Canyon Lake’s back in business after heavy rains and flooding along the upper Guadalupe River caused lake levels to rise from 877 feet on July 5 to 892 feet on July 20. feet. Canyon Lake is almost 70% full.
Boat ramps that were closed indefinitely due to the prolonged drought are slowly reopening.
Ramps now open are:
- #1 579 Skyline Dr., Canyon Lake. Free. The courtesy dock is closed.
- # 14 Jacob’s Creek Park, 698 Jacob’s Creek Park. $20 for non-military.
- #18 in Canyon Park on the north side of Canyon Lake. $5 with Comal registration sticker, $20 without.
- #19 at Canyon Lake Marina, 280 Marina Dr., Canyon Lake. Fees may apply.
Boat Ramp Rules and Regulations
- Wear a life jacket. A legal life jacket must be on board the boat for every passenger. All children under 13 must wear a life jacket at all times. It’s the law.
- Life jackets are required for all children 12 and under when boating, kayaking, canoeing or rafting.
- Take a boater’s ed course. It’s the law for boat operators born on or after Sept. 1, 1993. It could save your life. Visit tpwd.texas.gov/education/boaoter-education for more information.
- Almost 50% of all boating accidents involve alcohol. Intoxicated boat operators will be prosecuted.
- Personal watercraft must keep 50 feet away from all objects and persons when on plane, including other boats and personal watercraft.
- An engine cut-off switch must be worn by the operator of any motorboat under 26 feet in length if operating at a speed above the no-wake speed. To learn more about Texas Parks & Wildlife boating laws and regulations, visit tpwd.texas.gov/boat.
- Do not swim, fish, scuba dive, or picnic in water safety zones around boat ramps.
- Boat ramps can only be used to launch, recover, inspect or repair a watercraft.
- Obstructing parking or the launching/recovery of watercraft is prohibited. Be courteous and share ramp space with others launching or loading.
- No wake zones = idle speed only
- Littering is strictly prohibited.
- No foam products on the water.
- No glass products on the water.
- No open plastic containers five ounces or smaller on the water.
- No trespassing on private property.
- Public nuisance behavior will not be tolerated.
- Violating WORD of Comal County ordinances and Comal County orders could result in a $500 fine.
For a complete list of local water safety laws, visit wordcc.com/area/water-laws and co.comal.tx.us/orders.htm (Order 519).
Boat Ramp Information
There are 23 boat ramps around Canyon Lake. Twenty-two ramps are on the main body of the lake, and one ramp is upstream on the Guadalupe River.
Most boat ramps are operated by either Comal County or by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and operates Canyon Lake.
County Engineers maintains this map of boat ramps, hours of operation, status and rules.
To learn more about recent improvements to county boat ramps, click here.
County Boat Ramps:
1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 22 and 23.
#1 Canyon Lake Village, 579 Skyline Dr. Low-water closure elevation is 889.07 feet
#2 Canyon Lake Village West, 2410 Colleen Dr. Closes at 892.28
#5 Canyon Lake Forest, 3150 Canyon Lake Forest Dr. Closes at 905.15
#6 Canyon Lake Hills 1 – East, 2078 Canyon Lake Dr. Closes at 894.73
#7 Canyon Lake Hills 2 – West, 2050 Ledgerock Landing. Closes at 897.65
#8 Canyon Springs Resort, 1298 Canyon Springs Dr. Closes at 892.72
#11 Cypress Cove, 3850 Tanglewood Trl. Closes at 901.60
#22 Canyon Lake Shores, 808 Park Shores. Closes at 903.87
#23 Mystic Shores, 22100 N. Cranes Mill Rd. Closes at 903.31
USACE Boat Ramps:
#10 in Cranes Mill Park, #17 in Little Jacob’s Creek Park, #20 in Potters Creek Park and #21 in Potters Creek West.
# 17 and #21 are open for day users.
#20 is for campers only.
For general information about USACE boat ramps and parks, click here.
Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (WORD) Boat Ramps:
#3, #4 in Comal Park and #18 in Canyon Park.
Boat ramps #3 and#4 do not have specific closure elevations. Boat Ramp#18 closes at 883 feet.
For more information about Comal and Canyon parks, click here.
Other Boat Ramps:
Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA): #14 in Jacob’s Creek Park 1, #15 in Jacob’s Creek Park 2, and #16 in JBSA Hancock Cove.
Crane’s Mill Marina: #9
Canyon Lake Marina: #19
Canyon Lake Yacht Club: #12
General Information
The 909-foot measurement is the lake’s elevation above sea level, not depth. If the lake’s elevation dropped below 800 feet mean sea level, it would be just about dry. The original river channel that was flooded to create the lake is significantly above sea level.
To learn more about individual boat ramps, click here.
To learn more about the real-time status of county-operated boat ramps, and maps of each ramp, visit the Comal County Engineers’ website and click on “Boat Ramps.”
For detailed information about Canyon Reservoir, visit this page by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.
For more information about the history of Canyon Lake and lake levels in general, click here.
