At a glance

Lifeguards: only Barton Springs posts lifeguard hours. Until the "To check" and "Not stated" cells are filled, plan as if there's none.

Who this guide fits

1. It fits anyone in or around Austin, or visiting, who wants to swim outdoors: in a spring-fed pool in town, or in a creek or river out of town. In this guide, "the City pools" are Barton Springs, Deep Eddy and Big Stacy; "the natural spots" are the rest.
2. Bringing children? Barton Springs is the only place in this guide that posts lifeguard hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays. Hamilton Pool and the San Marcos River say there's no lifeguard, and the other natural spots don't say. Plan as if there's none. The CDC's advice is a life jacket on children in natural water, for every activity (section 11).
3. Bringing a dog? Barton Springs, Hamilton Pool and Krause Springs don't allow pets, and Wimberley's Blue Hole keeps them off the swim lawn. The Greenbelt and Georgetown's Blue Hole allow dogs on a leash, and at the San Marcos river parks dogs stay on a leash or held at all times. Read the algae advice first (section 10).
4. Need an easy way in? Hamilton Pool's quarter-mile trail is steep, narrow and rugged, with uneven steps. Big Stacy has a chair lift.
5. Visiting from out of town? City of Austin pools charge non-residents more: an adult pays $9 at Barton Springs instead of $5. Wimberley's resident rate is for its own ZIP code, 78676.

Barton Springs Pool

Barton Springs: no reservation, lifeguards from 8, closed Thursday daytime.

You don't need a reservation for Barton Springs, but you do need its hours. It opens at 5 a.m., lifeguards come on at 8 (before that, you swim at your own risk), and every Thursday it closes from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for cleaning. It's a three-acre pool in Zilker Park, fed by springs. The water stays around 68 to 70 degrees all year, and the pool runs from zero to 18 feet deep.

Buy a ticket ahead in the City's ATXswims app, at the kiosks by card, or with cash at the window at either entrance. The City generally charges from the Austin school district's spring break through the end of October. Its fee pages don't list a fee for the rest of the year, so call 512-974-6300 to confirm before a winter visit.

Leave the cooler in the car. Food, glass, alcohol, pets, coolers and portable speakers aren't allowed, and neither are frisbees, hard balls or fishing gear. Inflatables are fine only where the water is 5 feet deep or less. The springs are home to the Barton Springs salamander, an endangered species, which makes the pool federally protected habitat.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: none. A ticket is good until the end of the day.
2. Day fees, from the Austin school district's spring break through October (resident or non-resident): ages 1 to 11, $2 or $4; 12 to 17, $3 or $5; 18 to 62, $5 or $9; 62 and older, $2 or $5. No charge under age 1, or for honorably discharged veterans.
3. Season pass: sold each spring, good through 31 October. Adults: $190 resident, $280 non-resident.
4. Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., lifeguards from 8 a.m. Thursdays: open 5 to 9 a.m. without lifeguards, closed 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., lifeguards 7 to 10 p.m. Below 32 degrees, the pool stays open, but with no lifeguards.
5. Pay: the ATXswims app, card at the kiosks, or cash at either entrance.
6. Not allowed: glass, alcohol, food, pets, coolers and thermal bags, portable speakers, smoking, frisbees and hard balls, and fishing gear. Inflatables only in water 5 feet deep or less.
7. Parking: Zilker Park. Weekends and holidays from spring through Labor Day: $3 an hour at the pay stations or in the Park ATX app. Weekdays: no charge. Lots at 2201 William Barton Dr. (north entrance) and 1000 Azie Morton Rd. (south entrance).
8. Restrooms and showers: inside the bathhouse, entered from the pool side, while construction continues. The City posts repair closures on its parks closures page.
9. ACL Festival weekends: in 2026 the pool stayed open, and the only way in was the south entrance on Azie Morton Rd. Check the City's parks closures page before an ACL weekend.
10. Phone: 512-974-6300, or 3-1-1.
11. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Deep Eddy Pool

Deep Eddy: closed on Tuesdays, open mid-March through October.

Deep Eddy closes every Tuesday, and its season runs from mid-March through October. Lap swimming runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and recreational swimming from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pool is filled every day with untreated water pumped from underground (the aquifer) by wells on site, and it opens once it's full, which can be a little after 8 a.m. Fees are the same as at Barton Springs. After October, check before you go: the City's list of pools calls Deep Eddy a year-round pool, but its own page shows no winter hours.

