Texas whitewater - San Marcos River, Hays/ Caldwell/ Guadalupe County

Hays/ Caldwell/ Guadalupe county, San Marcos to Martindale section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS I-II     11.5 miles
 
Don't miss the new whitewater park here on the San Marcos River, because it is always flowing at a clear 72 degrees from the giant San Marcos Springs.  There is over 30ft of drop in the pristine top section of the San Marcos River (before the confluence with the Blanco River).  So schedule a trip to San Marvelous as soon as you can. Says Ben Kvanli

The natural beauty of Texas and the playfulness of the water make the trip here worthwhile. The put-in location is a short drive from Austin-Round Rock, there's a road map further down the page with
    more info on that. The San Marcos to Martindale section of San Marcos River is 11.5 miles long and has been rated as a class I-II section by American Whitewater. If you hurry you can run this stretch in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so go ahead and pack your camp stove.
Lodging is available near the river, but do book a room before you come because it is a very popular destination. Getting a good workout and spending some quality time in nature are great reasons to come. There's camping available near San Marcos River. San Marcos River doesn't have a lot of paddling stretches, the San Marcos to Martindale stretch is the only one. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking around here you'll find a large number of good spots. Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in this state tend to be more forgiving than the  
national average, so you'd better keep in mind that lots of rivers here are good for beginners.

Briefly about the general area:
San Marcos River is right by the Prospect Park Trail. All through the summer at San Marcos River temperatures are commonly in the 90's. Summer nighttime lows dip down to the 70's. During the wintertime the highs are mostly in the 50's with winter lows in the 30's overnight here at San Marcos River. San Marcos River is a good location of normal rain; May is the month that gets the most rain; January on the other hand is the driest.

San Marcos River, San Marcos to Martindale road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: I-II
Length: 11.5 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 29.87611
Longitude: -97.93667

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 29.83472
Longitude: -97.84417

Paddler input for San Marcos River, Texas:

Submit Input:
Your Name:
Write or Paste Input here:

Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines




Current weather conditions at San Marcos River, Texas
WXPort

Local climate location: CANYON DAM 25 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

San Marcos-Days Inn, San Marcos
3 miles away
Welcome to the Days Inn San Marcos. The hotel is located just minutes from the beautiful Guadalupe River and within 2 miles of Texas State University, and we're only 5 minutes from the famous Prime Ou...

Red Roof Inn San Marcos, San Marcos
3 miles away
The San Marcos Red Roof Inn is located 1 mile from Aquarena Springs, 6 miles from Prime Outlets shopping and 19 miles from the Schlitterbahn water park. This Inn features interior corridors, an outdo...

Knights Inn San Marcos, San Marcos
3 miles away
The hotel is conveniently located off of the main highway in the Heart of San Marcos. This location is convenient to all local attractions. Within a few minutes you can reach any attraction in town. F...



OTHER_INFO
  All Texas Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Texas.
Books about whitewater paddling on San Marcos River, Texas
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on San Marcos River, Texas.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Texas

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Austin-Round Rock, Texas
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Austin-Round Rock, Texas, the metro area neareast to San Marcos River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near San Marcos River.
 Whitewater Near San Marcos River:
Blanco River, Hays County , 10 miles away, Class II-III - 20 miles long (Wimberley to Kyle)
Guadalupe River, Comal County , 19 miles away, Class II-III(V) - 22 miles long (Canyon Dam to Cypress Bend Park)
Comal River, Comal County , 20 miles away, Class I-II(III) - 1 miles long (New Braunfels)
Onion Creek, Travis County , 23 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 5 miles long (Wm Cannon Dr E to R Moya Pk)
Barton Creek, Travis County , 25 miles away, Class III - 5 miles long (Lost Creek to Loop 360)
Barton Creek, Travis County , 25 miles away, Class III - 4 miles long (Loop 360 to Zilker Park)
Barton Creek, Travis County , 26 miles away, Class I-II - 12 miles long (SH 71 to Lost Creek)
Blanco River, Blanco Hays County , 26 miles away, Class I-V(V+) - 35 miles long (Blanco to Wimberly)
Colorado River, Travis County , 27 miles away, Class II - 0.1 miles long (Austin Below Tom Miller Dam)
Colorado River, Travis County , 27 miles away, Class II - 0.1 miles long (Austin Below Longhorn Dam)
 Hotels Near San Marcos River:
San Marcos-Days Inn, San Marcos , 3 miles away
Red Roof Inn San Marcos, San Marcos , 3 miles away
Knights Inn San Marcos, San Marcos , 3 miles away
Howard Johnson San Marcos, San Marcos , 3 miles away
Comfort Inn San Marcos, San Marcos , 3 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near San Marcos River:
Pecan RV Park, San Marcos, 0 miles away
United Campgrounds-san Marcos, San Marcos, 3 miles away
Shady Grove Campground, Martindale, 4 miles away
 Trails Near San Marcos River:
Prospect Park Trail, Hays County , 5 miles away
Lockhart State Park Trail, Caldwell County , 13 miles away
Mary Moore Searight Park Trail, Travis County , 19 miles away
 Golf Courses Near San Marcos River:
SWT Golf Course, San Marcos , 4 miles away
 Lakes Near San Marcos River

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater