through without turning around to exit. CLM doesn't post the full set of fees and information online, so if you're interested in leasing a slip or using the other services at the marina (including the boat ramp), you'll need to fill out the online request form, call, or come down in person to view the fee sheets and discuss what you're seeking. I wish they were more transparent about costs, but I suppose their fee schedule is fluid based on market conditions. Securing a boat slip on Canyon Lake is a challenge and there is typically a years-long wait. If you'd really like the privilege to hop in your boat and get right on the water at the time of your choosing, as opposed to dealing with the cluster of confusion and delay that occurs at the overcrowded public boat ramps (join the FB group on Canyon Lake Boating to see what I mean), you're gonna need a slip. If you get lucky enough to know someone who is ready to move on from "boat life," that's like winning the lottery, so don't pass up the opportunity to take over that lease. See you out on the water!

Wow what a magical place!…read more We live in Hill Country about 30min fm Austin and this little gem is about 27min away from us in the cute little hill country town of Wimberly. Its summer in TX. Its HOT. It's sticky. What's better than doom scrolling in your house when its 97 degrees out and 70%+ humidity in July.... This place! Plan ahead.. you can only get tickets online. Its VERY reasonable. They have timed entrance for am or afternoon. 9am or 2pm. We've been both times and both haven't been over crowded. Great for ALL ages. Toddlers with swim vests and an adult to folks like my mom who's almost 80. Cost for 1/2 swim: 12.00 adults (13yrs +) 8.00 over 60yrs 8.00 12yrs and under 8.00 military 20.00 to rent a picnic table 20.00 for 1 umbrella in the grassy area. Bring chairs Pack a sandwich Bring a blanket so you can put it down on the dirt/grass area. Being a cooler with softdrinks Bring a volleyball. Pool noodles are also great Just make sure to throw your trash away!! Mother nature thanks you. Enjoy the beautiful nature Snap a couple of IG photos (the water color early in the morning and later in the afternoon make you look like a professional photographer. You can bring small floaties so you can hang under the shade while you're swimming around. The entire swim area is covered in shade. The park area has shade on the perimeter of the park and sunny in the middle. It's a paved walk way from the parking lot to the water hole. The parking lot is compressed gravel so sedans can easily access the parking area from the road. There's no current. No need for water shoes.. the bottom in the shallow area has small pebble like bottom. The water temp was refreshing. Perfect temp for July. Water quality is so clear! Theres 4 different areas to go into the water.. Low entry where once you are in you can stand.. Mid entry where you're about waste deep when you walk in. 2 deeper areas with a ladder, and cool chain swings. This will definitely be on our rotation for the summer. The vibe was peaceful, chill and everyone there were very respectful of others

Great little park right next to downtown Wimberly with lots of trails to explore! We went in the…read morewinter so we didn't check out the swimming area, but well worth visiting for a nice morning hike!

It's now called Claire Hotel. It's not a hotel. It's old and needs serious upgrades…read more We somehow got a handicapped friendly room. The bathroom was terrible!!! Old, musty, questionable! One bed slanted downward, one box spring had blood stains. Beds were not comfortable. Kitchen was ugh too. Looks so cute from the outside but I would not recommend.

What beautiful cabin. Very peaceful. The check in was very smooth. The cabin was very clean.read more

We loved how clean the area was and that it was secure but also allowed us the flexibility to have…read moreour privacy as a team. What I would caution against is how long / much effort it takes to get to the water. I highly recommend water shoes and any floating device you deem fit/fun. It's great that there is water, electricity, and a covered space depending on which site you get.

My husband and I were visiting the area and was trying to find the entry point to Canyon lake and…read moregoogle searches kept leading us to the wrong ones... we saw this that said Potters Creek Park! We were thinking it's a PARK with a view of the lake, once we arrived, we got to the front booth were the guy was rude and kept saying this is a campground, what are you trying to do? We told him our issue and he gave us another area to try BUT as we were driving away we heard him say "we don't want your kind here" so I recommended if you are Hispanic looking don't bother because you'll probably be hit with racism.

Nice marina with a pier. For some reason the pier was closed. Really wish we could have used it to…read morecatch some fish. Couldn't really fish from anywhere because of the grass growing close to the beach.

Love thissss place…read more. A must try if you are wanting to rent a boat. Cannot wait to give this place a try again.. We had a boat that fit 10 of us and still had so much room for our floats and ice chest.. you can bring drinks and food as long as you don't have foam or anything glass.. the boat came with one float that was attached to the back of the boat.. 500 for 4 hours is not a bad deal.. it was a great time.. Great staff.. great service and everyone was willing to help..

If you're looking for a peaceful Canyon Lake getaway, Log Cabins at Jacobs Creek is absolutely…read moreworth the trip. My family stayed there over spring break and we could not have been happier with the experience. The cabins are charming, clean, comfortable, and thoughtfully prepared with everything you need for a relaxing stay. The beds were unbelievably comfortable, and the atmosphere around the property was calm and beautiful. There are plenty of nearby places to eat, fish, and enjoy nature, which made it easy to unplug and spend quality time together. The owners and staff were incredibly kind and accommodating throughout our stay. You can tell they genuinely care about their guests. We'll definitely be returning.