It started as a swimming hole. In 1915 the owner of the land around it built a concrete pool, and the City calls it the oldest swimming pool in Texas. Its bathhouse dates from the mid-1930s, a New Deal public works project. There's a shallow side that runs from zero to 4 feet deep, and a deep side from 4 to 8 feet with eight lap lanes.

There are picnic tables, but no food is allowed downstairs by the pool.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: none.
2. Fees, from the Austin school district's spring break through October: the same as Barton Springs (section 1).
3. Season and hours: in 2026, 14 March to 31 October, closed Tuesdays. Lap swim 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; recreational swim 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It opens once the pool is full.
4. Pay: in the ATXswims app, or at the pool.
5. Food: picnic tables; no food downstairs.
6. Address: 401 Deep Eddy Ave.
7. Phone: hotline 512-974-1189; office 512-472-8546.
8. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Big Stacy Pool

Big Stacy: the warm one, open all year at no charge.

Big Stacy costs nothing to get in, it's open all year, and the water is warm: about 80 degrees, according to a 2024 KUT report. It isn't spring-fed like Barton Springs. The warm water comes from a well about 1,600 feet deep, mixed with city water. It's a six-lane, 33-yard outdoor pool in Travis Heights, from 3.5 feet deep to just over 9 feet. It opened in 1937.

Mornings belong to lap swimmers. On Mondays and Wednesdays the whole pool also closes to the public from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. for a City swim program, and opens again if the program doesn't run that day. It closes on a few holidays. And on a freezing morning, check before you go: City pools close when the air on the pool deck is 32 degrees or colder.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: none. Cost: none.
2. Schedule, from 31 Aug 2026 into spring 2027: Mondays and Wednesdays, lap swim 6 to 9:15 a.m., closed 9:15 to 10:30 a.m., then recreational and lap swim to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, lap swim 6 to 10 a.m., then recreational and lap swim to 8 p.m. Weekends, noon to 7 p.m.
3. Closed: Thanksgiving and the day after; 24 and 25 December; New Year's Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Presidents Day; and whenever the air on the pool deck is 32 degrees or colder. Short hours on New Year's Eve.
4. Facilities: chair lift, changing area, covered shower, family restrooms.
5. Address: 700 E. Live Oak St. Phone: 512-445-0304.
6. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

The Barton Creek Greenbelt swimming holes

The Greenbelt holes run on rain. Check the creek before you hike.

The Greenbelt's swimming holes only work when Barton Creek is running, so check the creek before you hike. The Greenbelt follows the creek for 7.5 miles of main trail, with more than 12 miles to explore in all, and when the creek runs it has named swimming holes: Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls and Gus Fruh among them.

Barton Creek runs on rain. In a dry spell it can stop flowing altogether. After a storm it can rise fast, and the City says the water level "can change quickly and without warning." The City doesn't watch it for you.

So check before you go. The U.S. Geological Survey's gauge on Barton Creek at Loop 360 posts the creek's flow online. Look at the date and time beside the latest reading: it should be from today. A reading of zero means the creek isn't flowing there. The Lower Colorado River Authority's Hydromet site posts river and rain data, updated every 10 minutes. And if it has rained in the last three days, the City's advice is to stay out of the water anyway.

The City lists no lifeguard, fee or reservation for the Greenbelt; plan as if there's no lifeguard. Dogs are welcome on a leash 6 feet or shorter. The City has found a harmful algae bloom in the creek below Sculpture Falls, so rinse your dog off before it licks its fur (section 10).

Twin Falls is reached from the Gaines Park/MoPac trailhead. Gus Fruh is about a quarter-mile walk from the trailhead on Barton Hills Drive. The Greenbelt guide covers every trailhead and where to park.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: none listed. Cost to get in: the City lists no entry fee.
2. Hours: City parks are open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3. Lifeguards: none mentioned; plan as if there's none.
4. Water level: not monitored by the City. Check the USGS gauge for Barton Creek at Loop 360 (site 08155300; make sure the latest reading is from today), or the LCRA's Hydromet site. The Greenbelt guide gives the full creek check.
5. Dogs: on a leash 6 feet or shorter; clean up after them.
6. Glass and alcohol: not allowed in City parks, except alcohol at reserved sites (City park pages).
7. Parking: the City lists four of the seven trailheads' parking as "free" (two lots and two stretches of limited street parking); Spyglass is street parking with no cost stated; Trail's End's street parking is paid every day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; the Zilker lot charges on weekends and holidays in its paid season. Every trailhead and its parking: the Greenbelt guide.
8. Contact: 3-1-1.
9. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Hamilton Pool Preserve

Hamilton Pool: book ahead, bring cash, and treat the swim as a maybe.

