One of the benefits of living in Kerrville is that the Guadalupe River runs right through town. It’s a wonderful recreational resource that is all too often overlooked by residents of Kerrville and the surrounding areas. For kayakers living in the area it can offer many different types of paddling options.
There are a couple of sections of the Guadalupe that offer a nice river trail experience. One of my favorites is the three hour section from Schumacher’s crossing (just before you enter the town of Hunt) to the Ingram Boat ramp (just up from the Ingram dam). This section is a fantastic beginner’s stretch as well as offering some great kayak fishing opportunities. Cypress trees along the banks and a different angle to view the Hill Country make this trip worth it. Another slightly more challenging section would be on the other side of Kerrville starting at Brinks crossing or Monkey Island and paddling to one of three different take-outs, depending on how far you wish to paddle. This trail can be a little more challenging depending on river conditions and offers a small waterfall and a couple of rapids as well. This section also has some great fishing opportunities and a kayak is a perfect way to get to them.
A few other great river features in Kerrville are the three lake-like areas all within the city limits. Town Lake is a very pretty stretch with access from the boat ramp behind Chili’s Restaurant. Louise Hays Park is a smaller section with easy put in’s and take out’s from the park. Great fishing can be found up past Lemos St. Bridge during the spring and summer months. Trout can be caught there during the colder months. And finally there is Flat Rock Lake that offers the largest area to paddle both up river and down river with easy access from either Kerrville Schreiner Park or Flat Rock County Park. Any one of the three offers very nice recreational paddling and fishing with easy access and the ability to paddle up and down river and return to where you launched.
As you can tell there is quite a lot of paddling that can be done either right in Kerrville or just on the outskirts. I encourage you to get out there and explore these areas yourself, whether you are fishing, bird watching or just out for a couple of hours enjoying the beautiful Hill Country.