Canyon Lake Gorge: It’s Fun, It’s Outside and It’s Very Educational for Kids on Spring Break
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Image courtesy of Airborne Aerial Photography/Guadalupe Blanco River Authority.
Kids of all ages love the 64-acre Canyon Lake Gorge, created over a week’s time in the summer of 2002 after 34 inches of rain fell in the upper watershed of the Guadalupe River, causing water from Canyon Lake to flow over the top of the lake’s spillway. An estimated 67,000 cubic feet of water-per-second surged downwards for six weeks, exposing 110-million years of geologic history.
The Gorge is considered to be one of the area’s most-riveting natural wonders. On display are ancient, crustaceous limestone, fossils and even dinosaur footprints.
It is a textbook example highlighting Hill Country geology and the exposed Trinity Aquifer, clearly showing faults, fractures and seeps in the limestone. Limestone layers created from an ancient sea are visible. Visitors can admire waterfalls, springs and beautiful lagoons.
Fossilized sea urchins are so perfectly preserved their spines and minute seams are clearly visible. Fossilized ocean ridges appear in the limestone.
To take a drone tour of Canyon Lake Gorge visit gbra.org/canyonlakegorge/default.aspx.
For students, it’s a real-life classroom for exploring how the aquifer’s underground permeable rock cavities soak up, store, and move rainwater that many in Central Texas depend on for drinking water and irrigation.
For more information or to schedule a tour of Canyon Lake Gorge, visit canyongorgetours.com. Participants must be at least seven-years-old. These three-hour educational hikes are led by a certified guide with the assistance of a trained docent. The trips are physically demanding and not recommended for people with heart conditions, bad knees, ankles, or in poor physical health. Good walking shoes and bottled water are required. Bring a backpack!
The gorge is undergoing a few upgrades to enhance the tour experience. The two-mile Gorge Overlook Trail (GOT) will run along the northern rim of the gorge. The trail will allow people of all ages and abilities to view the gorge from above, and at their own pace. The GOT is expected to open in late spring.
Canyon Lake Gorge is located at 16029 S. Access Rd., Canyon Lake. For more information, call 830-964-5424. Tickets are $10.