Hamilton Pool needs a reservation every day, takes only cash at the gate, and doesn't promise a swim. It's a 50-foot waterfall pouring into a collapsed grotto and canyon near Dripping Springs, run by Travis County. Read the fine print before you go.

Each reservation covers one vehicle and up to eight people, for a morning slot (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) or an afternoon slot (2 to 5:30 p.m.). You pay $12 online, then cash at the gate for each person, because the gate takes no cards. The person who booked, or the alternate named on the booking, must be there with photo ID. If neither is, the reservation isn't accepted.

Here's the fine print. The reservation gets you in, not necessarily in the water. The county decides each day whether swimming is allowed, from bacteria levels and recent rain, and even then only a small part of the pool is open, because of falling rock. In its own words: "Swimming is not guaranteed. In fact, it is frequently not allowed." The day's answer goes on the county's information line at 8:30 a.m. But the deadline to reschedule is midnight the night before, and no fees are refunded. Until that deadline you can reschedule or take a credit, good for a year. After it, you usually learn whether you can swim too late to change the booking. If you skip the trip, you lose only the $12 booking fee, because the gate fees are paid on arrival. For a sense of how often swimming is closed: from January to mid-July 2024, Fox 7 Austin counted 104 days with swimming allowed and 95 without.

So plan it as a hike with a chance of a swim. The trail down is a quarter mile, steep and rough, about 30 minutes there and back. There's no drinking water on site, only portable toilets, and no pets at all, not even left in the car. There's no lifeguard; life vests are lent at no charge while they last. In winter and spring, the water can drop below 50 degrees.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: required every day, online, through Travis County's Hamilton Pool page (it links to the booking system; the county only guarantees bookings made through its own link). One vehicle and up to 8 people. Morning, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., out by 1 p.m.; afternoon, 2 to 5:30 p.m., out by 6 p.m. Reschedule, or take a credit good for a year, by midnight before your day. On 13 Oct 2026, dates were open through November 2026.
2. Cost: $12 a vehicle online, not refunded. Then cash at the gate: $8 for ages 13 to 61, $3 for 62 and older, no charge for children 12 and under or for veterans rated 50% or more disabled. No cards at the gate. County annual passes aren't valid here.
3. Bring: cash, photo ID for the person who booked or the named alternate, the receipt, drinking water, sturdy shoes.
4. Swimming: not guaranteed. Call the Public Information Line, 512-854-2581, after 8:30 a.m. on the day. No lifeguard; life vests lent while they last.
5. Not allowed: pets (even in the car), glass, public drinking, tobacco, cooking, drones.
6. The walk: a quarter mile, steep, narrow and rough, with uneven steps; about 30 minutes there and back.
7. Facilities: portable toilets; no running water or electricity.
8. Address: 24300 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs. General line: 512-854-7275.
9. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Krause Springs

Krause Springs: private land, cash, and closed in winter.

Krause Springs is private land with its own rules: it usually closes for the winter, and it asks you to bring cash. It's in Spicewood, about 30 miles west of Austin by the owners' count, founded in 1955 and owned by the Krause family for more than 50 years, by the owners' account. There's a spring-fed pool up top and a natural pool below, and the owners say the springs run all year at about 68 degrees.

The winter closure usually runs from about 1 November to mid-February. In season it's open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, and nobody gets in after 8.

Bring cash; it's on the owners' what-to-bring list. Leave the dog at home, as they ask, and bring drinks in containers that aren't glass. Floats and tubes up to 5 feet long are fine.

And plan your ride home before you go. The owners say Uber and Lyft drivers won't take requests from Krause Springs back to Austin.

Fees, and whether day visits can be booked, are on the owners' rates page, which wouldn't load on 13 Oct 2026.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Season: usually closed 1 November to 15 February. In season, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day; no entry after 8 p.m.
2. Reservation for a day visit: not mentioned on the pages read. Camping: 24 RV sites with water and electricity, booked online; tent camping first come, first served.
3. Cost: on the owners' rates page. Bring cash.
4. Not allowed: pets (service animals with the owners' approval); glass.
5. Floats: up to 5 feet; no tube rental, but there's an air pump.
6. Getting home: arrange your ride before you go.
7. Address: 424 County Road 404, Spicewood. Contact: the owners' site lists 401-236-7554 and info@krausesprings.net.
8. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Blue Hole Park, Georgetown

Georgetown's Blue Hole: no fee, no reservation, and the City doesn't test the water.

