Name: Krause Springs
Telephone: (830) 693-4181

Krause Springs is an iconic camping & swimming site located in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas near Lake Travis. It is located in Spicewood, Texas approximately 30 miles northwest of Austin. The 115 acre property is listed on the National Registry of Historical Sites and has been privately owned by the Krause Family for over 50 years.

Krause Springs has many natural sites to explore. There are 32 springs on the property, and several feed the man-made pool and the natural pool which flows into Lake Travis. It’s a refreshing treat to swim in the Springs during the hot summers of Texas!

If camping is in your plans, there is primitive tent camping as well as 24 RV sites with water and electricity available. Guests are also welcome to relax and to stroll through the Butterfly Gardens; take time to listen to the music of the wind chimes and the fountains during your visit!

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This is my favorite swimming spot in the ‘Austin area.’ It is just beautiful and well-designed. From the stone work leading to and including the natural water pool and the swimming hole with the waterfall and swing rope. Not to mention the endless picnic areas where you can even grill food on-site. You could not ask for more from one site. I was glad to visit in May during a slower time. 90’s is plenty hot for me to enjoy the cool waters and soak up some sun. How could I forget the garden to the right when you first enter?! I spent a portion of my day asleep on the hammock. When I awoke there was a man tending to the garden near me. If I remember correctly, his parents once owned the land, but since the sale he still tends to the garden. Regardless of his connection- his passion, talent, and devotion to the grounds was evident.
Michael J. , 2 years ago
Amazing.kept up with perfectly. Accessible for most at the top pool. A little difficult getting down but not too bad not wheelchair accessible though or wagon friendly. Beautiful though and loved it.
Alixx W. , 2 years ago
Amazing place! Families wverwhere grill8ng and swimming. But it didn’t seem crowded. The large trees are impressive. Was told by attendant they are 1000 years old. Water is cold spring water. Lots of picnic areas and grills.
Wes H. , 2 years ago
I love finding hidden gems we didn’t know existed. This place was amazing – almost like someone’s beautiful country home turned public swimming hole. Plenty of room for barbecues, and lots of family fun! You can bring your own food, they provide large group areas for BBQ, in a variety of beautiful locations- just no glass allowed. They also allow floats, as long as they’re smaller (under 5′), especially in the pool, but we saw larger ones in the spring area. You do have to walk down to the springs, but the pool is closer to parking lot level (still requires some stairs), so be aware of that if you have trouble walking up or down stairs.
Jenica R. , 2 years ago
A must and worth place to visit while you are in Marble Falls. So many things you can do in this place from hiking, or jusy sit on the bench under the shade of big tress and enjoy the nature, sit by the pool or go down to the spring to chill. There are 2 waterfalls in this property. Don’t forget to visit their garden, it’s beautiful!!
Lisna S. , 2 years ago
Amazing place. Definitely a must-see natural beauty.
Bring a tube to float on.
Don’t miss the gardens. They are quite lovely!
Be sure to visit the upper pool (man-made) and the lower pool (natural) which are surrounded by enormous, old cypress trees.
Bryan D. , 2 years ago
Hadn’t been here in years and this place always amazes me, the garden seems to be getting bigger and better every time I go and the hosts are absolutely amazing and so polite. Cannot wait until I can go there again, the water was a bit low but we are experiencing a drought right now but the water was still amazing, nice and cool, perfect for the Texas heat.
Chrissy S. , 2 years ago
The water was brown and murky, pretty crowded, but even then, still really cool. Kids had a blast. Look forward to going back when the water is more clear and during a week day! Pretty scenery, wish I had taken more/better pics. The upper pool was cold, but still refreshing on a super hot day. Kids liked jumping in that one as well.
Becca F. , 2 years ago
10 out of 10 would recommend. Such a lovely place to swim, cook, host a party, or just relax! We went on a Thursday and felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. I loved my visit and thank you!
William E. , 2 years ago
Phenomenal swimming hole and gardens. Tent camping and primitive RV sites with access to everything. Beautiful very large and old cypress trees provide lots of shade and the spring fed pools are a refreshing 68 degrees and are full even during droughts. The gardens are fantastic with lots of flowers and tropical plants along with water features and seating spread around.
Errol O. , 2 years ago
Great spot for swimming and hanging out. Really pretty area and a great vibe! Beautiful, peaceful garden, too. Highly recommend.
Carolyn Harrington , 3 years ago
This is a really pretty park. The variety of plants in the garden around the house is exceptional. Because they greenhouse all of the potted plants in the winter there was no evidence of this winter’s freeze. The Cypress trees on the hillside and creek are magnificent huge trees. We visited on Monday morning and there were very few people there. There are enough picnic tables under the trees to accommodate a lot of people. Restroom facilities in the new bathroom building are very nice and clean. The older one is a bit more rustic. The pool is shallow enough at one end for young children as long as an adult is with them. The creek below has a great rope to swing out over the creek. Highly recommend the park but expect it can be pretty crowded on warm summer weekends
Bill W. , 3 years ago
I came here for the first time for a school function for my daughter. This is a really cool place! Great areas for lounging and enjoying the outdoors. They also have a pool that goes up to 8 ft deep. Everyone was having a great time. Good vibes all around.
Maryum B. , 3 years ago
As a child we lived in spicewood for about 6-8 months. I do believe we went swimming there a lot. I don’t remember it being that big of a place though. I can only remember a pool with a diving board that was fed by a natural spring and down below that was a water fall. It as about 8 ft tall or so. My crazy uncle jumped the fall and didn’t check to see how deep the water below was and broke his tail bone. He was around 16 and I must have been around 8. Years that was about 45 years ago. This is on my bucket list to go to. While we lived there we were always looking for places to go swimming in the natural springs. ❤️❤️
Roxann Spencer , 3 years ago
Went with my husband during warmer season. We got there in the morning, and we literally were the first to get there. There was entrance fee per person (I forget how much) after you park your car. There are pretty pools when you first enter, and those are good for kids to play in too. When we walked further down to the springs area, we were mesmerized by how pretty and well preserved the nature was. They paved the ways to go down, but some places can be a little bit more dangerous. There is another garden area (like Japanese garden) to the right side of the entrance. My husband and I spent our time on the hammock, resting and relaxing. It got really crowded later, so we ended up leaving before more crowd flooded in. Had very enjoyable time overall!
Ellen C. , 7 years ago
Me and my fiancé love to camp and are trying to check out as many texas “watering holes” as we can – this place makes the top of our list for both camping and swimming!!! First the camp grounds for “primitive” camping are lovely – nicely spaced apart, each have their own table and rock fire pit. The bathrooms are VERY clean and include showers (they are cold but a welcome treat in Texas usually) – plus you’re camping, having running water is a huge bonus. We came on Labor Day weekend and we’re amazed it wasn’t completely crazy. We still felt like we had privacy. They sell ice and firewood at the office which is convenient too.

