Canyon Lake

[Tyger]

We have been talking about it and now we are headed to Canyon Lake, TX next weekend. Any tips on navigating the lake, stumpy areas, where to put in, gas, etc?

It looks like there's one or more restaurants on the lake.

TIA!

[srab]

We have been talking about it and now we are headed to Canyon Lake, TX next weekend. Any tips on navigating the lake, stumpy areas, where to put in, gas, etc?

It looks like there's one or more restaurants on the lake.

TIA!

The lake level is up thanks to a generous amount of rain this year. Canyon is really

a pretty deep reservoir, especially over by the dam, south around by the spillway,

and continuing along that whole south rim for a good stretch. You can snuggle pretty

close to the shoreline for that whole stretch and still be in 80 feet of water. Just

north of the dam, you'll find some pretty steep drop-offs as well, but watch out for

scuba diving flags over there.

Most coves that you might wander into are plenty deep. Over at Comal park on the

south side, it gets a little bit shallow near the swim area and out towards the

end of that peninsula. Not really shallow enough to worry about, though. Likewise,

on the north shore, up beyond Canyon Lake Marina, it'll get a bit more shallow as

you run deeper into that cove, but I've run through there hundreds of times without

incident.

If you run all the way up past Crane's Mill Park towards where the Guadalupe feeds

in, it's still plenty deep. You can cruise on up the river several hundred yards,

though you will notices tree limbs sticking up on either side as you go.

The best place to put in depends on the direction you're coming from. I always

came in from the south, so I'm most familiar with the south-side ramps. Comal

is nice, but you'll have to pay to get into the park. I really prefer the ramp

up near Triple Peak and Skyline, on the south side just a couple of miles outside

of Sattler, because it puts me right where I want to ski most of the time.

There is a restaurant with a pleasant scenic view on the north side at Canyon Lake

Marina. Last time I was there was before it became the Lucky Sailor Oyster Bar, so

I can't comment on the food. Hard to beat the view from the patio deck, though,

at least as far as Canyon Lake is concerned.

Have a good weekend!

[Tyger]

Very good info, srab. Thanks!

Still don't have an address where we are staying, but I'm assuming it will be South. We have a yearly Corps of Engineers pass, so we don't pay to launch from their parks. It looks like Comal if we are South or Canyon Lake if we are North.

Thanks for all the tips. We will probably be checking out most of the lake. Good to know where to be extra alert.

[krafty]

The only problem with Comal is you have to be out of the park at dark. I thought you just couldn't get in after dark, but they want you out. If you do launch at Comal, watch out for the barely visible submerged island at the end of the visible islands when you are headed out to the main channel.

There are a lot of other ramps on the south side, but #1 (off of skyline) is one of the few with a dock at the ramp, other than Comal. The bluff srab is talking about is right there at ramp number 1, but can get pretty crowded in the area from riders and tubers.

The best area is up past Crane's mill park, but it is a little unnerving if you don't know the area. I am still learning it and it makes me a bit nervous. More so for the riders as the prop is destined to hit something at some point.