Now that it's almost Summer 2022 - yay! - and there are lots of changes this season in WORD-leased…read moreparks, it's time for an update to my review from last year. Please check out that comprehensive narrative if you want to learn about what "WORD" is and why the rules and fees here are different from other parts of Canyon Lake, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Before you head to this park on the North side of Canyon Lake near Brookshire Brothers off 306, be sure to check social media (the "book of face") to see what WORD's latest updates are. That is where they will post any notices about the park being full, maintenance closures, or changes in policy. Make sure you sort Posts by Most Recent. https://www.facebook.com/Canyon-Park-on-Canyon-Lake-112315650954797 The biggest change for 2022 (April 1 - September 30 operating days) is a pricing increase for anyone without a vehicle registered in Comal County. If you are visiting from out of town, you will now pay $20 per carload. Locals driving their Comal County-registered vehicle (per the windshield sticker as proof) get in for $5 per carload. Gates will close when the park reaches capacity and no one is admitted after the gatehouse closes for the day at 6p. Gatehouse Hours (for Swim Beaches): Mon - Fri: 10a - 6p Sat, Sun, & Holidays: 8a - 6p Swim Beach Hours: Mon - Fri: 10a - 7:30p Sat, Sun, & Holidays: 8a - 7:30p Another major change this year is that the Madrone Trail parking area (for the free hiking, mountain biking, and trail running trail system) is closed every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This means you cannot access this trail system without paying to enter the park on the weekends, and you will be subject to park closure at capacity. For 2022, the boat ramp and day-use picnic sites at the tip of the peninsula (Park Areas 2, 3, & 4) have the same locals $5/non-locals $20 pricing structure, but you can get in as early as 8a (and should because these fill up fast each day in the summer). You must exit these areas by 7:30p, so plan accordingly to get your boat out in time at the end of the day or be banned. The WORD gatehouse staff do not mess around. More details available at https://wordcc.com/canyon-park/

The older male attendant with the beard refused to refund my $20 after our GPS took us to the wrong…read moreentrance and we had to make a U-turn before even getting to enjoy the lake. He told me, "No refunds, I'm sorry," and I replied, "You're not sorry." It was incredibly frustrating to lose $20 without seeing any part of the lake. I wish the staff had more discretion and common sense to handle situations like this, especially when the issue was caused by incorrect directions rather than us using the facilities. Couldn't even hold eye contact with me.

The base area is nice to drop your boat in. Very private and good for beginners. I haven't spent…read morethe night in the cabins but they look nice. Moose Out

Military lake SOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! if your in/ part of family military this is the spot ! Water…read moresooo blue and not freezing cold they have camping also which is $15 to camp we came for Father's Day and was not crowded at all this is our spot !!!! Enjoy if you guys come :)

If you're in the San Antonio area, the damn lake gorge tour is a must for you and your family. We…read moreused this as a team outing as our international team members came to visit. What fun we all had. The tour is less than 2 miles of a walk on a very slow leisurely pace. The guides will provide highlights and answer any questions along the way. Go online and reserve your space. Tickets sell out way ahead of time. This is because so many local schools bring students here for tours. You will be amazed to learn, not only geological structures, but also the effects of mother nature and the dam break that created the gorge a few years back. We left appreciating the forces of mother nature and the army corp of engineers even more. Don't be surprised to see fault lines, and dinosaur tracks, as well as, and beautiful views at every turn.

Great car show we went to this past weekend. The lake is gorgeous and not hard to find. We went to…read moreNorth Park but what sucks is it's only open from April to September. With such nice spots to picknik or camp they really should open it more throughout the year.

Absolutely loved the food! The service was great. My only suggestion is to put a soft close on the…read moredoor to the patio.

Had a great time here amazing service everything went smoothly…read more Great help over the phone as well

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.

Not ideal for getting to the water with a lot of items, it was quite the hike and down steep rocks…read more Kids needed assistance. Not sure if all areas are like this but the area we went to was. When you get to the water very rocky, no soft place to sit or lounge on a towel. I recommend bringing chairs to sit on. Water was very choppy due to all the jet skis and boats.

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....

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.

Stopped by during my lunch break while working in Wimberley Texas. Very nice park with good hiking…read moretrails and parking lots. There's a visitor center, and several gardens and placards all along the trail to tell the history and ecology of the area. The well itself did not appear to be flowing or if it was it was flowing only slightly. The hike as you get close to the well is a little bit more treacherous, but not too bad. Once you are there, the well is dark emerald green in color. It looks kind of mysterious. lol Good spot for a short hike to explore some nature and see a natural wonder.

I'm sure that during its peak season and at its full potential, the well will be much more…read morecaptivating and visually appealing than my experience of it. But despite that notion, Jacob's Well overall is very underwhelming. The hike is probably the shortest and least challenging I've ever experienced. There are several mini trails that are great for kids to explore, along with a large tire swing at the front entrance. Jacob's Well is definitely very kid- and senior-friendly as it's not very strenuous at all to hike or walk around. It's a nice that it's there for everyone to experience nature but again, very underwhelming. We spent about half an hour there which was enough time to experience the entire area. Definitely worth a visit if it's your first time in Wimberley.

I had a great experience renting a jet ski with Elite Water sports. This was my first time renting…read moreone and I wasn't sure what to expect. Their pricing is great compared to other rental businesses in the area I looked at. They were very helpful in explaining how to operate the ski and telling us the best spots to go on the lake.

We had a such a great time at the swimming hole today! We arrived at 10:30am, wristbands for adults…read morewere $10 and our daughter's (12) was $6. The area is big with plenty of tables and spots to set up chairs, cooler etc. You can bring your own cooler it just can't contain alcohol. The area was also clean and water was beautiful. We rented two tubes for $5 each that lasted three hours and a paddle board that was $10 for an hour. Very family friendly and although we didn't purchase anything they have a cool two story bar where you can buy alcohol and sit on the patio by the water. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we will be back.

Had so much fun here!! The walk up bar was nice, with the option to order food from the two nearby…read morerestaurants (and they delivered it to the bar!) I recommend bringing your own chairs, they do have quite a few picnic tables but they fill up fast.

You cannot receive mail here. You cannot receive packages here. There is no cable TV, their list…read morethey give you of channels is nonexistent. Internet is good and free. Otherwise, quiet, nice park.

Great RV park with river access! They have a pool and dog park as well. The dog park was closed…read morewhile we were there. Bathrooms and showers were decent and usable! They were not nasty or gross, but they were a little hot and humid in the evenings. We drove down about a mile and floated back to Rio Guadalupe and enjoyed every minute! There's a shuttle there that adds $20/tube or person. You can use the shuttle if you are not familiar with the area! The cabins were super cute! May try them out next time!