Face Masks Required at Canyon Lake Parks Operated by USACE

Visiting a Canyon Lake park operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)?

Mask up.

Visitors, volunteers and employees must wear face masks in all USACE buildings and facilities. Masks are required outdoors, as well, on USACE-managed lands and recreation areas where physical distancing isn’t possible.

This includes hiking on trails or visiting sites that may be popular or crowded.

Visitors actively engaged in water-related activities with a clear and immediate risk of masks becoming wet may temporarily forgo wearing masks.

These activities may include but are not limited to swimming, waterskiing, riding on personal watercraft, kayaking and other boating-related activities that present a clear and immediate risk to the mask becoming wet.

However, physical distancing must always be maintained whenever possible, USACE said.

In February, USACE said it would comply with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing, issued Jan. 20. USACE also follows guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Protecting the health and safety of our visitors and workforce are our top priorities,” said Thomas Smith, USACE Chief of Operations and Regulatory Division. “We must do all we can to ensure the health and safety of our workforce, our families, and our communities.”

USACE said it will continue to evaluate facility capacity limits and will implement measures to adjust the density of visitors in buildings, recreation areas, and other areas prone to crowding. Areas where crowding impedes physical distancing will be evaluated for closure or modification of operating procedures to reduce impacts.

The Corps will use social media and local news outlets to update the public on mask and physical-distancing requirements.

“We ask visitors to assist in our efforts by avoiding crowded areas and wearing masks,” it said in a press release issued in mid-February. “Park rangers are available to provide information, protect visitors and park resources, and to encourage compliance with this requirement.”

In Canyon Lake, USACE operates Canyon Park, Canyon Swim Beach, Cranes Mill Park, Guadalupe Park, Hancock Horse Trail, Little Jacobs Creek, North Park, Overlook Park, Potter’s Creek Park and Potter’s Creek Public Ramp.

For more information about the status of each park, click here.

About USACE

USACE is one of the nation’s leading federal providers of outdoor and water-based recreation, hosting millions of visits annually to its more than 400 lake-and-river projects. It’s estimated that 90 percent of the USACE-operated recreation areas are within 50 miles of metropolitan areas, offering diverse outdoor activities for all ages close to home.

USACE is an engineer formation of the U.S. Army with three primary mission areas: engineer regiment, military construction, and civil works.

For more information, call USACE’s Canyon Lake office at Overlook Park. The number is 830-964-3341.