Hamilton Pool Preserve

Hamilton Pool Preserve, near Dripping Springs in Texas, is a natural pool beneath a collapsed limestone grotto, about 37 km (23 miles) west of Austin off Highway 71. The roof of an underground river collapsed through erosion, leaving an overhang over which Hamilton Creek drops about 15 m (50 feet) into the jade-green pool. Moss and maidenhair fern grow on the ceiling and rock walls, and cliff swallows nest there.

Before the 19th century the Tonkawa and Lipan Apache lived in the area; from the 1880s the land belonged to the Reimers family, German immigrants. In 1985 Travis County bought 232 acres (about 94 ha), and today the preserve is part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.

A reservation is required every day for a morning or afternoon time slot, booked online through Travis County; the entrance fee is paid in cash on site (as of October 2026). The trail under the overhang is closed because of falling rocks: you can reach the beach but not the waterfall. Whether swimming is allowed depends on bacteria levels and recent rain (as of October 2026). The path to the pool is steep, with rock steps and uneven ground. Dogs are not allowed, not even in the car. On nice days arrive early, because the preserve can fill up even on winter weekends.