Texas | Hill Country
Blanco River
Fischer Store Road to John Knox Ranch
Check current paddling conditions for this Blanco River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
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Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
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Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
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Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch by drop-off at Fischer Store Road bridge and take out at John Knox Ranch River Access for TPWD's 3.6-mile Blanco River float. Use USGS 08171000 at Wimberley with a conservative 800 cfs minimum floor, and verify the Fischer Store visual gauge, weather, and John Knox access confirmation before launch.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Fischer Store Road BridgeFischer Store Road bridge is the route put-in, but TPWD says no parking is available there. Plan a drop-off or a legal off-route shuttle solution rather than leaving a vehicle at the bridge.
Take-out
John Knox Ranch River AccessJohn Knox Ranch is a private property participating in TPWD leased public access. Email 24 hours in advance for confirmation and gate code, stay inside posted daylight hours, and expect limited parking with no overflow parking.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Fischer Store Road bridge is the route put-in, but TPWD says no parking is available there. Plan a drop-off or a legal off-route shuttle solution rather than leaving a vehicle at the bridge.
- John Knox Ranch is a private property participating in TPWD leased public access. Email 24 hours in advance for confirmation and gate code, stay inside posted daylight hours, and expect limited parking with no overflow parking.
- The John Knox coordinate is the TPWD access anchor. Final boat exit should follow current ranch instructions, river stage, and safe bank conditions on arrival.
- Do not substitute the longer TPWD FM 1492 alternate without separate planning; TPWD says the FM 1492 take-out is only a north-bank spot and no free parking is available there.
Watch for
- Flash-flood potential and fast rises after Hill Country storms, especially if upstream weather changes after the shuttle is staged.
- Class I-II current, shallow ledges, low-water crossings, wood, root wads, and post-2015 flood changes documented by American Whitewater for the containing Blanco reach.
- Very low flow below the 800 cfs floor. Same-day readings during implementation were 11.0 cfs at Wimberley and 19.5 cfs at Fischer Store, both far below runnable guidance.
- Private banks and limited exits between the road bridge and John Knox Ranch.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Blanco Rv at Wimberley, TX |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 800 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Blanco Fischer Store Road-to-RM 12 flow guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official route shapeFischer Store Road bridge to John Knox Ranch, 3.6 mi
TPWD says John Knox Ranch River Access serves as the take-out for a 3.6-mile float from the Fischer Store Road bridge, with a shorter out-and-back option and a longer FM 1492 alternate that is outside this route package.
- Access rulesActive John Knox lease, reservation and gate code required
TPWD lists the John Knox lease as active from March 1, 2022 through August 31, 2027, requires confirmation 24 hours in advance for the gate code, limits parking, and says Fischer Store bridge can be used only with drop-off because parking is not available there.
- Endpoint coordinates30.000583, -98.200361 to 29.968451, -98.192709
The put-in uses the USGS Fischer Store Road gage coordinate at the bridge/gage corridor, while TPWD publishes the John Knox Ranch River Access coordinate as the take-out access anchor; final entry and exit should follow current site instructions and safe bank conditions.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08171000 at 11.0 cfs / 3.64 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day Wimberley discharge and stage at 2026-08-10 22:15 CDT during this run. The Fischer Store Road put-in gauge also returned 19.5 cfs / 3.73 ft for local visual context.
- Threshold and classificationMinimum-only 800 cfs; Class I-II containing reach
American Whitewater ties the Fischer Store Road-to-RM 12 reach to the Blanco River at Wimberley gauge, rates it Class I-II, and records 800 cfs as the low runnable cue. Paddle Today uses only the conservative floor for this shorter TPWD subreach.
- CampingNo route camping inferred
The TPWD lease page describes daylight river access and pack-in/pack-out public use, not public route camping. John Knox Ranch is a separate camp/program property, so overnight use requires separate arrangements and is not part of this paddle route.
- Safety and flood monitoringFlash-flood and post-2015 debris caution
John Knox Ranch describes 2015 flood impacts and active river monitoring, while American Whitewater warns that post-flood conditions and downstream strainers/root wads can change the character of this Blanco corridor.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
A USGS public-domain Fischer Store webcam page exists for exact put-in context, but the live-camera asset was not selected as a stable reusable gallery image; bounded TPWD, AW, Commons, USGS, and same-route review found no stable exact-route paddling asset for local reuse.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Blanco River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Blanco River?
Paddle Today watches Blanco Rv at Wimberley, TX and uses 800 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Blanco River route start and end?
This route starts at Fischer Store Road Bridge and ends at John Knox Ranch River Access, about About 3.6 mi on the water.
Is this Blanco River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.