Other swimming holes in Texas

Where the other swimming is in Texas

The Hill Country holds the icons — Barton Springs, Hamilton Pool, Jacob's Well, Krause Springs, the Blanco, Guadalupe, Frio, and Comal — all fed by the Edwards Aquifer.

In this directory, Austin And Georgetown Swimming Holes, Houston And Beaumont Swimming Spots, and Kerrville Hill Country Swimming Spots are among the other spots we document in Texas. The full list below reaches Austin, Georgetown, Houston, Beaumont, Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt, and Johnson City.

Barton Springs and Jacob's Well hold about 68-72°F year round; the Comal and San Marcos are similarly constant.

Reading conditions before you go

Because this group mixes water types, treat each listing on its own terms rather than applying one rule to the set.

Where a listing names its water source — spring-fed, dam-released, tidal — that source tells you more about temperature and current than the category does.

Recent rain matters for anything moving and matters less for anything still.

In Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality publishes the water-quality and algal-bloom advisories that apply to these waters. Check them alongside the live gauge data rather than instead of it.

Other safety in Texas

Scout depth and current from the bank before entering anywhere unfamiliar, and enter feet-first the first time.

Assume no lifeguard, no cell signal, and a long response time.

Check posted signage for swimming bans — these are often the sites where legal status is least obvious.

The Hill Country is flash-flood country — the Blanco and Guadalupe have killed people in sudden rises. Hamilton Pool closes on bacteria counts and requires advance reservations. Jacob's Well bans diving after multiple deaths in its cave system, and its flow now stops entirely in drought years.

Cold water deserves more respect than most swimmers give it. The National Weather Service notes that cold shock can be as severe at 50-60°F as at 35°F, and that the involuntary gasp reflex can be triggered by water as warm as 77°F — which is why entering slowly matters even on a hot day.

When to go

Texas swims april through october, with the most reliable water may to september. Spring-fed water is swimmable nearly year round; the season is long but midsummer is brutally hot.

Varies by listing — open the individual pages for season notes.

6 of these listings carry their own best-time note from the land manager or from reader reports — open them for the specifics rather than relying on the state-wide window alone.

What to bring: Water shoes, a dry bag, and a charged phone with an offline map.