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Hamilton Pool Preserve Waterfall – Photo by Jonathan Cutrer.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Hamilton Pool Preserve

Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool that came to be when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion. This happened thousands of years ago. The pool is located 37 kilometers west of Austin in the Texas Hill Country.

The preserve consists of 232 acres of protected natural habitat. A waterfall which is 15 meters flows into the Hamilton Pool. The pool is jade-green in color. The temperatures of the water in the waterfall reach up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hamilton Pool Reserve is part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve which is owned by Travis County. It is a protected area purposing to ensure that both land and endangered species are secured. Many people visit the preserve annually to enjoy the scenery. Let us now look at the top 10 interesting facts about the Hamilton Pool Reserve.

1. The Hamilton Poll waterfall never dries up completely

The Hamilton Creek spills out over limestone to create a 50-foot waterfall. The waterfall plunges into the head of a steep canyon box. The waterfall never dries up completely.

During dry seasons, the waterfall goes down to a slow trickle. However, the water level in the pool remains constant thought the year. The drought period does not affect the level of water in the pool.

2. An 8-year-old discovered the collapsed grotto

A 15-meter-tall waterfall exists due to the collapse of an underwater river’s dome. Photo by Trey Perry.

In the 1880s, the land on which the pool sits was bought by the Reimers family. They were immigrants from Germany. The land was bought because the family practiced the raising of sheep and cattle.

It is believed that their 8-year-old son discovered the collapsed grotto. The Reimers used it as a safety hazard for their livestock. Later on, they realized the value of the grotto as a recreational space. 

They opened the property for public use. However, few people had transportation. Therefore, few people managed to reach the preserve and enjoy the scenery.

3. Lipan Apaches and Tonkawa lived in the area in the 1800s

The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. The Lipan Apache on the other hand is Southern Athabaskan native Americans who were indigenously in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.

They inhabited the area in the 1800s. By the mid-1860s, Morgan C. Hamilton acquired the property. He was a government official whose brother, Andrew Jackson Hamilton was the Texas Governor then.

4. There is a limit to the number of people who can be in the preserve

Hamilton Pool Waterfall – near Austin, Texas. Photo by Jonathan Cutrer. .

Because the preserve limits the number of people inside at a time, the Hamilton Pool Preserve resorted to a reservation system. Previously, people would wait in lines outside the park only to be turned down. The reservation system was put in place to ensure better customer care service and public safety.

The number of people swimming per day is also limited. The reason for this is to maintain the preservation of the swimming hole. Therefore, a reservation to enter the preserve does not presume a reservation to enter the pool.

5. It is home to endangered species

The Thelesperma filifolium wildflower spotted by the Hamilton Pool near Dripping Springs, TX. Photo by Kumar Appaiah.

The Hamilton Pool Preserve is a system of endangered species habitats. The preserve is home to the Golden-cheeked Warbler and a variety of other birds.

The greatly diverse vegetation in the preserve range from semi-arid species in the uplands to riparian species in the canyon. In the upland’s savannah, the juniper, oak savannah, and a variety of native grasses and wildflowers thrive.

While the canyon areas along the creek are overflowing with canyon mock-orange, red bay, and chatterbox orchids. To maintain the delicate balance between tourism and the integrity of wildlife and the environment, the number of visitors to the preserve is limited.

6. Swimming in the pool is occasionally restricted

Since the natural pool and creek are not chemically treated, the water is monitored regularly. The stewards in the preserve disallow swimming at the pool regularly. This is common due to high levels of bacteria and excessive rainfall.

Guidelines were given in 2020 to disallow swimming in the preserve for an unknown period. This is because rocks have begun falling at locations surrounding the pool. It is, therefore, not safe to swim in the pool until the issue is resolved.

7. It was cited as the most significant natural area in rural Travis County

In 1980, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department cited Hamilton Pool as the most significant natural area in rural Travis County. Travis County purchased the 232 acres from the Reimers family.

The county went on to implement a land management plan to restore the Hamilton Pool. land management that is still ongoing in the preserve is endangered species surveys, prairie restoration, water quality monitoring, and biological inventories.

8. The pool has been featured in several films

The jade-green color of the pool is a huge attraction in the Hamilton Pool Preserve. Due to how picturesque it is, the pool has been featured in various films.

Some of them are the film The Hot Spot directed by Dennis Hopper, the 2010 sci-fi thriller Predators, and The Tree of Life a Terrence Malick film.

9. The water in the pool is very cold

The temperatures can drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and spring. That is too cold for swimming. Swimming status is determined by bacteria levels and recent rainfall. There are no lifeguards at the pool also.

10. The pool has natural filters

Hamilton Pool Preserve – one of the many lush areas in Central Texas. Photo by Enoch Lai.

The rocks around the pool consist of limestone. Limestone has natural filtering action. This is the reason why the water in the pool maintains a jade green color.

The pool is surrounded by limestone slabs and stalactites can be seen hanging from the ceiling of the underground portion.