Canyon Lake is half full and the boat ramps are closed due to low water levels, but there are still plenty of other outdoor recreational activities to enjoy over Spring Break.
Get Out on the Lake!
Only non-motorized watercraft like canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards can still launch from Comal County boat ramps #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 22 and 23; and at the ramps operated by the Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (WORD), # 3, 4 and 18. Boat Ramp #19 is owned by Canyon Lake Marina and closed to the public.
Swimming and fishing are allowed in the areas around boat ramps.
Canyon Lake is at a historically low depth — 879.16 feet or 48% full — and recreationalists are advised to exercise caution. Underwater trees and other objects may be right below the surface of the lake.
Rules at Boat Ramps
It is illegal to walk down a boat ramp to swim or fish. It is illegal to park on boat ramps. Drivers should park in clearly striped parking areas only. Over the last several years, Comal County has added parking spaces and improved signage at ramps.
Parks
The easiest way to get out on Canyon Lake is at the area’s two shoreline, day-use parks.
Comal Park
Wth two boat ramps, a 1,500-foot swim beach and a playground, the 116-acre Comal Park on the south side of Canyon Lake is the perfect place to enjoy a day by the lake.
The park features picnic sites, two boat ramps, a pea gravel-and-sand swim beach, and a playground. Restrooms are located throughout the park.
Recreational activities include sand volleyball, soccer, disc golf and a 1.2-mile walking trail. Vacationers can rent kayaks and stand-up paddle boards from Paddle Canyon Lake.
Reservations are not required but the park will close at capacity. Check Facebook for updates. Entrance fees are $5 per vehicle with Comal County registration stickers and $20 per non-Comal County registered vehicles. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. No entry after 4:30 p.m.
Comal Park is located at 1178 Comal Park Rd. For more information click here.
Canyon Park
The 485-acre Canyon Park is located on the north side of Canyon Lake at 1769 Canyon Park Rd. The day-use park has picnic sites, a playground, one boat ramp, a pea-gravel beach, and restrooms. Swim beaches #1 and #2 are closed due to low water levels.
Newer amenities include a new fishing dock and a floating walkway.
The 7.6-mile rocky, hike-and-bike Madrone Trail is located inside Canyon Park.
The park also is home to the two-acre Madrone Trail Pollinator Garden, which is open to the public at no charge and is within easy walking distance of the Madrone Trail parking lot. Master naturalists used native flora to create a 40,000-square-foot butterfly-shaped garden. Surrounding the garden is a pollinating field designed to educate the public about the importance of native plants, pollinators, conservation and managed care.
Reservations are not required. Admission is $5 per vehicle with Comal County registration sticker and $20 per non-Comal County registered vehicle.
For realtime updates about this park visit the Canyon Park on Canyon Lake Facebook page.
For more information click here.
USACE
Overlook Park
Overlook Park and Canyon Dam Service Road, which offers scenic vistas of Canyon Lake and Comal County, are closed for repairs.
North Park
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) opened North Park instead. Its campground is open to the public for walking, jogging, running and bicycling. Motorized vehicles are not allowed in the park.
North Park is located at 3210 N. Park Rd.
To check the status of other parks operated by USACE click here.
JBSA
The Joint Base San Antonio Rec Park (JBSA) at Canyon Lake is for active duty and retired military personnel and their families. Recreational areas include Sunnyside and Hancock Cove. A Department of Defense ID is required for admission. JBSA provides live updates on its Facebook page.
Tubing
Flow rates along the Guadalupe River at Sattler are dictated by downstream water rights in communities that need water, not by lake levels.
Tubers can expect rates of around 62 cubic feet per second, which is slow but recreational. For real-time, unofficial updates, visit the Tubing the Guadalupe River Facebook page.
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.
Boat Ramps
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 USACE.
County Boat Ramps:
1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 22 and 23.
#1 Canyon Lake Village, 579 Skyline Dr. Closes at 897.60
#2 Canyon Lake Village West, 2410 Colleen Dr. Closes at 898.50
#5 Canyon Lake Forest, 3150 Canyon Lake Forest Dr. Closes at 905.80
#6 Canyon Lake Hills 1 – East, 2078 Canyon Lake Dr. Closes at 890.00
#7 Canyon Lake Hills 2 – West, 2050 Ledgerock Landing. Closes at 904.76
#8 Canyon Springs Resort, 1298 Canyon Springs Dr. Closes at 899.86
#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, 17, 20 and 21.
# 17 and #21 are open for day users.
#20 is for campers only.
Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (WORD) Boat Ramps:
3, 4 and 18
USACE rules also apply to 3 and 4 in Comal Park and 18 in Canyon Park. These ramps are leased to the Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (wordcc.com).
There is a courtesy dock at #18 in Canyon Park.
