If you have an Instagram account and wanderlust, you’ve probably seen Hamilton Pool Preserve. It’s a  natural pool with a dramatic cliff overhang that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago. 

If you’ve ever tried visiting Hamilton Pool Preserve yourself, you may have realized that it’s actually a little bit tricky to pull it off. There are reservations to make a couple months in advance, and rules for visiting can differ based on the time of year. 

We recently hiked to Hamilton Pool on our way down through the Texas Hill Country, and we were awestruck by its natural beauty! It seriously looked like a scene from a movie, like Avatar or Lord of the Rings. Here are my best tips for visiting Hamilton Pool Preserve successfully, no matter when you want to go.

Reservations for Hamilton Pool Preserve

The most difficult part about visiting Hamilton Pool Preserve is snagging reservations before they all fill up. You can serve a time slot from either 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., or 2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m every day from March – October. 

The reservations open about two months in advance, and the spots are limited to prevent overcrowding. Since reservations fill up very quickly, I definitely recommend deciding on the date you want to visit and reserving your time as early as possible.

You can reserve your date and time slot at Hamilton Pool here.It costs $12 to reserve entry for one vehicle, limited to eight people. You will pay this online beforehand. Once you arrive at the preserve, you will pay another $8 per person to enter. Seniors age 62+ pay $3, children under 12 pay $0.)

What to Bring with You to Hamilton Pool Preserve

1. CASH

When you pay per person to enter the preserve, Travis County Parks accepts cash only. Make sure you bring enough for your whole party to enter.

2. Camera

One of the main reasons people pay (twice) to marvel at Hamilton Pool is to take photos of this amazing natural formation. Bring a good quality camera that can adequately capture the pool, cliff, and waterfall from a distance. 

3. Water 

There is nowhere to stop for a drink of water or to purchase a bottled water at Hamilton Pool. Bring a water bottle with you to stay hydrated throughout the hike to the pool, especially in the Texas summer heat!

4. Snacks

If you’re planning to hang out at Hamilton Pool for a while, bring some non-perishable snacks with you. 

5. Sunscreen

You’ll be hiking to the preserve in the sun, and then hanging out on the beach in the sun. Whatever you do, don’t forget sunscreen!

6. Swimsuit

Right now, Hamilton Pool is closed for swimming due to bacteria levels in the water. But when swimming reopens, you’ll want to make sure you bring a suit or some swim trunks so that you can swim up underneath the cliff overhang and cool off from the heat.

What to Expect at Hamilton Pool Preserve

When we visited Hamilton Pool Preserve in June 2021, both the actual water and the walking trail underneath the cliff were closed. The water contains natural bacteria that sometimes makes swimming unsafe, and due to the unprecedented freeze Texas experienced this February, falling rocks have been a hazard across the entire underside of the cliff. 

Personally, I wanted to walk on the trail below the cliff so badly to get pictures that I would have been totally willing to risk it, but understandably the Travis County Park Rangers require the public to adhere to safety rules to protect both people and the pool formation. 

The restrictions on the water and trail are definitely a bummer, but they are also temporary. In future years, guests will be able to enjoy Hamilton Pool Preserve as they would normally. The somewhat nice thing about this change is that when we arrived, we had the entire beach in front of the cliff to ourselves! 

First, we drove up to the entrance booth and paid our cash entry fee. Then we parked in the most shaded spot possible, since it was 90-degree weather. We embarked from our car on a short 15-20 minute hike to the pool. Many parts of the trail were shaded by big, beautiful trees and large boulders. The river trickling through the forest from Hamilton Pool’s waterfall was especially beautiful. Even though it was very hot and we were drenched in sweat, we really enjoyed the beautiful trail over to the pool.

When we stepped through the trees to Hamilton Pool’s small beach, my jaw actually dropped open and I was stunned into silence. The sun glistens off of the bright blue water. Birds nest at the top of the cliff overhang, and they frequently go swooping through the air. A small waterfall crashes off the side of the cliff and into the pool. The water’s reflection makes beautiful patterns of light on the shaded underside of the cliff. It is absolutely gorgeous there.

We stayed all the way until the end of our afternoon time slot for about an hour. Even though we couldn’t get in the water or hike underneath the cliff, we just enjoyed staring at it and taking tons of pictures. Returning someday to experience the second part of the hike is definitely on my travel bucket list!

Since we visited on a weekday and we didn’t arrive until the latter part of our afternoon time window, there wasn’t a single other soul at Hamilton Pool except for a friendly park ranger who guarded the blocked trail from tourists. It was completely silent except for the sounds of rushing water and birds calling. That quiet moment face-to-face with the intense beauty of nature is a memory I’ll always treasure.