Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Marcos Springs Head of the river, Spring Lake | Spring | 29.89407, -97.92992 | The river starts here: artesian springs rising through the bed of Spring Lake. Spring-fed and near-constant year round, which is why the San Marcos runs clear when the Blanco is low. |
| 2 | Spring Lake Texas State University, Meadows Center | Park / conservation area | 29.89322, -97.92940 | Protected headwater lake run by the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. Closed to public swimming and private boats; glass-bottom tours only. Paddling starts below Aquarena Dam. |
| 3 | Aquarena Dam Spring Lake outlet weir | Dam / hazard | 29.89034, -97.93404 | The weir that holds Spring Lake. No passage; the top of the floatable river is the tailwater below it. |
| 4 | Weissmuller Spring Spring Lake outflow reach | Spring | 29.88957, -97.93646 | Named spring vent on the outflow reach. OSM spells it Weismuller; the usual spelling follows the swimmer-actor who filmed at Aquarena. |
| 5 | Aquarena Springs Drive bridge Loop 82 | Bridge crossing | 29.88903, -97.93416 | First crossing below the dam. |
| 6 | Sewell Park Texas State University | Park / conservation area | 29.88829, -97.93428 | University river park on the left bank, the best-known swimming reach in town. Campus rules apply and it is not a boat ramp. |
| 7 | San Marcos City Park City of San Marcos | Park / conservation area | 29.88579, -97.93415 | The main in-town put-in area for tubes and short paddles, with parking and the Lions Club tube chute alongside. |
| 8 | East Hopkins Street bridge TX 80 | Bridge crossing | 29.88390, -97.93552 | |
| 9 | Union Pacific Austin Subdivision bridge Railroad crossing | Bridge crossing | 29.88365, -97.93534 | First of two Union Pacific bridges; the second follows about half a kilometre downstream. |
| 10 | Rio Vista Dam Rio Vista Falls | Dam / hazard | 29.87865, -97.93247 | Three engineered drops rebuilt as a whitewater park: the signature rapid in town, runnable in the chutes. It is still a dam, so scout it and portage river left if in doubt. |
| 11 | Rio Vista Park City of San Marcos | Park / conservation area | 29.87881, -97.93381 | Park wrapped around the falls, with the usual put-in and take-out for the tube run above it. |
| 12 | Cheatham Street bridge | Bridge crossing | 29.87773, -97.93312 | |
| 13 | Interstate 35 bridges I 35 / Purple Heart Trail | Bridge crossing | 29.87520, -97.93149 | Four decks cross within about 150 m here, mainlanes plus frontage roads; one marker stands for the whole crossing. |
| 14 | Capes Dam Thompson Island reach | Dam / hazard | 29.87277, -97.93190 | Low-head mill dam, partly breached and the subject of a long removal fight. Treat as a portage. |
| 15 | Thompson's Island Dam | Dam / hazard | 29.86913, -97.92900 | Second low-head structure on the island reach. Portage. |
| 16 | Cumming's Dam | Dam / hazard | 29.85605, -97.90594 | Low-head dam below town. Portage. |
| 17 | North Old Bastrop Highway bridge CR 295 | Bridge crossing | 29.85719, -97.89691 | |
| 18 | San Marcos River Retreat Caldwell County, north bank | Campsite | 29.85898, -97.88937 | Private riverside campground and canoe livery, reservations in advance. TPWD's leased fishing-access pages list the site, with the lease period shown as ended. |
| 19 | Sculls Crossing bridge | Bridge crossing | 29.84960, -97.85684 | |
| 20 | Martindale Dam Martindale | Dam / hazard | 29.84056, -97.84628 | Mill dam at Martindale, head of the popular Martindale-to-Staples float. Portage; a road bridge sits 80 m below it. |
| 21 | Farm-to-Market Road 1979 bridge FM 1979 | Bridge crossing | 29.83205, -97.84237 |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Spencer Canoes and Shady Grove Campground Martindale, canoe and kayak livery | Outfitter / canoe rental | 29.83071, -97.84176 | Livery and riverside campground at Martindale, shuttling the Martindale and Staples reaches. Mapped in OSM as a campsite. |
| 23 | Farm-to-Market Road 1977 bridge FM 1977 | Bridge crossing | 29.78299, -97.83145 | |
