Hamilton Pool

About this spectacle

Hamilton Pool is a collapsed grotto on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, where an underground river carved away the limestone ceiling over millennia, leaving a jade-green swimming hole ringed by dramatic overhanging bluffs. A 50-foot waterfall tumbles from the grotto lip directly into the pool below, misting visitors who stand beneath it. The pool is shaded for much of the day by the curved rock overhang, giving the water a luminous, almost otherworldly green hue. Visitors follow a short creek trail through cypress-shaded canyon before arriving at the pool. The sound of falling water echoes off the rock walls, and swallows nest in the limestone crevices overhead. In spring, wildflowers line the trail and water levels are typically fullest. Summer crowds are significant, and a reservation system has been implemented to manage access.

When to go

Jan — Dec, peak Mar — May

Getting there

Nearest airport: AUS. Nearest city: Austin.

Booking options

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