Hill Country · Major Springs

Krause Springs

A privately operated Hill Country swimming destination near Spicewood with spring-fed pools, a small waterfall, cypress trees, gardens and camping on a family-owned property.

Photography: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Plan the visit

Krause Springs at a glance

Where is Krause Springs?: Krause Springs is near Spicewood, Texas, in Burnet County.
When is the best time to visit Krause Springs?: Late spring through early fall for swimming
Do I need to plan ahead for Krause Springs?: Krause Springs is private property with its own admission, hours and rules. Verify current operating information directly with the property before visiting.

The place

Why Krause Springs belongs on the list

Krause Springs has been a Hill Country swimming destination for generations, combining a constructed spring-fed pool with a natural lower pool beneath large cypress trees.

The waterfall and shaded grounds are the visual draw, while camping makes the property function differently from a quick roadside swimming hole.

Because it is privately operated, fees, hours and rules can change independently of public parks. Confirm current information with Krause Springs before making the drive.

The details

Plan the visit

Nearest town: Near Spicewood, Texas
Best season: Late spring through early fall for swimming
County: Burnet County
Entry & reservations: Krause Springs is private property with its own admission, hours and rules. Verify current operating information directly with the property before visiting.

Official visitor information

Tours & bookable experiences

Add an experience around Krause Springs

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Quick answer

Planning a visit to Krause Springs

What is Krause Springs?: A privately operated Hill Country swimming destination near Spicewood with spring-fed pools, a small waterfall, cypress trees, gardens and camping on a family-owned property.
When is the best time to go?: Late spring through early fall for swimming
What should I know before arriving?: Krause Springs is private property with its own admission, hours and rules. Verify current operating information directly with the property before visiting.
Where is it?: Near Spicewood, Texas, in Burnet County.

Field notes

What to know before you go

Conditions, closures, fees and availability can change. Use these notes to plan, then confirm the latest details with the official site before making the drive.

Things to do

Spring-fed swimming pool
Natural swimming hole and waterfall
Camping and gardens

Don’t miss

Cypress-shaded grounds

Good to know

Best time to go: Late spring through early fall for swimming.
Krause Springs is private property with its own admission, hours and rules. Verify current operating information directly with the property before visiting.

Build the trip

Places that pair well with this stop

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Nearby places

Places ordered by straight-line distance when reliable coordinates are available.

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A protected Hill Country canyon and collapsed limestone grotto west of Austin, where Hamilton Creek drops into a jade-green pool beneath a broad rock overhang, reached by a rugged trail and managed through required reservations to protect sensitive habitat.
Best season: Spring and fall for comfortable hiking; summer reservations are popular but swimming is never guaranteed because water quality and safety conditions can changeUpdated Aug 2026
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Pedernales Falls State Park
Thirty miles west of Austin, the Pedernales River pours across broad shelves of Hill Country limestone, creating a dramatic falls area plus separate places for swimming, hiking, camping and river access.
Best season: Fall through spring for hiking; warm months are popular for swimming in designated river areas
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Austin · Williamson County · Hill Country
Austin Aquarium
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Texas Military Forces Museum
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Austin · Travis County · Hill Country
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The University of Texas at Austin's native-plant botanical garden in South Austin, where designed gardens, prairie restoration, an arboretum, family garden and nature trails show how Texas wildflowers and native landscapes can be beautiful, resilient and ecologically useful year-round.
Best season: Spring for wildflowers, fall for comfortable trails and native grasses, and year-round for designed native gardens; bloom timing always depends on weather rather than a fixed calendar dateUpdated Aug 2026
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Blanco · Blanco County · Hill Country
Blanco
Blanco is a compact Hill Country river town centered on an 1880s limestone courthouse square, with Blanco State Park inside the city, local museums, craft traditions and an easy position between Austin and San Antonio.
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Blanco · Blanco County · Hill Country
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A small Hill Country park wrapped around a mile of the Blanco River, with limestone dams, swimming, fishing, paddling and shaded picnic areas within walking distance of downtown Blanco.
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Austin · Travis County
McKinney Falls State Park
An Austin state park where Onion Creek drops over broad limestone ledges at Upper and Lower Falls, with swimming holes, trails, camping and reminders of Central Texas history only minutes from the city.
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Wimberley · Hill Country
Blue Hole, Wimberley
A spring-fed swimming area on Cypress Creek inside Wimberley's Blue Hole Regional Park, shaded by mature cypress trees and managed through a seasonal reservation system that protects the experience from uncontrolled crowding.
Best season: May through early September for reserved swimming; the surrounding regional park is open year-roundUpdated Aug 2026
- Spring-fed Cypress Creek swimming beneath mature cypress trees
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Add some water

