Rio Vista Park

Rio Vista Park

Rio Vista Park is an excellent site to launch your kayak and paddle upstream, or simply swim in the deep pool. It’s not unusual to see people surfing the rapids and sunbathing on the river’s banks. This is also where the Lions Club Tube shuttle departs. Bring your own tube or borrow one from the Lions Club near City Park upstream. Restrooms, tennis courts, a half-court basketball court, picnic tables, seats, a pavilion, a City swimming pool, walk and bike routes, and garbage cans are among the attractions. There are no entrance or parking costs.

Rio Vista Park is an excellent site to launch your kayak and paddle upstream, or simply swim in the deep pool. Surfers and sunbathers are regular sights along the river’s banks. This is also where the Lions Club Tube shuttle departs. Bring your own tube or borrow one from the Lions Club near City Park upstream.

Restrooms, tennis courts, a half-court basketball court, seats, a pavilion, a City swimming pool, hike/bike routes, and garbage cans are among the features.

RIVER & PARK TIPS:

Keep in mind that this is a naturally formed river. Life vests should be worn by children and novice swimmers.

  • Please do not litter! Bring your own litter bag or utilize the Lions Club’s mesh bag. Trash cans can be seen along the river’s banks.
  • Use sunscreen.
  • Wear caps and/or sunglasses that you aren’t afraid to lose.
  • Bring a waterproof pouch or a zip-loc freezer bag with you for essentials. Leave valuables in the car or at home/in the hotel room.
  • It is best to use water shoes or sports shoes. Some locations may include rocks.
  • To keep hydrated, drink plenty of liquids.
  • On the San Marcos River, coolers and disposable containers are permitted. No styrofoam, please.
  • All coolers should have secure lids.
  • For people who bring alcohol to consume while on the river, designated entrance and departure points are established at City Park and Rio Vista.
  • Coolers, ice chests, glasses, plates, disposable containers, toys, floats, kickboards, rings, or swim gear are not permitted in the river.
  • Bring rope if you wish to connect numerous tubes.
  • Alcohol is not permitted on city-owned dams, spillways, or bridges.
  • If you are renting a tube, bring identification, a credit card, or cash. At the beginning and finish of their float, the Lions Club sells refreshments and beverages.

TUBING

When the temperatures in Texas begin to climb, it’s time to head to the San Marcos River for a float trip. And it doesn’t get much better than spending a beautiful day floating down the crystal-clear spring-fed river, which is always 72 degrees. So go on some sunscreen, get into your tube, and let the mild current transport you to a pleasant summertime SMTXperience. Adult drinks are permitted on your float as long as they are not served in glass containers or Styrofoam coolers and you dispose of your garbage appropriately. Take just what you bring!

PADDLING

Not all water sports in San Marcos entail dangling one’s legs over an inner tube. In fact, the most recent water trend features swimsuit-clad adventurers perched on what seems to be a big surfboard while slowly skimming over the water. Stand-up paddleboarding, or “SUPing,” is the current water-sports obsession in San Marcos, and with good cause. It’s not only a pleasant way to spend time on the water, but it’s also a full-body exercise. Paddle boarding may be scary for first-timers. But don’t worry, San Marcos is a great location to start! And for those wanting for a really unique SMTXexperience, Glow SUP should be on your bucket list…

San Marcos

San Marcos is the county seat of Hays County, Texas, in the United States. The city’s boundaries also include Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties. San Marcos is located on Interstate 35, which connects Austin with San Antonio. Its population was 44,894 according to the 2010 census and 67,553 according to the 2020 census. The location is regarded to be among the oldest continually inhabited settlements in the Americas, having been founded on the banks of the San Marcos River. Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment are located in San Marcos.

San Marcos was named one of the “Best Places to Raise Your Kids” in Business Week’s fourth annual study in 2010. The United States Census Bureau called it the fastest-growing city in the US in 2013 and 2014. It was ranked ninth on Business Insider’s list of the “10 Most Exciting Small Cities in America” in December 2013.

Alonso de Leon, a Spaniard from Mexico, led an expedition from Mexico to explore Texas and build missions and presidios in the region in 1689. De Leon’s party was instrumental in establishing the Camino Real (later renamed the Old San Antonio Road), which led to present-day Hunter Road, Hopkins Street, and Aquarena Springs Drive (the route later shifted four miles to the south; it is now followed by County Road 266, known locally as Old Bastrop Highway). The river was dubbed the San Marcos when De Leon’s group arrived on April 25, the feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist.

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