These log caving on Canyon Lake are so beautiful and it's so nice to be able to find a place away…read morefrom the hustle and bustle of town. Very spacious, beautiful views of the sunset, nice comfy beds, and a kitchen if you want to cook your own meals. You do need to bring your own towels, food and shower items, but I absolutely love the charm of these cabins with their own balconies with a view. My only suggestion is to secure a room on the second story. The floors are not very insulated and you can hear every footstep if someone is staying above you. Still an amazing place to stay and will definitely be back on our next trip down!

Whenever we're in the Gruene area (which is a lot) and we want to to float, we always use Rockin'…read moreR. This is their main location. They have several in the regional area but my review is for the Gruene location. The staff are really fun and helpful (you know like when you're getting out and fall on your rear and they help you out of the water). Rental rates are fair and the tubes are clean.

I will start by saying, I don't entirely blame the business for what happened during our float, and…read morethey did try to remedy it by giving us free passes to come back - or to use another location. The main takeaways for my post if you don't want to read (TLDR): 1. This location should NOT be advertised as a float - it is seriously very dangerous when the water is low, we all popped our tubes and had small injuries from the rocks - I am glad with my injuries being small - it could have been SOOO much worse 2. Aggressive turtles and water snakes everywhere 3. The entire float route is surrounded by private property so there is literally no way to exit unless you go to the end .. The day started out great - the Gruene location was nice, we did not pay for parking as others have mentioned (not sure why we didn't). The main complaint about the actual location where you sign in and get your tubes are the rest rooms. They were not clean and the water did not work. Also, the entire place was run by children which was very weird to me. There was no one over the age of 20 working the day (Sunday) we went. A kid that looked to be literally 13 was the one to help us into the river and didn't say a word to us- just looked at us and put the tubes in the water (which I understand - I was shy at that age as well). My main concern and the reason why I am posting is that this route (in my opinion) should NOT be used by this company as an advertised float. It was genuinely super dangerous. I have floated multiple times throughout Texas and have not encountered rocks and rapids like this. We got stuck multiple times on the rocks and it took us 3 hours to just get half way to the first exit. After the second set of rocks we were DONE. Our tubes had all popped and several of us had injuries (nothing super serious - bruises and cuts from the rocks - one girl hurt her back pretty badly and had spasms) . We called the company and asked for someone to pick us up (to which another child answered the phone). They offered to bring us new tubes - which they did. The kid that brought us the tubes told us we were two hours from the exit (which apparently was not correct). Because they wouldn't come pick us up and told me we had to tube down to the end where the exit is - we decided the best option was to call the non-emergency number for the Sheriff. She told us to call 911 to get more precise coordinates for our location - which we then did. An ambulance came and the EMT's found us and were able to escort us out of the back of people's homes (we did not want to trespass on these people's properties - also there were giant staircases we were unsure if the one girl with the back injury could even make it up). Everyone was fine, the EMT's dropped us off at the entrance to Rockin R - which we were then greeted by the location's owners. They told us it had been a misunderstanding and they didn't realize someone was injured - which I literally told them over the phone twice. After the confusion subsided, they did give us free passes to come back - which I won't be using. I understand these things happen and we did sign waivers - but the company should not be using this route. Someone will get seriously injured on these rocks one of these days. I guarantee it..

What a gorgeous trail! This was such a good find. Plus nothing else was open because of the…read moreholiday. I needed a short hike to shake off the day and this was it! Gravel nature trails that led me down to the lake and back within 30 minutes. I saw a few people along the trail which was nice too! All the trails led back to the parking area and they're easy to read on the map in case you feel lost. Highly recommended!

Time for a 2025 update on the changes to the visitor experience here at Madrone Trail. My past…read morereviews go over the terrain (varied with rock gardens, shade, & minimal elevation change) and rules (stay on trail; no lake swimming access). Check those older reports for more details. The biggest change since my last update is the opening of the Butterfly Garden just a few yards from the trailhead off Canyon Park Road. This curated and annotated pocket park is a neat little fenced-in microbiome of native plants offering a great place to observe the changing seasons and pollinators at work. The local chapter of Texas Master Naturalists have done a wonderful job here! The devastating drought in Central Texas for the past several years has dropped the level of Canyon Lake by 29 feet and there's no end in sight. This is sad for many reasons, but offers some interesting opportunities at Madrone Trail in early 2025. The shoreline has changed dramatically and you can now see what used to be under water since 1968. During our most recent visits in 2024-2025, we've walked on uncovered asphalt roads that used to service the Hancock community. We've also found sunken water craft and all sorts of lost objects from boaters over the years. WORD (the local nonprofit that stewards this park) is currently cleaning up all 85 miles of Canyon Lake's shore, so most of the big items will be taken away soon. However, it's always appreciated when trail visitors bring a trash bag and pick up any smaller debris encountered along the way.