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Austin · Travis County
Barton Springs Pool
Austin's landmark spring-fed swimming pool in Zilker Park, supplied by the Edwards Aquifer and holding near 68–70 degrees year-round beneath limestone slopes and mature pecan trees.
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Wimberley · Hays County · Hill Country
Jacob's Well Natural Area
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Historic stops nearby

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Austin · Travis County · Hill Country
UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum
UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum is a shaded six-acre art-and-nature destination near Barton Springs centered on the work of Austin sculptor Charles Umlauf, with outdoor bronzes, changing gallery exhibitions and family programming.
Best season: Fall through spring for the most comfortable garden weather; summer visits are best earlier in the day when the shaded paths are cooler.Updated Aug 2026
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Austin · Travis County · Hill Country
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The Neill-Cochran House Museum preserves an 1856 Greek Revival Austin landmark and the city's only intact slave quarters, interpreting local life, architecture, enslavement and social change from Austin's early decades into the twentieth century.
Best season: Year-round house museum; spring and fall are most comfortable for combining the interior tour with the grounds and a walk toward the UT campus.Updated Aug 2026
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The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin is a humanities research library and museum whose public exhibitions draw from major collections in literature, photography, film, theater, art and cultural history.
Best season: Year-round indoor museum and exhibition space; spring and fall are best for combining it with a longer walk across the UT campus.Updated Aug 2026
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Austin · Travis County · Hill Country
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Keep the day outside

More outdoors nearby

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Georgetown · Williamson County · Hill Country
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Best season: Year-round; the cavern stays around 72°F with high humidity, making it especially useful during Central Texas summer heat or rainy weatherUpdated Aug 2026
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Fredericksburg · Gillespie County · Hill Country
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
A massive pink-granite dome north of Fredericksburg with nearly 21 miles of hiking, a famous summit climb, rock climbing, stargazing and a newly opened backcountry trail system.
Best season: Fall through spring for cooler hiking; summer heat and exposed granite can be intense
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A rugged Colorado River park northwest of Austin with 70-foot Gorman Falls, spring-fed pools, cave tours and more than 35 miles of hike-and-bike trails through limestone canyon country.
Best season: Fall through spring for hiking; spring flow and recent rainfall can affect waterfalls and pools
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Lockhart · Caldwell County
Lockhart State Park
A small Central Texas state park beside Clear Fork Creek, notable for wooded trails, a historic CCC-built recreation landscape and the only golf course in the Texas State Park system.
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Make a weekend of it

Build a full weekend

A mix of towns, food, history, parks and water that can turn one stop into a fuller itinerary.

Austin · Travis County · Hill Country
Blanton Museum of Art
The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin combines European, Latin American, American and contemporary collections with major installations and a redesigned outdoor museum grounds just north of the Texas Capitol.
Best season: Year-round indoor museum; fall through spring is most comfortable for enjoying the redesigned outdoor grounds and walking to nearby Capitol-area attractions.Updated Aug 2026
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Austin · Travis County · Hill Country
Texas State Capitol
Austin's landmark pink-granite Capitol, where free public tours, legislative chambers, historic grounds and exhibits connect Texas government with the architecture and civic history of the state in the center of Downtown Austin.
Best season: Year-round; spring and fall are especially comfortable for combining the interior with the Capitol grounds and nearby museums on footUpdated Aug 2026
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Approx. 28 miles away