Georgetown's Blue Hole costs nothing and needs no reservation, but the City doesn't test the water, so the checking is on you. It sits five blocks north of the downtown square: a still stretch of the San Gabriel River's South Fork, walled in by limestone. It's open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The City says plainly that it doesn't monitor the river's flow or bacteria, and that going in is at your own risk. A good rule here is the City of Austin's: stay out of natural water for three days after rain. And look at the City of Georgetown's news before you go. In January 2026, after a wastewater line failed and sent more than 100,000 gallons of sewage into the river, the City asked people to avoid the water through San Gabriel Park, including Blue Hole.

The rules are strict, and they're in the City code: no glass, no alcohol, no jumping from the cliffs or any rock face, and dogs on a leash, in the water too.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: none. Cost: none.
2. Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3. Lifeguards: none mentioned; going in the river is at your own risk.
4. Water: the City doesn't test it or watch its level.
5. Not allowed: glass, alcohol, jumping from cliffs or rock faces, pets off leash on land or in the water.
6. Where: 100 Blue Hole Park; the entrance is at W. Second St. and Rock St. Parking at no charge at 3rd and Rock, in the lot or the garage.
7. Phone: Georgetown Parks and Recreation, 512-930-3595.
8. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Blue Hole Regional Park, Wimberley

Wimberley's Blue Hole: book a half day, May through September.

Swimming at Wimberley's Blue Hole means booking a half day online, and only from May through September. It's a swimming hole on Cypress Creek, run by the City of Wimberley as part of a bigger park, and it runs on bookings and set hours. The season: every day from 1 May through Labor Day, then weekends through the end of September, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Out of season the swim area is closed, but the trails, playground and picnic areas stay open at no charge.

In season, you book a half day online: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or 2 to 6 p.m. Book both and you can stay through the hour in between. In 2026 a half day cost $15 for adults, $10 for ages 4 to 12, seniors 60 and up and military, and nothing for ages 3 and under. Wimberley residents, meaning the 78676 ZIP code, paid $6. Season passes go on sale in March for residents and April for everyone else, and the 2026 passes sold out.

Read the refund rules before you book. Cancel at least a week ahead and you get half back. There are no refunds for a bad forecast. If lightning strikes within 10 miles, the swim area clears for 30 minutes, and if your slot loses half its time or more, you get a full refund. The City tests the water for bacteria during the swim season, posts the results on its parks site, and stops swimming if bacteria or visibility levels become unsafe.

Ice chests, camp chairs, shade tents and floats are welcome. Alcohol, glass, smoking, speakers, kayaks, paddleboards and climbing or jumping from the trees are not, and children under 13 need an adult with them. Dogs can come to the park, but not onto the swim lawn.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: required for swimming, online only; season-pass holders don't book.
2. Season: daily 1 May to Labor Day, then weekends through September; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The park is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
3. Half-day prices (2026): $15 for adults 13 to 59; $10 for ages 4 to 12, 60 and up, and military; $6 for residents (78676 ZIP); no charge for 3 and under. A picnic table or an umbrella is $25 extra.
4. Season passes (2026): $175 adults; $150 ages 4 to 12; $125 seniors and military; $100 residents. On sale 1 March for residents and 1 April for others.
5. Refunds: half back if you cancel a week or more ahead; a full refund if lightning closes half your slot or more; no refunds for a bad forecast.
6. Water quality: tested for bacteria during the swim season; the results are posted on the City of Wimberley's parks site.
7. Not allowed in the swim area: alcohol, glass, smoking or vaping, speakers, grills, drones, bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, fishing, climbing or jumping from trees. Pets: not on the swim lawn.
8. Children under 13: with an adult.
9. Lifeguards: not stated; "swim at your own risk".
10. Wimberley Nights: for residents, each with up to 10 guests; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., 1 May to Labor Day; $2, card only; first come, first served.
11. Address: 333 Blue Hole Lane, Wimberley. Phone: 512-660-9111.
12. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

The San Marcos River

The San Marcos River: no fee at most parks, and strict rules on what you carry.