| 24 | Staples Gin Dam Staples | Dam / hazard | 29.78242, -97.83116 | Dam at Staples, immediately below the FM 1977 crossing. Portage; the usual take-out is above it. |
| 25 | Texas 130 bridges TX 130 Toll (Pickle Parkway) | Bridge crossing | 29.76880, -97.80511 | Twin toll-road decks; one marker for the crossing. |
| 26 | Leisure Resort Private RV and cabin resort | Campsite | 29.74663, -97.77564 | First of the riverfront camping cluster above Luling. |
| 27 | San Marcos River Resort Private RV park | Campsite | 29.74625, -97.77464 | Riverfront RV park a few hundred metres below Leisure Resort. |
| 28 | Son's River Ranch Private riverside camping and day use | Campsite | 29.74363, -97.77584 | Mapped in OSM as a campsite on the right bank; confirm season and day-use rules before planning a take-out here. |
| 29 | Saint Joseph Street bridge CR 247 | Bridge crossing | 29.72835, -97.76185 | |
| 30 | Stairtown Road bridge CR 119 | Bridge crossing | 29.71256, -97.73859 | |
| 31 | Union Pacific Glidden Subdivision bridge Railroad crossing above Luling | Bridge crossing | 29.66838, -97.70123 | First of two Union Pacific crossings about a kilometre apart. |
| 32 | Zedler Mill Park South City of Luling | Park / conservation area | 29.66475, -97.65394 | Luling's river park and the put-in for the Zedler Mill reach; parking and restrooms at the mill complex. |
| 33 | Zedler Mill Dam Zedler Mill, Luling | Dam / hazard | 29.66656, -97.65135 | Mill weir beside the restored Zedler Mill. Portage on the park side. |
| 34 | USGS 08172000 San Marcos River at Luling Stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 29.66634, -97.65086 | The gauge this float reads off; it sits just below the Zedler Mill dam. Check it before committing to the Luling or Ottine reaches. |
| 35 | Southside Park City of Luling | Park / conservation area | 29.66246, -97.64855 | Park on the left bank just below the mill, the usual take-out for the short Luling float. |
| 36 | River Bend RV Park Private RV park, Luling | Campsite | 29.65654, -97.65495 | |
| 37 | Son of Ottine Rapid Above Ottine | Dam / hazard | 29.63877, -97.60161 | Named ledge drop, mapped as a dam in OSM. Scout it; it is the hardest water on the lower river. |
| 38 | Palmetto State Park Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | Park / conservation area | 29.60288, -97.58177 | TPWD park on the Ottine reach with camping, river frontage and the dwarf-palmetto bottomland it is named for. Pole-and-line only in state-park waters. |
| 39 | Ottine Dam Ottine | Dam / hazard | 29.60032, -97.58780 | Low dam at Ottine inside the park reach. Portage. |
| 40 | County Road 232 bridge | Bridge crossing | 29.56349, -97.54381 | |
| 41 | US 90 Alternate bridge US 90 Alt above Gonzales | Bridge crossing | 29.51384, -97.49363 | Last mapped crossing before the Guadalupe confluence at Gonzales. |
Gauge: USGS 08172000 — San Marcos Rv at Luling, TX. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Guadalupe Bass, Largemouth Bass, Longear Sunfish, Rio Grande Cichlid, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass
Regulations: tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Spring Lake and the Meadows Center - the headwater springs, glass-bottom boat tours, restricted access.
San Marcos City Park and Rio Vista Falls - the busiest urban paddling and tubing reach.
Ramon Lucio and Cheatham Street accesses - in-town bank and launch points.
Thompson's Islands - a technical paddling reach below town with better fishing.
Westderfer Crossing - a common launch on the middle river.
Palmetto State Park near Luling - lower river camping and access near the gauge.
The Guadalupe confluence at Gonzales - the bottom of the river.
Spring: strong spring flows, excellent Guadalupe bass fishing before the summer tubing crowds arrive.
Summer: constant cool spring water and heavy recreational traffic through town; fish early.
Fall: crowds thin out and the river is at its best for paddling and fishing together.
Winter: quiet and clear, with the same steady spring temperature and very little use.