These parks close for the winter season and reopen on March 1.
Other Boat Ramps:
Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA): 14, 15 and 16.
Crane’s Mill Marina: 10
Canyon Lake Marina: 19
Canyon Lake Yacht Club: 12
How It Works
The status of each boat ramp depends on the level of water in the Canyon Reservoir. The parameters are not the same for each boat ramp. The water level in Canyon Lake can change rapidly during periods of drought or heavy rainfall. Canyon Lake/New Braunfels area is prone to flash-flooding. Some boat ramps may not be open due to construction or park closures.
For real-time, official updates on the status of boat ramps operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), click here. The phone number for USACE’s Canyon Lake office is 830-964-3341.
Comal County Engineer’s Office is another good source for real-time information about the status of county-operated boat ramps and road closures in the area. The phone number for CCEO is 830-608-2090.
Call 830-964-3576 for information about JBSA ramps or visit the JBSA Canyon Lake Facebook page.
Rules
Boat ramps can only be used to launch or recover boats. No fishing, partying, swimming or loitering allowed. For more information about the county’s rules, click here. Other offenses include parking, picnicking, obstructing, and ignoring requests or orders from law enforcement.
To learn more about the Guadalulpe-Blanco River Authority’s (GBRA) water-safety rules and regulations affecting Canyon Lake — including rules about swimming — click here.
Visit https://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/canyon/ for answers to questions about rules for boat ramps operated by the USACE. Recreationalists are bound by Title 36. Under Title 36, USACE boat ramps are operated in accordance with all state and local laws. County rules and regulations apply to Canyon Lake boat ramps. Click here to review Title 36.
If you are already at a boat ramp and don’t know how to interpret the rules or where to park, the law-enforcement officer on duty will make the call about what is or isn’t allowed. They may issue a warning or citation for violations.
MyCanyonLake.com is a news site. We do not speak for the county, USACE or GBRA and cannot provide official answers to questions regarding unique or specific circumstances.
Why is ramp 23 closed
Yes why we have small jet skis and live in mystic shores can we not launch
Why is boat ramp 5 permanently closed?
It’s temporarily closed due to low water levels in Canyon Lake.
A lot of people use boat ramp # 6 and it is hard to fine a place to park your boat after you unload or you want to load your boat
due to rocks. There is only one good spot to the side to pull up your boat with out hitting rocks. I have live up here for many years
and do know there is some boat ramps that have docks for unloading or loading boats. Why can’t boat ram # 6 have a dock for unloading and loading boats? A dock for boats only and with a time limit for tie up and no fishing off dock and no swimming around dock.
Which area and boat ramp would be best for paddle boarding?
Are residents allowed to load their boats and jet skis into the lake where there is no boat ramp? This is occurring in The Oaks and is dangerous for people who are swimming or floating in our small cove.
Hi Susan. It can be confusing! We’re the newspaper not the official source so suggest you reach out to WORD or USACE. Another great source of information is the Canyon Lake Boat Ramps Community Alliance, they have a Facebook page. I would also check with the experts who follow Everything Canyon Lake Facebook page. You’ll get lots of responses.
Thanks a lot for sharing this!
I noticed on the chart listing the various ramps information about available parking is included. I do not agree that Turkey Cove has “24” parking spaces available! There is a lodge at this boat ramp #2 and their guests have some parking too. Parking has become a nightmare for residents living near the boat ramp as people are parking in front of their houses up and down the streets near the ramp. Listing 24 spaces available parking is very misleading.
Why are ramos closed when lake is almost full?
Why are any boat ramps closed when lake is almost full?
Who makes these decisions? And why is media not asking questions?
The stories should not be about the ramps closing as much as questioning why they are closing ? That would be a better story.
Am I allowed to kayak in canyon lake ????
Yes.
Why don’t they extend the length of some of these boat ramps while the water is low . We deal with this every year . Can’t enjoy the lake if you can’t get on it. Everyone I call about this just passes the buck. I wonder how much water were pumping out of the lake and sending to San Antonio so they can water their grass?
#6 is in the process of extension right now
Looks like we have17cfs flow in and release 63cfm know wonder the lake is low. Why let out more water than what is coming in. This doesn’t even account for what we pump out and send south
This article has Cranes Mill and Canyon marinas boat ramp identification numbers reversed. Cranes Mill is 10 and Canyon Park Marina is 19.
Good catch and thank you!
The only Canyon Lake boat ramps still open are #18 and #19. #18 is open on weekends only. #18 is open seven days a week.
Open on weekends only and 7 days a week????
18 is only open on weekends
In the next few days the headline will be “And then there was one.”
884.1 next headline And then there was one.
Why is comal county letting large track home neighborhoods to be built in this area, yet we are on water restrictions and “for some reason” nothing is able to fill the lake up.