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Texas | Hill Country
San Marcos River
San Marcos River Retreat to Scull Road
Check current paddling conditions for this San Marcos 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.
Checking trend.
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 at San Marcos River Retreat and take out at Scull Road for TPWD's 3-mile San Marcos float through Cottonseed Rapids. Use USGS 08172000 with a conservative 100 cfs floor, expect below-200 cfs readings to be scrapey, and make Scull Road the firm exit before the Martindale Dam reach.
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
San Marcos River RetreatSan Marcos River Retreat is private property participating as a TPWD lease access. Confirm reservation, launch fee, daylight hours, and no-alcohol rules before relying on it.
Take-out
Scull Road BridgeTPWD says the Scull Road parking area is 0.16 miles southwest of the bridge, while the immediate bridge area is only for loading and unloading. The route records American Whitewater's bridge/access-point coordinate as the water-entry anchor and TPWD's coordinate as the parking/access anchor.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- San Marcos River Retreat is private property participating as a TPWD lease access. Confirm reservation, launch fee, daylight hours, and no-alcohol rules before relying on it.
- TPWD says the Scull Road parking area is 0.16 miles southwest of the bridge, while the immediate bridge area is only for loading and unloading. The route records American Whitewater's bridge/access-point coordinate as the water-entry anchor and TPWD's coordinate as the parking/access anchor.
- American Whitewater describes past private-bank conflict around the Scull Road take-out. Use the public road/right-of-way context, do not linger, and avoid private-bank stops except for immediate safety.
- Scull Road is the intended finish. Continuing downstream adds flatwater above Martindale Dam and a required dam portage that is outside this route package.
Watch for
- Cottonseed Rapids, an old-dam-remnant Class II rapid with a river-left sieve. Stay right, scout, and portage river right unless the group is deliberately prepared to run it.
- Low water near the 100 cfs floor and below 200 cfs, when American Whitewater says this reach can be run but tends to be scrapey.
- High or rising water, debris, Blanco River runoff, and the low Scull Road bridge, which can become a hazard at higher flows.
- Gate-code, parking, daylight, fee, reservation, and no-alcohol restrictions at the two leased access sites.
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 | San Marcos Rv at Luling, 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 | 100 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 San Marcos Westerfield-to-FM 1979 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 shapeSan Marcos River Retreat to Scull Road, 3 mi
TPWD says the Scull Road lease access serves as the take-out for a 3-mile float from San Marcos River Retreat and flags Cottonseed Rapids on this exact section.
- Access leasesSMRR and Scull Road leases active through August 31, 2027
TPWD publishes current lease periods, daylight public-use windows, fee/reservation or gate-code requirements, and boat-launch/take-out permissions for both endpoints.
- Water-entry coordinates29.85840, -97.88760 to 29.84960, -97.85690
American Whitewater publishes access-point coordinates for San Marcos River Retreat and CR 246 / Scull Road Bridge. TPWD's Scull Road coordinate is treated as the lease parking/access anchor because TPWD says parking is 0.16 miles southwest of the bridge.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08172000 at 110 cfs / 3.87 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day San Marcos River at Luling discharge and stage at 2026-08-10 19:45 CDT during this run.
- Threshold and route useMinimum-only 100 cfs; below 200 cfs is scrapey
American Whitewater says this San Marcos reach can be run below 200 cfs but tends to be scrapey, so the route ships with a conservative minimum-only floor rather than a claimed ideal range.
- Cottonseed safetyClass II rapid with a river-left sieve
American Whitewater warns that Cottonseed's old dam remnants include a potentially deadly sieve at river left, advises paddlers to stay right, and notes that the rapid can be portaged river right. TPWD also says to portage unless confident.
- CampingNo route camping inferred
The TPWD lease pages describe daylight public-use access, fees, reservations, gate code, and parking rules, but do not publish route camping rights for the public lease use. San Marcos River Retreat is a separate private campground, so overnight use requires separate campground arrangements.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded TPWD, TRPA, American Whitewater, Commons, USGS, and same-route web review found maps/context and no clearly rights-clean exact SMRR-to-Scull 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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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
San Marcos River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling San Marcos River?
Paddle Today watches San Marcos Rv at Luling, TX and uses 100 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this San Marcos River route start and end?
This route starts at San Marcos River Retreat and ends at Scull Road Bridge, about About 3.0 mi on the water.
Is this San Marcos 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.