Springs Eternal

When the temperature hits 100, the best place to get wet is always the closest place. But if you’re willing to travel, we know 25 great spots where you can cannonball, belly flop, or do the can opener (instructions included) into cold, clear, flowing freshwater. (Our definition of “swimming hole” excludes salt water and any pool that isn’t spring-fed.) So grab your goggles, throw a towel and a magazine (we can think of a good one) in your backpack, and prepare to have your core temperature lowered. If only for an afternoon.

by Charlie Llewellin

1) Barton Springs Pool

Austin

Crowded on weekends - Shade - Lifeguard - Grilling

Now that it has been blessed twice—by Taoist monks from China and Tibetan monks from India—maybe the springs will survive the whirl of progress that continues to transform the capital. It’s long been the jewel in the city’s violet crown, and rightly so. Just below the diving board, the spring that feeds the pool—named Parthenia after one of “Uncle Billy” Barton’s daughters—pushes out an average of 27 million gallons a day, making it the largest of the many that flow out of the Balcones Fault in this area. The combination of a beautiful setting, beautiful people, and cold, refreshing water makes Barton Springs the best swimming hole in the state. Recipe for a perfect afternoon: Combine towel and sunscreen, add people- watching and shade to taste, and bake until ready for refrigeration. Repeat until sunset. For best results, add your honey. If you’re hungry: burgers and shakes at P. Terry’s. In Zilker Park, at 2101 Barton Springs Road. 512-476-9044. Open year-round; hours change seasonally. $3.

2) Blue Hole

Wimberley

Crowded on weekends - Shade - Rope Swing

This gorgeous spot on Cypress Creek in the heart of Wimberley Valley is probably the quintessential Texas swimming hole. Tall old-growth bald cypresses and other trees cast pools of shade so picture-perfectly that one might imagine this to be a mirage constructed to taunt the hot and sticky. After a battle with developers in 2005, the Village of Wimberley purchased the 126-acre tract and designated it a regional park, with plans for tennis courts and a soccer field. Hmmm. All I ask is that they leave the swings. If you’re hungry: black bean tacos at the Cypress Creek Café. 333 Blue Hole Lane. 512-847-0025. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Sun—Thur 10—6, Fri, Sat, & holidays 10—8. $5.

3) Brinks Crossing

Center Point

Shade

Shady trees, a sandy beach, a large rocky area for sunbathing, and the deep brown river make this a top-notch swimming spot. To sniff this place out, I used Guerrilla Swimming Tactic No. 2, according to which you explore anything named River Road to see where it leads (Tactic No. 1 is a secret I will take to my grave). Never has Tactic No. 2 paid such dividends! A hidden gem, and the ground was noticeably freer of beer cans and other detritus than most public spots. Gold stars to those who keep it that way. If you’re hungry: Bring a picnic. Where Center Point River Road crosses the Guadalupe River. Free.

4) Balmorhea State Park

Toyahvale

Picnic Tables - Shade - Grilling - Camping

The San Solomon Springs push out 22 million to 28 million gallons a day at Balmorhea, and the resulting oasis is worth a stop (or even a long detour) any day. The huge L-shaped pool (one and three quarters acres!) has plenty of room for the bales of turtles, schools of small fish, thronglets of children, and gaggles of scuba divers that gather in, around, and under the water. Screw up your courage and take a plunge off the high dive. The hole’s strange moniker was derived by combining the names of Messrs. Balcum, Moore, and Rhea, the gentlemen who developed the land, in 1906. If you’re hungry: homemade burritos at Balmorhea Grocery. Off Interstate 10, on Texas Highway 17 South just past Balmorhea. 432-375-2370. Open year-round, 8—sunset. $7.

5) Hamilton Pool

Travis County

Crowded on weekends - Picnic Tables - Shade

Oblivious (for now) to the subdivisions mushrooming nearby, Hamilton Creek flows on gamely, making a little Niagara as it cascades over a limestone shelf into a steep wooded canyon. Generations of Austinites have played under the fifty-foot falls and swum in the big, round, bright-green lagoon. The pool is part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, so one might hope this magical spot will be preserved for many years to come. On busy summer weekends, consider pulling into Milton Reimers Ranch Park instead (the entrance is just south of Hamilton Pool) and hiking down to the Pedernales River. Be advised: Like many swimming holes, Hamilton Pool is occasionally closed due to high bacteria levels, so it’s wise to call ahead. If you’re hungry: Bring a picnic. Thirteen miles west of Texas Highway 71 on Hamilton Pool Road (FM 3238). 512-264-2740. Open year-round, 9—6. $8 per vehicle.

6) Garner State Park

Uvalde County

Crowded on weekends - Picnic Tables - Shade - Rope Swing - Grilling - Camping

You can get into the Rio Frio almost anywhere the smaller roads running east from U.S. 83 cross it. The best place is at Garner, which, unsurprisingly, is the most popular of all the state parks for overnight camping. The ashe juniper-covered peaks that rise to the west between the river and the highway make a stunning backdrop to the bald cypress-lined river as it tumbles over rocky rapids into the slow, wide section leading to the dam. Tube, float, paddle, and grill your heart out all day, but be aware that the place is an absolute zoo on weekends, so you should plan on getting there very early. For a different experience, visit on a weekday morning, when you will have the park entirely to yourself. If you’re hungry: Bring a picnic. A quarter mile east of U.S. 83 on RM 1050. 830-232-6132. Open year-round; hours change seasonally. $6.

