Explore Spring Lake in San Marcos — Hiking, Glass-Bottom Boat Tour and more

Limited to 20 attendees due to the boat capacity.

I am pleased to announce some fun and
learning opportunities — hiking, and private
guided tours of glass bottom boat,
aquariums, and wetlands boardwalk in
Spring Lake and Meadows Center which
is run by Texas State University. Bring water,
lunch and snacks. See the directions and
parking details at the bottom of this page.

▶️ 9:30am - Meet at the PARKING KIOSK and start hiking at Spring Lake Natural Area: (See the photo below for the meeting place). Allow extra time for parking and restroom use, and be ready to hike at 9:30am.
A 251-acre park that sits just above Spring Lake, the headwaters of the San Marcos River. It offers natural surface trails, the typical meadows and woodlands found in the Edwards Plateau, with a wide variety of flora and fauna. We’ll stop at some points of interest along the way. About 3 miles and some eleven changes — Easy to moderate hike. Our route:: Start at Tonkawa trailhead - Blue Stem - Buckeye - Pond view - Blue Herons - Exogyra - [Wickiups] - Tonkawa - Blind Salamander Way - Tonkawa to the trailhead to finish. See trail map photos.

▶️ After the hike - Picnic lunch on your own. The rooftop of the Meadows Center building is available for our lunch spot. Many school children will be occupying the picnic tables until 12:00 noon. Our plan is to finish the hike by 11:30 AM, retrieve our lunches from the cars, and then head up to the rooftop. You don’t have to carry lunch while hiking as long as it is stored properly in your hot car.

▶️ 12:45pm for 1:00pm - 2:30pm Private
Guided Tours: You must be at the TICKET
KIOSK by 12:45pm. We’ll meet our guide
here. The timing and order of each tour
within the time frame will be determined
close to the tour date. (You revisit after the
end of the tours if you want to spend
more time in Discovery Hall and Boardwalk).

▪️Discovery Hall: A guided private tour of a 1,000 gallon aquarium of native fish found in Spring Lake, an endangered species exhibit where you will see Texas Blind Salamanders, San Marcos Salamanders and Fountain darters, a baby turtle aquarium, a multiscreen video wall and interactive exhibit about the Edwards Aquifer and the Water Systems of Texas.

▪️Wetlands Boardwalk: A guided private
tour that explains the effects of exotic and
invasive species on the habitat, as well as,
offering a close up view of the abundant
plant and animal life.

▪️Glass-Bottom Boat Tour: Only our group and a guide will be onboard. You will view the unique ecosystem, endangered species, and historical artifacts from the former Aquarena Springs park. A 45-minute excursion that features springs not seen on the standard 30-minute tour.
(I requested 45 minutes because 30 minutes
is too short according to the reviews).

PAYMENT: We will receive a 45-minute boat tour with 2 other tours at the senior group price for everyone. The cost is $11.00 per person. If you would like to make a voluntary tip for $1.00 to our guide, the total will be $12.00. I will collect the cash ($11 or $12) before or during lunch time on the event day and pay as a group. [For comparison, individual tickets for a 45 minute boat tour are normally $19.00 for adults and $17.00 for seniors (65+)].

DIRECTIONS to the Meadows Center:
Click here with map.

PARKING: Vehicles parked at the Meadows Center must display a valid Texas State University parking permit. One-day temporary permits are available for $3 (credit card or debit card only) at the pay-and-display station located near the ticket kiosk.

If you are willing to offer carpooling, please post the message. Someone may want to join you.

♦️Guests are welcome. Add +1 to your RSVP, but please do not bring unregistered guests.

My phone number is in the comment as a private messag (which is visible only for attendees) if you need to contact Ikuko.