Swimming in the San Marcos River costs nothing at most of the City's riverfront parks, but what you can carry is strictly limited. The river starts at Spring Lake, where the springs hold steady at about 72 degrees, and runs through the city's riverfront parks. Rio Vista Park charged adults from out of town $5 on summer weekends and holidays in 2026, so check before a summer weekend; San Marcos residents who register get in at no charge. For a float, the Lions Club rents tubes at City Park; the float takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and a shuttle brings you back.

Single-use cans, bottles and cups aren't allowed in the river or along its banks. Neither is any container that holds 5 fluid ounces or less, anywhere in the parks or on the water. Each person can take one cooler of up to 30 quarts into the water and along the water's edge, with the lid secured, and no Styrofoam or glass. Alcohol is allowed on the river, but not on parkland, dams, spillways or bridges, and it gets on and off the river only at City Park and Rio Vista. Littering fines start at $250.

Parking at City Park costs money: the first 30 minutes cost nothing, then it's $5 for an hour, $10 for two, $15 for the day and $25 on holidays. San Marcos residents who register park at no charge.

There are no lifeguards, and the visitor bureau asks that children and new swimmers wear life vests. Dogs stay on a leash or held at all times. Leave the Texas wild rice alone: it's the plant some call seaweed, and it's an endangered species. Stay out of fenced areas, and don't stack or move the rocks.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Reservation: none. Cost to swim: none at most of the City's riverfront parks. Rio Vista charged non-resident adults $5 on summer weekends and holidays in 2026.
2. Where to get in: the City's riverfront parks, such as City Park and Rio Vista Park.
3. Hours: riverfront parks open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
4. Lifeguards: none. Life vests for children and new swimmers.
5. In and along the river: no single-use cans, bottles or cups; no container that holds 5 fluid ounces or less; no glass; no Styrofoam; one cooler of up to 30 quarts a person, lid secured; alcohol on and off the river only at City Park and Rio Vista.
6. Dogs: on a leash or held at all times.
7. Parking at City Park: first 30 minutes at no charge; $5 for an hour, $10 for two, $15 all day, $25 on holidays; registered residents at no charge. Texas State University's lots near Sewell Park: $5 all day on weekends and after 3 p.m. on weekdays.
8. Tubing: the Lions Club at City Park, 170 Charles Austin Dr.: $25 a tube with unlimited shuttle, or $15 for the shuttle with your own tube; last new tubes at 5 p.m. Season: not posted; check the Lions Club's site or call 512-396-5466 before you go.
9. Littering: fines start at $250.
10. Visitor information: San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau, 512-393-5930.
11. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Is it safe today? Rain, algae and floods

Before you get in: check the rain, the water and the sky.

Most of the natural spots in this guide have no lifeguard, and only two check the water for you. Travis County decides each morning whether Hamilton Pool is open for swimming, from bacteria levels and recent rain. Wimberley tests its Blue Hole for bacteria during the swim season, posts the results on its parks site, and stops swimming when the water isn't safe. The City of Austin says it doesn't regularly test its creeks and lakes for swimming, and Georgetown doesn't test Blue Hole. Everywhere else, the checking is on you.

Rain is the big one. When it rains, bacteria levels in creeks and rivers jump. The City of Austin's advice is to stay out of natural water if it has rained in the past three days. Stay out, too, if the water is warm and still, or if you see scum, film or algae on it.

Dogs face the bigger algae risk. Blue-green algae grows in Austin's lakes and creeks. In Austin, the deaths of six dogs since 2019 have been blamed on its toxins; the City believes they swallowed the algae. Keep dogs from drinking the water, rinse them off before they lick their fur, and call a vet if one seems sick after a swim.

Watch the sky, not just the water. Central Texas is known as Flash Flood Alley: steep ground, thin soil and heavy rain. On 4 July 2025, the Guadalupe River at Hunt rose 26 feet in 45 minutes. Pedernales Falls State Park warns that its river can go from a calm stream to a raging torrent in a few minutes. So check the forecast before you go. Don't count on your phone alone: emergency alerts reach phones without sign-up, but only for flash flood warnings the National Weather Service rates "considerable" or "catastrophic". Keep emergency alerts turned on in your phone's settings, and sign up at WarnCentralTexas.org too. If the water starts rising or turning muddy, get out of the river area right away. And never walk or drive into floodwater: 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult over.

Children, feet first, and water up the nose

A life jacket for every child, feet first, and keep water out of your nose.

