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Take
IH35 Business (Austin Avenue) north into Georgetown.
After crossing the bridge over the South San Gabriel River, turn right.
There is another access road a few hundred yards down the road.
San Gabriel
Park
Georgetown
Springs is located within San Gabriel Park. Williamson
County abounds with springs and has a very old history of occupation.
Turkeys, chickens, mountain lions, fish, alligators, otters and beavers
all called this place home at one time. This park has been used for
large meetings and gatherings since at least 1879, and Santa
Fe's expedition spent the night there in 1841.
The
South San Gabriel River flows through beautiful San Gabriel
Park and creates a wonderful swimming hole, and one of my favorites.
The river has been dammed and creates a serene area for swimming.
It is wide and perfect for swimming laps. The water is green and the
banks are lush with vegetation; tall cottonwood and pecan trees provide
wonderful shade. Ducks and fish willingly share the water with swimmers.
There are no lifeguards on duty. The rush of the water spilling over
the dam is a nice sound.
The park is situated in downtown
Georgetown within walking distance of the historical district.
It is quiet, peaceful, and well-manicured. Lush flower gardens with
fountains and benches for courting can be found throughout the park.
There are covered picnic tables with grills, Frisbee golf, a playground,
horseshoe pits, and volleyball courts, as well as numerous ballfields
and open spaces. A footbridge connects the park to the opposite bank.
The park also has a recreation center with lots of amenities, as well
as a municipal swimming pool (see Georgetown Municipal Pools, page
203). The three-mile, concrete Pickett hike and bike trail
begins at the south end of Blue Hole and leads to Chautauqua Park.
There are many scenic overlooks of the river along the trail.
Georgetown
Hotels > Book Here |
BLUE HOLE
Rock Street
Georgetown,
Texas
North of downtown Georgetown
off TX 81 and Austin Avenue at the end of Rock Street. Turn onto
2nd Street just below the South San Gabriel River Bridge.
Blue
Hole reminds me of Barton
Springs before the concrete retaining wall and amenities were
installed. It has picturesque blue-green water which cuts through
the San Gabriel River valley. The park is primitive, but the city
has tried to keep it in its natural state and still accommodate
the heavy traffic. There are two short dams that divide the water
into sections. Behind the first dam is a deep and wide pool where
float on rafts and tubes. Just beneath the first dam the water flows
over rock outcroppings forming two gushing waterfalls and small
rapids for playing in. There is a smaller dam below that with a
shallow, but still wide, area to swim and float in. One side of
the shore is rocky and pebbled, and the other is covered in vegetation.
There is minimal parking and no stopping on the one-way road that
parallels the river. A small dirt lot up the road holds some cars,
but otherwise you just have to park and walk from neighboring streets.
A few picnic tables dot the sloping hillside facing the pool.
Editor's Note:
Readers should be aware that "cliff diving" is illegal
in Georgetown.
See following letter:
We would appreciate it if you removed this sentence [from the article
mentioning the Blue Hole] the following portion: "people dive from
cliffs." While we are aware that it may happen on occasion, it is
illegal to "cliff dive" in the City of Georgetown.
Thank you, Robyn Rye Administrative Assistant to Tom Yantis, City
of Georgetown, September 20, 2007
Text and photos courtesy of Chandra Moira Beal and
La Luna Publishing
Copyright Chandra Moira Beal, 1999
See Georgetown,
Texas
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