Spring-fed, limestone-lined, and worth getting right. A guide to where they run, what to know before you go, and how to leave them the way you found them.
The Hill Country River CodeThe 12-point code for these rivers ▾Built with the locals who know these rivers best. The Frio and the Guadalupe show what happens when a river gets loved too hard — these are the few things that keep the rest the way they are.
Find your river
A gentle, family-friendly float through Wimberley and the town of Blanco. Calm, clear pools with easy access at Blanco State Park — good for swimming, fishing, and a slow afternoon rather than a fast ride.
One of the shortest rivers in Texas — spring-fed to a constant 70–72° and running right through New Braunfels at Landa Park. Calm, clear, and easy, with the famous tube chute and tubing year-round.
Cold, clear, spring-fed water through Concan and the canyon past Garner State Park. Limestone bluffs, cypress shade, and the classic Hill Country tube — packed in summer, beautiful and quiet in the shoulder seasons.
The Hill Country's most famous float. Dam-controlled and cypress-lined below Canyon Lake with rapids and outfitters everywhere; quieter, clearer water upstream around Kerrville and Comfort.
Rugged and granite-bottomed, running through Llano and Junction. The spring-fed South Llano stays reliable even in dry years and is a family favorite at the state park near Junction.
Clear and cypress-lined, winding through Bandera and the town of Medina — the Cowboy Capital's home water, good for a slow float or a fishing afternoon.
Clear water through the Nueces Canyon past Barksdale, Camp Wood, and Vance. Limestone bluffs, cypress, and some of the darkest night skies in the Hill Country — the start of the Three Twisted Sisters drive.
Best known at Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City — water cascading over 300-million-year-old limestone slabs. Runs the 290 wine corridor past Stonewall and Fredericksburg; flashy after rain, so watch the gauge.
A small river through Vanderpool and Utopia, rising in the canyons of Lost Maples. Clear pools, cypress, and bigtooth maples that turn red and gold in the fall, in the western Hill Country.
Crystal-clear and spring-fed to a steady 72° year-round, winding through the college town of San Marcos. A summer favorite for tubing and paddling, with cypress shade and the Rio Vista chutes downtown.
A note on conditions: river levels change with the season and the rain, and they vary from one stretch to the next — a river that's perfect for tubing in spring can run too low by late summer. Always check current conditions before you go, and never get on water you're unsure of.