I chose this area of Texas to live for it’s amenities, one of which was access to lakes or rivers. The Hill Country offers quite a few places with lakes or rivers, so I can actually enjoy more than one area.
A friend was visiting and we decided to go see my tiny community in Liberty Hill, then scoot over to Georgetown to kayak on the lake a few hours. On a Monday this was perfect. Between school starting and folks at work the lake was not crowded. Hot temperatures made cooling off in the lake pure joy.
We rented our kayaks from San Gabriel Paddlers. The owner, Jonny, met as at Randall Park on lake Georgetown. The rental include the kayak, life jacket and dry box/cooler. He can also set you up with fishing pole holders if you want to fish. He has Diablo kayaks which were invented by a couple of Texans and are a cross between a kayak and a stand up paddleboard. It’s a wider platform with a chair on top, which makes getting in and out much easier. You can also stand up and fish. Texas rivers often have really shallow sections over rock, so this navigates the shallows very nimbly.
The weather was perfect with beautiful clouds occasionally blocking the sun and just a joy to look at. There were only a few boats on the lake and some people swimming in a roped off area with a sandy beach.
We crossed the lake and paddled up to a grotto where there was a small waterfall and a big dripping rock overhangs covered in moss and ferns. On my way back across the lake I was surrounded with jumping fish! The lake is known for large and smallmouth bass, crappie, and catfish. I decided a swim was in order, so I beached my kayak, and jumped in . The water was pretty warm, but had cold under currents. It got deep really fast. I’m told the lake is 85’ deep at its deepest point. There are nice picnic shade structures, camping and 4 boat launches on this 1200 acre lake which is the dammed San Gabriel River.
A perfect summer day on the water!
