River Flows, Tubing and Fishing in New Braunfels

River Flows Right Now

Flows are in cubic feet per second (cfs) from U.S. Geological Survey gauges and update about every 15 minutes. Recent readings are provisional. The ratings are a general guide, not an official river status, so always check with your outfitter before you go.

What the Numbers Mean for Tubing

Comal ranges from the City of New Braunfels. The Guadalupe has no official closure level, so these ranges come from local outfitter and river guidance.

Where the Water Comes From

The Comal River starts at Comal Springs in Landa Park, the largest concentration of natural springs in Texas, fed by the Edwards Aquifer. Except after heavy rain, nearly all of its water comes from those springs, which is why the flow stays steady and the water stays in the low 70s all year. In a long drought, when the aquifer drops, the Comal runs lower.

The Guadalupe below Canyon Lake depends mostly on how much water is released from Canyon Dam. Springs add to it along the way, including Hueco Springs north of town, and the Comal joins it in New Braunfels. Spring flow makes up 30% to 80% of the river's base flow, depending on how dry it is.

Look for smaller seeps along the banks, too. Floating the Comal, you'll spot ferns growing in the shade where water trickles out of the bank year-round.

Tubing the Comal River

The Comal runs right through downtown, a short walk from your door. For a quick float without a car, take the public staircase down to the river at the Garden St and Lincoln St bridge and float to the Last Tubers Exit. It takes a little over an hour, and you can do it as many times as you like. Bring your own tube or rent one nearby.

Popular Comal Floats

• Prince Solms Park or Texas Tubes to the Last Tubers Exit: the most popular float. From Prince Solms you'll ride the City Tube Chute. Plan on about 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Garden St and Lincoln St bridge to the Last Tubers Exit: the closest put-in to Comal Inn. A little over an hour.
• The Float In to the Garden St bridge or the Last Tubers Exit: a shorter float.
• The longest Comal float: start up by Landa Park and the Wurstfest grounds, a little over a mile above Prince Solms, and ride to the Last Tubers Exit. The whole river is only about 2.2 miles long.

Comal River Rules

• No disposable containers inside city limits, including cans, plastic bottles, glass and zip-top bags.
• One cooler per person, up to 30 quarts, with a latch or lock.
• Two tubes per person at most.
• A $2 River Activity Wristband is required on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
• Lifeguards work the City Tube Chute at Prince Solms Park in summer. Once you reach the last public exit, you have to get out.

Rules from the City of New Braunfels.

Tubing and Rafting the Guadalupe River

Below Canyon Dam, the Guadalupe runs along River Road with rapids and longer floats. The land along River Road is private, so you get on and off the river through an outfitter or campground. Closer to town, you can put in at the Gruene bridge and float to Cypress Bend Park. See our Gruene guide for that float.

Guadalupe Floats and Distances

River Road crosses the Guadalupe four times. The crossings are numbered from town, so 1st Crossing is closest to Gruene and 4th Crossing is closest to Canyon Dam.

• Gruene bridge to Cypress Bend Park: about 2.5 miles, and one of the most popular floats.
• 1st Crossing to the Gruene bridge: about 4 miles, the other most common float.
• 2nd Crossing to 1st Crossing: about 2 miles.
• 3rd Crossing to 2nd Crossing: about 2 miles.
• 4th Crossing to 3rd Crossing: about 6 miles.
• Canyon Dam to I-35: about 24 miles, the whole stretch to the Lake Dunlap ramp. Our general manager has done it. Go when the flow is up, start early and plan on a full day.

Distances are approximate, from the Texas Parks and Wildlife river guide.

How long will it take? If you're paddling a kayak, canoe or raft, a good rule of thumb is 2 to 3 miles an hour, so 1st Crossing to the Gruene bridge is roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Your actual pace depends a lot on the flow, your paddling ability and strength, and your craft. A sit-on-top or sit-inside kayak, a canoe, a raft and a tube all move differently, and so do long and short boats. The flow matters most. A faster current carries you along and floats you over the shallow rocks, while at low flow you'll drag your boat or tube across them and the trip takes longer. Ask your outfitter how long to plan.

Outside city limits, Comal County rules still apply on the Guadalupe. No glass, no foam containers and no open plastic containers of 5 ounces or less. Fines can reach $500.

