As you climb through the steep canyon and see the clear, blue water just up ahead past some ferns, you will feel like you’ve been transported out of Central Texas and landed inside a jungle. This is the Hamilton Pool Preserve, a not-so-hidden gem in Dripping Springs, Texas a few hours south of Dallas.
If you grew up in Texas, you know what the Texas hill country looks like. Those wide open spaces are easily discernible. “But Hamilton Pool looks like a tropical rainforest. The jungle almost. It has steep canyons. There’s a 100% canopy on the trail heading down to the pool. A lot of vegetation,” said Park Supervisor Michael Brewster.
The Hamilton Pool Preserve is such a unique and scenic phenomenon that people will traverse the steep, rocky, and uneven quarter mile hike through the canyon to get to the water. A 20 minute walk through the canyon will reward you with a waterfall and endless photo opportunities. But while many people come to snap a pic or swim in the warmer weather, many people come to the preserve as an escape into nature.
Brewster has been working for the Travis County Parks since 1992. For all but five of those years he’s been at the Hamilton Pool. This has always been his calling. It’s in his blood, being around nature like that. He likes knowing what kind of animals are out there, if their population is improving. He likes to figure out how to save land from invasive plant species. But most importantly, he loves the people he meets at nature parks like the Hamilton Pool Preserve.
“I like the visitors that go to nature parks. I, myself, go to nature parks even in my spare time. If somebody wants to come and go fishing or go hiking, or they want to take pictures of the sunset and things like that, I can relate to them a lot,” Brewster told The Buzz.
Although Brewster is quite used to being out in nature, he said he is still caught off guard every time he ventures into the Hamilton Pool Preserve.
The Hamilton Pool Preserve in Travis County furnishes recreational and educational opportunities [Photo/Daniel McGrotty]
“When I visited Hamilton Pool for the first time I had no idea what I was getting into. I read in the state park magazine that it had mountain lion sightings back in the early 90s. ‘Get out of here,’ I thought. I went looking for that. But I found the tropical jungle going into the canyon instead. I thought, ‘This is crazy. I was just in Texas five minutes ago.’ That change in environment is pretty shocking, really. Even though I go down thousands of times, I’m amazed every time at how it changes as you go into the bottom of the canyon,” told Brewster.
It’s that sense of wonder. Of stepping into an oasis. Of feeling teleported somewhere you’d never expect. Somewhere right out of a movie. A fantasy. Hamilton Pool Preserve contains cool blue water under a waterfall and colorful trees lining the pool. The canyon covering the body of water makes you feel isolated and safe. It’s like you’ve escaped humanity, work, and traffic and found paradise.
Even though it always feels like a new discovery each time you venture into the preserve, park officials are pretty certain that the Hamilton Pool Preserve has been a well-known “secret” since there have been humans in Texas. Native Americans were the first to find the area. Then when Europeans moved into the area in the last half of the 1800s, an eight year old boy and his family stumbled upon the canyon and the hidden beauty within.
Throughout history, the Hamilton Pool Preserve has been astounding visitors. Brewster came across a pencil sketch from the 1880s. A German frontier artist had drawn the waterfall. Brewster studied this art at the University of Texas’ archives “under the watchful eye of the library staff,” and realized the waterfall looked identical today.
“Then I found photographs from the 1900s or so. Women are wearing corsets and big hats and little umbrellas. The men are all in suits and ties. They used to come out a lot to take photos here,” he said.
Seems like people haven’t changed a bit.
But humans aren’t the only animals to have discovered such an oasis. After campers began to litter the area in the 1960s, the county purchased the property and turned it into a nature preserve in 1985 to protect the animals within the sanctuary. That includes the federally endangered Golden Cheeked Warbler, a bird species that comes up from South America to nest in the preserve.
Brewster will often try to tell children on field trips about the special bird, but he noticed that kids are more fascinated by the area’s bug population.
“The kids go crazy for the insects. I’m not that big on insects, but I will tell them about the endangered birds and they’ll just see an insect and get distracted,” he laughed. “It’s nice to see kids who spend a lot of time in the city getting their hands dirty, looking at the animals, plants, and running water. All that outdoorsy stuff they don’t normally see.”
And the birds might be special to the area, but Brewster admittedly reveals his personal favorite pool visitor: porcupines.
“They warble around and aren’t afraid of anybody. Usually they come out at night when people are gone.”
Hamilton Pool Preserve is open 365 days a year, from 9 AM to 6 PM. But recently, the park has started to require reservations to come visit the preserve. This is a way to further protect the animals and plant species within, since they started getting an overflow of visitors in the past few years. So many guests have come that they have had to turn people away, something that really hurt Brewster. Especially when he learned people would come from other states - even other countries - just to see it.
Now, visitors must call and reserve a time slot on their chosen day to guarantee a visit to the Hamilton Pool Preserve. This creates a much more relaxing float in the water, photos that aren’t bombed by other guests, and a much safer environment for native species. Check out their website for fees and reservation information.
Check out some of the nearby parks while you’re in the area, including Reimers Park and West Cave Preserve. Both are just a mile from Hamilton Pool Preserve, the latter even offering nature tours every two hours. A quick drive to Austin will also take to you La Hacienda RV Resort. This sprawling luxury resort offers a wonderful amenity package and pet-friendly accommodations make it easy to bring the entire family on your vacation. Enjoy the swimming pools, hot tub, playground, fitness center, dog park, clubhouse, and the gorgeous pavilion building where most planned activities are held.
Next in nearby Austin is Lone Star RV Resort at 7009 S. I-35 in Austin. Just five miles from downtown, Austin Lone Star provides 154 spacious, tree-shaded sites complete with full hook-ups, and wireless internet. Several cabin rentals are too available.
Finally, Miller Creek RV Resort is only about 9 miles away from Dripping Springs, Texas. More info can be found here.