Hamilton Pool and Westcave Preserve

Yesterday (Sunday) was a beautiful day, so after church I loaded up Catherine and the kids into the car to take a chance at getting into Hamilton Pool.  I say take a chance, because the county park officials regulate how many people can get into the pool (swimming hole) at any one point in time.  The park is located about 20 miles or so west and south of Austin.

We took our chances, hoping that since it was early May and Sunday, that we'd be able to get in (they don't allow you to wait along the road, so it is either make it or don't).  When we first got there, they were turning folks away, the pool was closed.  Fortunately, there was a sign for Westcave preserve just a mile down the road, so we went there to see if that was worth visiting.

It was.

The photo, below, is from the area just outside the visitor's center at Westcave.  The flowers and cacti were blooming, which were really very pretty.

We got there in time to sign up for a guided tour down to the Westcave and grotto, which we all agreed was cooler than Hamilton Pool (we got in on our way home).  The kids chatted up the tour guide the ENTIRE way to the grotto, Catherine and I were chopped liver...

The tour guide told us she enjoyed the questions and comments (rattlesnakes are actually polite, because they rattle before they strike - says Ian in regards to the tour guide's comment about all four poisonous snakes residing in/around the preserve).  Gotta love that boy!

The photos, above, are from the grotto just outside of Westcave.  Leah is doing her modeling thing.  Again, I have no idea where she learned that.

We spent about two hours roaming around Westcave, enjoying the hike and the sights.  We left Westcave and went past Hamilton Pool to see if we could enter the second time around, which we were able to do.  So we hiked the quarter mile down from the parking lot to the crowded pool.  It is a really good idea that they control the numbers, or this place would be teeming with people.

The roof to this cave fell in a long, long time ago, leaving this really cool swimming hole, complete with waterfall.  Thanks to the magic of photoshop, I've cloned out most of the people, leaving in only those folks on the far side under the waterfall.  We are glad we went to see it (the kids got their feet wet - water was 65F, no way I was going to swim), but we all thought the Westcave Preserve was neater.  I'm sure in July when the temperature is 105F+ that Hamilton Pool would be the better place to go cool off (you aren't swimming at Westcave), but for our money, Westcave was the better of the two.

Have a great day!

Marc