People also visit

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Lampasas · Lampasas County · Hill Country
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Best season: Late spring through summer for swimming; spring and fall for a quieter park visitUpdated Aug 2026
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Balmorhea · Reeves County
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Best season: Year-round for the spring-fed pool; summer is busiest, while spring and fall pair swimming with milder desert weather
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Keep exploring the region

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Glen Rose · Somervell County · Hill Country
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
A drive-through conservation center near Glen Rose where giraffes, rhinos, antelope and other species roam large Hill Country pastures tied to endangered-species breeding and education.
Best season: Fall through spring for cooler driving and more active animalsUpdated Sep 2026
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San Antonio · Comal County · Hill Country
Natural Bridge Caverns
A major Hill Country cave attraction north-east of San Antonio where guided routes descend through enormous limestone rooms, stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone, with multiple cavern experiences and above-ground family attractions surrounding the natural limestone bridge that gave the site its name.
Best season: Year-round underground, where cavern temperatures stay comparatively stable; spring and fall are most comfortable for combining cave tours with above-ground attractionsUpdated Aug 2026
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Fredericksburg · Gillespie County · Hill Country
Fredericksburg Historic District
Fredericksburg's National Historic District centers on a broad Hill Country Main Street lined with limestone commercial buildings, German-Texan landmarks, museums, churches and more than 80 points of historic interest that turn the town's nineteenth-century immigrant story into a walkable living district.
Best season: Fall through spring for comfortable walking; spring wildflowers and the winter holiday season add atmosphere, while summer mornings are better than exposed afternoonsUpdated Aug 2026
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San Antonio · Comal County · Hill Country
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
A 500-acre drive-through safari beside Natural Bridge Caverns where visitors travel in their own enclosed vehicles among more than 500 animals from dozens of species, then continue through walkable animal areas and optional guided safari experiences.
Best season: Fall through spring for comfortable temperatures; the ranch recommends morning arrival for animal activity and lighter crowds, especially on weekends, holidays and summer daysUpdated Aug 2026
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New Braunfels · Comal County · Hill Country
Gruene Historic District
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Best season: Spring and fall for comfortable walking and river weather; summer is lively but crowded and hot, while evenings are attractive year-round when live music is part of the planUpdated Aug 2026
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Concan · Uvalde County · Hill Country
Garner State Park
A Hill Country favorite on the Frio River, where limestone hills, cypress-lined water, Old Baldy and the park’s long-running summer dances make the destination as social as it is scenic.
Best season: Late spring through early fall for river time; fall and winter are quieter for hiking
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Approx. 114 miles away

Texas Explained

Understand the Texas behind the trip

Go beyond the destination with the systems, landscapes and history that explain why this part of Texas looks and works the way it does.

Texas RegionsSee how geography changes landscapes, climate and travel across the state.Read guide →Cultural RegionsUnderstand the settlement, migration and traditions behind different parts of Texas.Read guide →Farm-to-Market RoadsLearn the road system that still shapes how many Texas destinations connect.Read guide →

Explore all 10 Texas Explained guides →

Continue exploring

Build the weekendStart a Texas itinerary with Krause Springs already on the route.More like thisMore places across Texas with the same kind of appeal.Explore the regionSee what else belongs on the route.Check the calendarAdd festivals, fairs and seasonal events.Look nearbyFind stories and places tied to Spicewood.

Krause Springs

Krause Springs at a glance

Why Krause Springs belongs on the list

Plan the visit

Add an experience around Krause Springs

Planning a visit to Krause Springs

What to know before you go

Things to do

Don’t miss

Good to know

Places that pair well with this stop

Nearby places

Pair this stop with something different

Nearby water stops

Historic stops nearby

More outdoors nearby

Build a full weekend

People also visit

More in this part of Texas

Understand the Texas behind the trip

More from Major Springs