County rules from the Water Oriented Recreation District.

River Safety and What to Bring

• Check the weather and the flow first. Storms upstream can raise the river fast. If you hear thunder, get off the water.
• Sunscreen and a hat. There's little shade on most floats, and the water reflects the sun. Reapply partway through.
• Drinking water. Bring more than you think you need in reusable bottles. Disposable bottles aren't allowed on the Comal.
• Food. Eat before you go and pack snacks in reusable containers. A long Guadalupe float on an empty stomach in the Texas sun is a rough day.
• Water shoes. The bottom is rocky, and you'll walk at put-ins, exits and shallow spots.
• Life jackets. Most outfitters lend them free. Put one on kids and anyone who isn't a strong swimmer, and on everyone when the flow is fast.
• Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards: Texas law requires a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket on board for every paddler, and children under 13 must wear one at all times while paddling.
• Float with a buddy, keep your group together, and know where your exit is before you start.

Forecast Before You Float

From the National Weather Service, updated hourly. Handy for picking your park day.

Full forecast

Winter Rainbow Trout on the Guadalupe

When tubing season ends, the trout season starts. Texas Parks and Wildlife stocks rainbow trout below Canyon Dam each winter, mostly December through February. Last winter the Canyon tailrace got more than 18,000 trout. On a foggy winter morning, you'll see anglers in waders casting for a big rainbow. The guides start early, too. On weekend bike rides, our general manager passes their trucks and rafts fueling up around 7 a.m. on the way to the river.

• Free access: Guadalupe Park, at the base of Canyon Dam, is open year-round. TPWD also stocks at 3rd Crossing, 4th Crossing and other sites along River Road, and below 4th Crossing you'll often see guide rafts and wading anglers.
• A local favorite: there's a great trout hole below Lazy L&L and the main entrance to Ingram Ranch. Reach it from Meckel's Landing with a Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited lease access membership.
• Lease access: Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited sells lease access memberships that open up private stretches of river. It's $200, with a required orientation each September.
• License: anglers 17 and older need a Texas fishing license and a freshwater fishing endorsement.
• Rules: from 800 yards below the dam to the FM 306 bridge, trout over 12 and under 18 inches must be released, and you can keep 5 a day with only one 18 inches or longer. From FM 306 to the second River Road crossing, the minimum is 18 inches and the limit is one. Any trout you keep must be caught on artificial lures. See TPWD's Guadalupe trout page for current details.
• TroutFest TX: Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited's festival is February 19 to 21, 2027, in New Braunfels, with casting lessons and demos.

Fly Shops and Guides

Before a summer fly fishing trip to the San Juan, Conejos and Chama rivers, our general manager and his family took a casting lesson from Shah Simac at Gruene Outfitters. They bought a Cortland combo, and the shop respooled the reel for the family's left-handed angler and sent them off with tips on tippet size, hopper-dropper rigs, midges and strike indicators for small mountain streams.

Boating, Skiing and Wake Surfing on Canyon Lake and Lake Dunlap

Canyon Lake

Canyon Lake covers more than 8,000 acres about 16 miles northwest of New Braunfels, with room for boating, skiing, wakeboarding, wake surfing and fishing for largemouth, white and striped bass. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs several parks with boat ramps, including Potters Creek, Cranes Mill and Little Jacobs Creek, which has a no-fee ramp. Plenty of private campgrounds have launches too, and the lake also has marinas, including Canyon Lake Marina and Cranes Mill Marina.

Lake Dunlap

Lake Dunlap is a 410-acre lake on the Guadalupe just southeast of town. Its dam failed in 2019, and after a rebuild, the lake refilled in fall 2023. It's back to skiing, wakeboarding and wake surfing. The free public boat ramp is under the I-35 overpass at exit 188.

Zebra mussels are in area lakes. Texas law requires you to drain all water from your boat before you leave, so clean, drain and dry before your next launch.

Lake details from TPWD and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Stay a Short Walk from the Comal

Every unit has a private entrance, free parking and a private patio for drying out after the river. Floating with family or friends? The New Braunfels Cottage has two king beds and two full bathrooms. Compare all five units, or see our Schlitterbahn guide to pair the park with a float.

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