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Texas | Texas Hill Country
Medina River
Ranger Crossing to Bandera City Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Medina 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
Checking preferred range.
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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.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch from Ranger Crossing at Highway 16 and take out at Bandera City Park for a 5.9-mile Medina River day trip. Use the direct Bandera gauge, expect shallow dragging when flows are near today's 56 cfs level, and exit cleanly at the city park before the dam-restricted area.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Ranger Crossing at Highway 16The Ranger Crossing coordinate is a source-backed access anchor shared with the upstream Medina card and corroborated by American Whitewater's Ranger Crossing public-access page; it is not a guessed mid-channel water-entry point.
Take-out
Bandera City ParkAmerican Whitewater publishes the Bandera City Park public access coordinate river left upstream of the SH 173 / Main Street bridge. Use posted city-park signs, bank conditions, and the open lower-level parking rules on arrival.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Ranger Crossing coordinate is a source-backed access anchor shared with the upstream Medina card and corroborated by American Whitewater's Ranger Crossing public-access page; it is not a guessed mid-channel water-entry point.
- American Whitewater publishes the Bandera City Park public access coordinate river left upstream of the SH 173 / Main Street bridge. Use posted city-park signs, bank conditions, and the open lower-level parking rules on arrival.
- Bandera City Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 30 minutes before sundown, charges weekend and holiday entry fees, prohibits camping, prohibits swimming near or standing on the dam, and says water entry is from the river bank only.
- The route was implemented with USGS 08178880 product-live at 55.8 cfs / 4.26 ft at 2026-08-12 04:45 CDT, above the 30 cfs lower-Medina floor but far below the 300 cfs ideal cue and below American Whitewater's recommended display.
- TRPA says almost all adjacent Medina River property is private. Keep stops to lawful public access and do not treat private banks, cabins, ranch roads, or gravel bars as public bailout or camping options.
Watch for
- Flows below about 30 cfs at USGS 08178880, when the TRPA lower-Medina minimum is not met and dragging over rock or gravel bars is likely.
- High or rising water after storms, especially above about 300 cfs where TRPA says more navigation skill is needed and near 2,000 cfs where the route should not be attempted.
- Low-water crossings, the 6th Street / Schmidtke Road low bridge, the 1st Street / Rugh Hill low bridge, wood, strainers, blind bends, fences, and flood debris.
- The mandatory Bandera City Park take-out, park hours, lower-level parking limits, entry fees, dam restrictions, and water-quality or closure notices.
- Private-property boundaries, road-crossing traffic, heat, sun exposure, and limited public exits between Ranger Crossing and Bandera City Park.
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 | Medina Rv at Bandera, 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 |
| Target band | 300 cfs to 1,500 cfs |
| Low threshold | 30 cfs |
| High threshold | 2,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Texas Rivers Protection Association Medina River 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.
- Route shapeRanger Crossing at Hwy 16 to Bandera City Park, about 5.9 mi
American Whitewater lists SH 16 / Ranger Crossing at river mile 21.2 and Bandera City Park at river mile 27.12 on its Medina River route page.
- Public access coordinates29.7369976, -99.1232512 to 29.72254, -99.06975
Ranger Crossing is stored using the existing source-backed Medina chain access anchor, corroborated by American Whitewater's Ranger Crossing public-access page; Bandera City Park uses American Whitewater's public access coordinate. These are arrival anchors, not guessed mid-channel water-entry points.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08178880 at 55.8 cfs / 4.26 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day Medina River discharge and gage height at Bandera at 2026-08-12 04:45 CDT, and American Whitewater ties the Bandera-area route to the same gauge.
- Threshold posture30 cfs floor; 300-1,500 cfs ideal; 2,000 cfs ceiling
TRPA says the Medina needs about 30 cfs from town of Medina and below, is ideal around 300-1,500 cfs, and should not be attempted above about 2,000 cfs. American Whitewater's same-day display called about 56 cfs below recommended, so near-floor trips should expect scraping.
- CampingNo camping at Bandera City Park; nearby basecamp only
Bandera City Park rules prohibit camping. TRPA says the only public camping along the Medina River is Pioneer River Resort in Bandera, across SH 173 from the city park area; no private-bank, gravel-bar, road-crossing, or park camping is inferred.
- SafetyLow-water crossings, low bridges, private banks and mandatory city-park exit
American Whitewater flags low-water crossings and Bandera low bridges as hazards, while Bandera City Park rules prohibit swimming near or standing on the dam. The route package requires taking out at the park and not extending into the dam corridor without a separate source-backed plan.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded American Whitewater, TRPA, Commons, USGS, Bandera city/local tourism, and same-route web review found route-context photos but no clearly rights-clean exact Ranger-Crossing-to-Bandera-City-Park paddling asset selected 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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Quick answers
Medina River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Medina River?
Paddle Today watches Medina Rv at Bandera, TX and treats 300 cfs to 1,500 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Medina River route start and end?
This route starts at Ranger Crossing at Highway 16 and ends at Bandera City Park, about About 5.9 mi on the water.
Is this Medina River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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