We drove from New Braunfels’ Faust Hotel over to the vast Canyon Lake and Dam Texas to check it out. This dam and reservoir is a site to see while in the Texas Hill Country. It is truly a monumental feat of engineering.
The dam is located 36 miles (58 km) northeast of San Antonio and 38 miles (61 km) southwest of Austin.
The dam’s primary purpose was two-fold. The first purpose was to contain the Guadalupe River and control regular flooding downstream. The second purpose of the dam was to create a reservoir for water recreation and other enjoyment by the community.
The dam is 6,830 feet (2,080 m) long, across a narrow section of the Guadalupe River valley. The top of the dam is 974 feet above sea level, or 224 feet above the riverbed.
One of the original thoughts was to used the reservoir for the city of San Antonio. But, the development of Canyon Lake had an unforeseen secondary effect on developing the economy of Comal County. Neighborhoods were being developed quickly all around the 60-mile lakefront and throughout the hills that surrounded the lake. In fact, over 80 new neighborhoods had been developed by the mid-1980s.
Construction of the Dam
Construction of the Dam on the Guadalupe River Mile 303 began in 1958 by the Tencon Corporation of Fort Worth. Impoundment of the lake began in 1964, and the lake was filled to conservation level in 1968. The US Army Corps of Engineers controls the physical operations, while water in the lake is managed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.
Canyon Dam was dedicated on April 20 1966. The total cost was $20.2 million.
The dam is 6,830 feet (2,082 m) long, across a narrow section of the Guadalupe River valley. The top of the dam is 974 feet (297 m) above sea level, or 224 feet above the riverbed. A spillway protects the dam by releasing water when the lake level rises to 943 feet above sea level.
The dam is located near the Balcones Escarpment. The rocky canyons to the west of the escarpment can carry more water than the riverbeds of the plains to the east; this has caused problems with flash flooding in cities and towns east of the escarpment.
What town is at the bottom of Canyon Lake?
The towns of Hancock and Crane’s Mill are completely submerged beneath Canyon Lake. The remains of the town disappeared under Canyon Lake when it began filling in the 1960s, but in the 1980s a lakeside park still carried the name Cranes Mill.
Walking Out on the Dam
The Canyon Lake Dam is the only public access dam in the USA. You can physically walk out on the dam and its a pretty awesome site.
Flood Control
The dam was constructed to serve two purposes – flood control and water conservation. Flood protection is provided to 157,250 acres of land downstream from the dam. The high canyons of the upper Guadalupe have a channel capacity of 40,000-50,000 cubic feet per second. The channel on the lower Guadalupe River has a capacity of only 13,000-30,000 cubic feet per second; therefore, the lower Guadalupe River Basin has been especially subject to serious flooding. The construction of Canyon Dam on the edge of the Balcones Escarpment has been very effective in protecting the lower Guadalupe River Basin.
Canyon Lake Activities
Canyon Lake is most known for water recreation. There is also other outdoor recreation, including hiking trails and parks. It has eight park areas for people to camp, swim, boat, and picnic. Bank fishing is also available in all of these parks.
Boating
There are many places to go boating at Canyon Lake, Texas, including places that offer boat rentals, places that offer jet ski rentals, and places that offer other types of watercraft.
Fishing
It is no surprise that if you go to Canyon Lake you will want to experience some of the best fishing in the area. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, largemouth bass is the most popular and most abundant sport fish in the reservoir.
TPWD has worked with the Army Corps to install fish attractors made out of plastic and cedar to provide housing for fish. You can find a map to where these attractors are here.
Swimming
Once you are at the lake admiring the cool water, and you feel the sweat beading up due to the Texas heat, you are sure to want to go for a refreshing swim. This is a favorite of the locals as well.
Canyon Lake has 3 parks with beaches on them, and visiting each of them ranks best things to do in Canyon Lake!
All of the beaches, and the shoreline, are “swim at your own risk” and do not have lifeguards on duty. Because of this, make sure to bring a life jacket or borrow one of our loaner jackets.
Drive the Guadalupe River Road
The perfect road trip to Canyon Lake will start with a drive down the magnificent River Road. The River Road travels alongside the Guadalupe River between Canyon Lake and the New Braunfels area. This beautiful road runs 10 miles and is lined with enormous Cypress trees. It is a beautiful drive.
Visit a Scenic Park near Canyon Lake
One of the easiest ways to enjoy the views of Canyon Lake is to visit one of its many local parks. The US Army Corps of Engineers builds and maintains 8 parks around Canyon Lake. They are perfect for camping, swimming, biking, boating, hiking, and horseback riding.
Go Scuba Diving
Canyon Lake is a favorite among scuba divers in Central Texas! The creation of the lake left many houses, schools, and other structures like the historical towns of Hancock and Crane’s Mill still sitting at the bottom of the lake. The lake typically has 20 feet of visibility so there are great opportunities to explore underneath the water.
Go for a Hike
Canyon Lake has over 31 trails covering over 171 miles! Follow one of them and discover plenty of picturesque views, curious wildlife, or a wild adventure in the Texas Hill Country.
Explore the Canyon Lake Gorge
In July of 2002, torrential rains and flooding caused up to 67,000 cubic feet of water per second to flow over the spillway of Canyon Lake, Texas for approximately six weeks.
As a result of this, a 1-mile long gorge covering over 65 acres was created! Visiting the Gorge is like stepping out of a time machine, as the gorge provides exposure to rock as old as 111 million years old!
The Canyon Lake Gorge is an outdoor classroom where you can explore fossils, dinosaur footprints that have been undisturbed for millions of years, a series of pools that are fed by springs, waterfalls, and a relatively new ecosystem.
Guadalupe River Spillway
A spillway, located south of the dam, protects the dam by releasing water when the lake level rises to 943 feet (287 m) above sea level.
Canyon Lake and Dam are well worth the few minutes it takes to drive there from New Braunfels, TX or other point in the Texas Hill Country.
If you like this content, check out our posts on the Canyon Lake Dam, Gruene Historical District, downtown in the Faust Hotel in New Braunfels, New Braunfels Historic District, Landa Park, and other posts covering destinations in the New Braunfels and Texas Hill Country area. Check out this post on the Beautiful Pedernales Falls State Park and Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Park and Ranch near Johnson City in the Texas Hill Country.
In addition, you will want to check out our Texas Hill Country videos on our YouTube Channel at Travel with D and E.
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