Jacob’s Well is karistic spring that flows from Cypress Creek near Wimberly, TX. It is the mouth of an elaborate system of underwater saves, descending 137 feet below the surface of the water. 

Jacob’s Well is known for its deep jewel-tone colors of blue, green, and yellow and for its infamous history: the caves have claimed the lives of several divers over the years. But it is definitely possible to enjoy Jacob’s Well safely! Here are my tips for visiting Jacob’s Well.

 

Reservations for Jacob’s Well

Hiking down to Jacob’s Well is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily, with no reservations required. Swimming in the water at Jacob’s Well is available May 1 – September 30, and it is limited to 45 people per session for safety (and to make the experience less crowded and more enjoyable). It costs $9 per person to reserve a 2-hour swim time.

You can make reservations online here.

 

Our Experience Visiting Jacob’s Well

We stopped by Jacob’s Well one summer afternoon on a total whim. We were coming back from a short trip to New Braunfels and wanted to check out the town of Wimberly, when I realized how close we were to this bucket list waterformation I had always wanted to see. We didn’t have any advanced swimming reservations, but when we learned that you can hike to Jacob’s Well any time for free, we took a detour over there immediately!

The hike down to Jacob’s Well was about 15 minutes long, and most of it was in direct sunlight. Don’t be like me: make sure you have enough drinking water with you! 

When we reached the forest path to Jacob’s Well, we noticed it branched off in two directions. We quickly discovered that the path to the left would take us to the top of small, rocky cliffs above Jacob’s Well, where you could peer down inside the caves below. The path to the right takes you across the water on a small bridge and leads you straight to the river bank on the opposite side of the cliffs. Here you can get close enough to touch the water.

There was a small crowd of guests swimming and jumping into Jacob’s Well while we were there. Most people sit on man-made floating rocks perched atop the water and dip their feet into the pool, or they walk up to the top of the cliffs and jump straight down into the mouth of the well. The water is so deep that it is safe to dive in, but it’s a good idea to swim back to the more shallow edges of the pool afterward. 

It is not recommended to dive deep within the caves and look around. Even experienced scuba divers with full gear have gotten stuck in the caves and drowned. But if you stick close to the surface and enjoy the spring’s beautiful rainbow rings of color, you will be just fine. 

We took lots of pictures of Jacob’s Well from our spots on the trail, and then we made the trek back uphill to our car. I was so happy it was free to visit! The water looked really inviting, so next time we will definitely want to swim.