🛶 Kayaking
11 guides
Kayaking and paddleboarding routes on Hill Country rivers and lakes.
Best LCRA Parks in the Texas Hill Country: Hidden-Gem Lakes, Trails, and Campgrounds
The Lower Colorado River Authority's parks do not have the name recognition of Enchanted Rock or Pedernales Falls, but some of the best quieter camping, lake recreation, spring bloom, and family outdoor weekends in the Hill Country are hiding in the LCRA system.
Best River Tubes, Dry Bags, and Water Shoes for Texas Float Trips
Texas float trips have specific gear problems: rocky exits, hot pavement, can bans, and shuttles that punish soft-soled sandals. Here's what actually works on the Comal, Guadalupe, and Frio.
Frio River Float Guide
Where to start, what makes the Frio different, and how to plan a better river weekend around Concan and Garner.
Guadalupe River Float Guide
Everything you need for tubing, kayaking, and swimming.
Garner State Park: The Hill Country's Best Summer Family Park (and How to Actually Get In)
Garner State Park draws more summer visitors than almost any other Texas state park — and it earns that reputation. But the reservation friction is real. Here's what makes it worth the planning effort, how overnight options stack up, and why the jukebox dance still matters.
Guadalupe River State Park Guide: Trails, Camping, and a Calmer Side of the River
Guadalupe River State Park is not the float-trip version of the Guadalupe. It's four miles of river frontage, 13 miles of trails, 85-plus campsites, and the Honey Creek add-on if you want more from the Hill Country than a tube and a cooler.
Inks Lake State Park: The Hill Country's Most Reliable Lake Day
Inks Lake holds steady water levels year-round, has a no-wake paddling zone, nearly 200 campsites and 22 cabins, and Devil's Waterhole tucked into its rocky shoreline. About an hour northwest of Austin, it earns its reputation as the Hill Country's most versatile lake-day state park.
A Perfect Weekend in Bandera: Cowboy Culture, Live Music, and the Medina River
Bandera earns its reputation not through branding but through delivery — a real dance floor at 11th Street Cowboy Bar, frontier history at the museum, Medina River swimming at City Park, and dude-ranch stays that make the weekend feel like something you couldn't do anywhere else in Texas.
A Perfect Weekend in Kerrville: River Town, Big Park, and the Folk Festival
Kerrville is the upper Guadalupe's most underestimated weekend base — a 517-acre park with river access, a 6-mile riverfront trail, and a folk festival identity that sets it apart from every other Hill Country town. Here's how to plan the trip, including what to verify before you go after the 2025 flooding.
A Perfect Weekend in Marble Falls: Lake Town, Live Music, and Real Hill Country Pacing
Marble Falls is not just a pass-through on the way to the lakes. The downtown is walkable, Johnson Park puts you on the water inside city limits, Brass Hall has live music, and Inks Lake is thirty minutes away when you want a full state-park day. Here's how to put it together.
San Marcos River Guide: Tubing, Swimming, and Choosing the Right Access Point
The San Marcos isn't just another Hill Country float. Spring-fed, campus-adjacent, and access-point-dependent, it rewards you for picking the right lane: Sewell Park's social hangout, Rio Vista's family-friendly base, or Lions Club's classic outfitter float.
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