Texas | Texas Hill Country

South Llano RiverSouth Llano River State Park to Junction City Park

Full official South Llano paddling trail from South Llano River State Park to Junction City Park. TPWD publishes the exact 6.3-mile route, the Flatrock alternate midpoint, and the bridge-portage rule that controls the start of the run.

Route location

Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.

Open access map
DistanceAbout 6.3 mi
DifficultyEasy
Typical timeAbout 2.5 hr to 4 hr at an easy recreational pace
ShuttleCar shuttle
A sandy, wooded southeast Texas river corridor.
River contextTexas river corridor context; not this route or current conditions; route imagery unavailable — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Jill Carlson via Wikimedia Commons
View primary source
Embed this route

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Trip details

Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.

Permits, camping and season
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is published. South Llano River State Park charges normal park entry and often recommends reservations for day use; follow current park, parking, and PFD rules.
CampingOptions nearbySouth Llano River State Park campsites sit directly at the put-in, so this route works well as a campground-based half-day float into town.
SeasonJan-DecThis official trail can work in most seasons when the Flat Rock gauge is not scraping at the floor or surging after rain. Warm-season day use is easiest because the route is long enough to feel real while still fitting a half-day shuttle from the park.

Access and shuttle

Put in at South Llano River State Park and continue all the way to Junction City Park for the full official TPWD paddling trail. This is a simple state-park-to-town float with a required bridge portage near the start and the same same-day flow check as the shorter splits.

Access map

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Start

Put-in

South Llano River State Park paddling access
DirectionsOpen map

TPWD says the damaged state-park bridge apron is closed and that paddlers must exit at the designated location, portage around the bridge, and reenter downstream.

Finish

Take-out

Junction City Park
DirectionsOpen map

Use the marked state-park launch and the named Junction City Park finish rather than improvised bank stops.

Road shuttle

Use a short Junction-area shuttle between South Llano River State Park and Junction City Park. If you are entering the park only to launch, reserve day use first during busy periods and leave time for the required bridge portage near the start.

Choose a shorter tripOptional

Choose your launch and take-out

This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.

On-water distance6.3 miCreek-focused
On-water timeAbout 2.5 hr to 4 hr at an easy recreational paceFull route option
ShuttleCar shuttleChoose a shorter in/out pair for a shorter day.

South Llano River State Park paddling access to Junction City Park is about 6.3 mi. Use the planner to compare shorter access pairs.

Additional access notes
  • Private shoreline begins quickly outside the park corridor, so keep rests brief and at the named public access points.
More route and safety guidance
  • Below the portage, expect shallow riffles and occasional wood, especially when the gauge is near the conservative floor.
  • Use Junction City Park as the planned public finish and avoid treating nearby private banks as casual take-outs.
Terms and safety
Plan this paddle

Choose your trip times

No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.

Trip schedule

Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.

Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.

Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.

Conditions

Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

------------
Detailed weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

Loading today's forecast.

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--

Tomorrow and the weekend

Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Station details and river cameras

Sources and methodology

Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.

Data reliability: checking
Data status
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge inputChecking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather inputChecking

Waiting on weather.

Next stepChecking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.

  • Checking data sources and update times.
Water levels, published guidance and update times

These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.

Gauge siteS Llano Rv at Flat Rock Ln at Junction, TX
DischargeChecking
Gauge heightChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Preferred rangeNeeds paddler reports
Known low-water floor65 cfs
High thresholdWater-level guidance unavailable
Evidence strength behind the rangeLocal route guidance
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreTexas Rivers Protection Association South Llano overview
Gauge sourceChecking
Weather sourceChecking
Rainfall sourceChecking
Published evidence and verification notes

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

  • Published flow guidance65 cfs minimum; 100-500 cfs broader ideal

    Texas Rivers Protection Association summarizes the South Llano with a 65 cfs minimum and 100-500 cfs ideal band at the Junction gauge.

    Source

  • Official route segmentState Park to Junction City Park, 6.3 mi

    TPWD lists the South Llano River State Park to Junction City Park trail as 6.3 miles and names Flatrock Lane as the midpoint alternate access.

    Source

  • Put-in accessSouth Llano River State Park, 30.4498, -99.8128

    The TPWD paddling-trail page identifies the state-park access point, and the state-park page says there is one designated place for paddlers to park and put in.

    Source

  • Take-out accessJunction City Park, 30.4879, -99.7617

    TPWD identifies Junction City Park as the downstream public access point with published coordinates.

    Source

  • Mandatory portageState-park bridge portage required

    TPWD says all kayaks, canoes, and tubes must exit before the damaged bridge at South Llano River State Park and portage around it before reentering downstream.

    Source

  • Gauge check during route review · 2026-06-26USGS 08149900 at 75.8 cfs / 2.25 ft

    This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.

    Source

Check the source links
Other routes nearby

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.