Children: a life jacket and a watcher. The CDC's advice for natural water is a life jacket on children for every activity, and one adult who watches them closely the whole time: phone down, no alcohol. Barton Springs posts lifeguard hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays. At the natural spots, plan as if there's no lifeguard. Hamilton Pool lends life vests at no charge while they last.

Go in feet first. Depth changes, and things can hide underwater. Diving is among the leading causes of spinal cord injury, and Georgetown bans jumping from the cliffs at Blue Hole.

Keep water out of your nose. A rare amoeba in warm fresh water can cause a brain infection if the water goes up your nose. It's very rare, with 167 cases in the U.S. from 1962 to 2024, but only four people survived it. The protection is simple. You can't catch it by swallowing water. The CDC's advice: hold your nose or wear a nose clip when you jump in, and don't stir up the mud in shallow, warm water.

Places people ask about: Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin and Jacob's Well

Places people ask about: one you can't swim in, one with a swimming beach, one closed to swimming.

Lady Bird Lake: paddle it, don't swim it. Swimming in Lady Bird Lake is against City ordinance, and a 2018 report put the fine at up to $500. The ban goes back to 1964, after two young sisters drowned in the river's current. Algae is a separate concern: in October 2026 the City was still seeing blue-green algae at most of its monitoring sites on Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, though much less than earlier that summer. Paddling is allowed; swimming isn't. Dogs: the City doesn't say dogs must stay out of Lady Bird Lake, but six dog deaths in Austin since 2019 have been tied to algae, so keep your dog from drinking the water and rinse it before it licks its fur (section 10).

Lake Austin: a swimming beach at Emma Long Park. Lake Austin, upstream, is a different lake. The City's Emma Long Metropolitan Park has a designated swimming area, with an entry fee per vehicle. Check the City's parks closures page first.

Jacob's Well: look, don't swim. Jacob's Well Natural Area, near Wimberley, has been closed to swimming since June 2022 because the spring's flow dropped too low, and Hays County lists swimming as cancelled until further notice. You can still walk in and look: the natural area is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with no fee and no reservation, and no pets, glass or alcohol.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Lady Bird Lake: no swimming (City Ordinance 8-5-48, per Austin Police). Fine of up to $500 (a 2018 news report).
2. Emma Long Metropolitan Park, Lake Austin: a designated swimming area; $5 a vehicle Monday to Thursday, $10 Friday to Sunday and holidays, $1 to walk or bike in; card or coins at the pay stations, no cash; open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Water service at the park is off until mid-January 2027.
3. Jacob's Well: swimming cancelled until further notice (Hays County notice, 1 Oct 2026). Open for walking and looking, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., no entry after 5:30 p.m.; no fee or reservation; no pets, glass or alcohol. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. 1699 Mt. Sharp Road, Wimberley; 512-214-4593.
4. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Before you go

The day before

• Booked? Hamilton Pool needs a reservation every day. Wimberley's Blue Hole needs one for swimming, May through September.
• Open today? Barton Springs closes Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Deep Eddy closes Tuesdays.
• Open this season? Krause Springs usually closes 1 November to 15 February. Jacob's Well is closed to swimming.
• Krause Springs: plan your ride home before you go.

The morning of

• Rain in the last three days? Skip the natural spots.
• Rain in the forecast? Pick one of the City pools, and sign up for alerts at WarnCentralTexas.org.
• A creek spot? Check the water level first: the U.S. Geological Survey's gauge (make sure the reading is from today) or the Lower Colorado River Authority's Hydromet site.
• Hamilton Pool: call 512-854-2581 after 8:30 a.m. to hear whether swimming is open.

Pack

• Hamilton Pool: cash, the receipt, and the person who booked (or the named alternate) with photo ID.
• Cash for Krause Springs.
• Drinking water. There's none at Hamilton Pool.
• Water shoes for rocky creek beds and lake shores.
• A life jacket for each child.
• A nose clip for anyone who'll jump in.
• A trash bag: pack out everything you bring.
• Leave glass at home. In and along the San Marcos River: no single-use cans, bottles or cups, nothing that holds 5 ounces or less, and one cooler of up to 30 quarts a person.
• A dog? A 6-foot leash and water to rinse it off, and only where dogs are allowed.

At the water

• Pick one adult to watch the children: phone down, no alcohol.
• Look first: skip warm, still water and water with scum or film on it.
• Feet first. No diving, and no jumping from cliffs.
• Water rising or turning muddy? Get out right away.