Next the natural spring – the top part is a man made pool which works well for kids, but the real treat is down below. Take the stairs to the left of the pool – super easy to get down and there are ways to get into the pool without slipping. Bring water shoes – that will help. Anyway, the scenery is gorgeous, the rope swing is a hit, and it’s just lovely. Yes it is packed, but have you seen or been to blue hole, Hamilton pool, Barton springs, or Jacobs well!? Considering how nice this place is, I can’t believe this place isn’t the busiest of them all. Yes the water isn’t as clear / blue as some of the other watering holes, but it’s still lovely.

Lastly, the grounds are absolutely gorgeous and well maintained is an understatement. I loved seeing the cows too!

Only cons (for completeness sake) – no dogs, cash only, gate closes at 9pm so get here early for camping…. struggling to think of more….

I can’t wait to come back!!!
Rosana O. , 8 years ago
Omg! We found a spot, easily heaven on earth.
It was in the woods, down stone steps. It’s 97%
Natural, but they had to had a banister and steps.
The water, I was expecting it to be cold, actually
It was a terrific temperature. And the best part
Adults pay $8.00 per person stay as long as you like. Bring food, drink, water toys, etc. To camp
It’s only about $14.00 per night. Check it out!
It truly is amazing!
Linda W. , 8 years ago
Incredibly natural springs for a very reasonable price. They have camp grounds and regular areas to hang out prices vary based on age and your wants. Clear clean water and just an incredible view. I would absolutely come here again if in the area. Big warning though the rocks are slipper, don’t be a hot shot. You will slip and if you are unlucky will fall very hard so be careful!
Wayne W. , 8 years ago
My family and I have been coming here for decades. Beautiful scenery, cool water, fun place to be !
Olivia P. , 8 years ago
Oh what a beautiful and relaxing place to visit. My mother and I had rolled in last minute to camp driving from New Orleans, LA and so thankful we stopped here. I was reading a few reviews that mentioned this place was a hidden gem and it really was. There is a butterfly garden with very large wind chimes that make the experience here even more comfortable (which was my mothers favorite part). Unfortunately we came on a Thursday when they clean the pool but the natural spring was still very nice. We hope to return again. Thank you Krause family for sharing this peaceful land with the public!!
Isabel F. , 8 years ago
ook my daughter here while visiting Austin to cool off on a warm spring day. This place is off the beaten path, but it was a nice drive through some beautiful countryside. Upon arrival, we parked in a dirt lot and headed to the office to pay for the visitor’s fee. I forget what it was, but it was less than $10 per person.

There is a little garden area up top which is free. We roamed around there for a bit and took some pictures. There is a small man made pool just below the office which is filled with spring water. This is good if you have really young children.

Down at the bottom is the natural swimming hole. There are some steep stairs to tackle, so be aware. The swimming are is a decent size and there are rocky areas to sit and leave your stuff. The pool is fairly deep. I’m not sure how deep, but I did wade out to an area where the water was up to my neck. There is a little rope swing that you can swim to. My daughter enjoyed this immensely.
Mark N. , 8 years ago
This was a nice area for a day trip. Its kept up really well. We went to swim in the springs and were not disappointed. There are two swimming areas. The upper level has been made into a swimming pool and looks very nice. Their lower level has the larger, natural spring, area. The rocks are really slippery so you need to be careful. One of the fun things about the lower area is the rope swing. You swim out to the opposite side of the spring to get to it. Everyone was nice and took turns using the rope swing.

They also have camping areas where you can stay over night. If you camp you have access to the springs. There is an area with some pretty cool landscaping. The Eagle’s Nest is also in this area and is a nice sitting area. Music was playing there as well.

The only down side is that it felt rather expensive to get into the spring for a day. It seems like the price would deter people from coming back again. Maybe reducing the price a bit would help out.

I would defiantly recommend this place to everyone.
Christopher R. , 8 years ago
We had a great time on a quite Monday night here. We felt safe, The scenery in landscape was amazing, water temperature was chilly but refreshing and the Gentlemen in the office was very welcoming and helped us when our car needed a jump in the morning.
Reagan C. , 8 years ago
What’s always important is customer service, anywhere you show your face… The people that run this establishment have awesome customer service skills. The rest rooms will get a bit dirty at the end of the day. Nice family friendly environment.
Vivian A. , 8 years ago

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