Hamilton Pool Preserve

Hamilton Pool Preserve is one of Texas's most photographed natural swimming holes, formed when the roof of an underground river grotto collapsed thousands of years ago, creating a jade-green pool beneath a dramatic 15-metre waterfall. Hamilton Creek drops over a limestone overhang draped with moss and maidenhair fern into the circular pool below. The swimming area is spring-fed and cold at around 20°C. Travis County operates the preserve with a reservation system to protect the fragile ecosystem.