7) Schlitterbahn West

New Braunfels

Crowded on Weekends - Picnic Tables - Shade - Lifeguard

A gol dang amusement park is the seventh-best swimming hole in Texas? Hey, recall that for the purposes of this article, what defines a swimming hole is flowing freshwater. Given that, how could I resist the Comal River-powered rides in the old section of the best water park in the country? The shady oak trees on the steep riverbank down which the rides swoop and glide give the place the air of a rural retreat, and the view across the leafy city does nothing to dispel this notion. When it’s your partner’s turn to shepherd the kids, grab a tube and float in the pool until you feel ready for the swim-up bar, conveniently situated in the hot tub. Family fun really doesn’t get much better than this (or, it must be noted, much more expensive). If you’re hungry: Dippin’ Dots are a must. 305 W. Austin. 830-625-2351. Open April through September 21; hours vary. $37.99 ($29.99 for kids 3—11).

8) Deep Eddy Pool

Austin

Crowded on Weekends - Picnic Tables - Shade - Lifeguard

While I acknowledge the superiority of Barton Springs, Deep Eddy is always my first choice in Austin, because there I can actually swim up and down the lap lanes. What, you don’t need to practice your butterfly stroke? Lots of grass to lie on and a large pool to wade in make this a popular destination for parents and kids too. Even without the fifty-foot cottonwoods that the city removed in 2004 amid wailing and lamentations, this pool, fed from two 30-foot wells, remains a special place in the heart of the city, with its own congregation of (mostly middle-aged) devotees who gather here after work every afternoon. If you’re hungry: Mag Mud at the Magnolia Café. 401 Deep Eddy Avenue. 512-472-8546. Open year-round; hours change seasonally. $3.

9) Medina River

Near Bandera

Picnic Tables - Shade - Grilling

In case you’ve forgotten, YouTube will remind you that “Funky Cold Medina,” rapper Tone Loc’s 1989 hit single, was a song about a magic love potion that worked on both women and dogs. I am unaware of any connection between the song and the river but can attest to the power of this secluded loop between Peaceful Valley Ranch Road and Ranger Crossing, just north of Bandera, to relax humans and canines of both sexes. Perfect for tubing on a Sunday afternoon. If you’re hungry: buffet at the Old Spanish Trail Restaurant. Six miles north of Bandera on Texas Highway 16. Free.

10) Fort Clark Springs

Bracketville

Crowded on weekends - Picnic Tables - Shade - Grilling - Camping

Las Moras Springs, named by Spanish explorers (moras means “blackberries,” though I found none in the vicinity), was the local spot for rest and relaxation for some 12,000 years before Fort Clark was built along the creek, in 1852. The old fort is now a gated residential community with a golf course and a motel. The adjacent pool, the third-largest spring-fed pool in Texas, is a serious rival to Balmorhea for the title of Best in the West. For day-trippers, it may be the main factor in answering the age-old “I-10 versus Highway 90” quandary. If you’re the sort who always picks I-10, take the low road next time and spend a night in Bracketville. Warning: The swimming pool is open only to motel guests or those signed in by a guest. If you’re hungry: enchiladas at Julie’s Place. Just south of U.S. 90 on Fort Clark Road. 830-563-2493. Open year-round, sunrise to sunset. Free to motel guests.

11) Krause Springs

Spicewood

Crowded on weekends - Picnic Tables - Shade - Rope Swing - Grilling - Camping

The Hill Country is mecca for fans of the open-air dip, and the family-run Krause Springs is one of its most hallowed shrines. Octogenarian Elton Krause is the guardian angel at the gates of this piece of paradise on earth, or, more specifically, on Cypress Creek. There, in the shade of cypress, oak, and sycamore trees, the water tumbles down a steep bluff over ferns and crashes into a small, deep pool. Arrive early to beat the crowds. If you’re hungry: brisket at Opie’s BBQ. Just off Texas Highway 71 on County Road 404. 830-693-4181. Open year-round, 9—sunset. $5.

12) Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area

Ratcliff

Picnic Tables - Shade - Grilling - Camping

With Boykin Springs, in the Angelina National Forest, closed since Hurricane Rita, Ratcliff Lake is arguably the most beautiful place to swim in East Texas (though the Neches River boasts a number of fine holes too). Deep in the Davy Crockett National Forest, this picturesque fishing lake has a roped-off swimming area, and you can rent a canoe for exploring and then a pedal boat when your arms get tired. Plenty of camping and great hiking (the twenty-mile Four C Trail starts here) make this an unbeatable place for a weekend getaway. If you’re hungry: Bring a picnic. One mile east of Ratcliff on Texas Highway 7. 936-655-2299. Open year-round, sunrise—10. $3 per vehicle.

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