Paddling in the Texas Hill Country doesn’t have to be considered anywhere near an “extreme sport.” If you’re even remotely curious about what it’s like to get out in a canoe or a kayak and enjoy any number of our amazing waterways, you can get the finer details on the Texas Paddling Trails link from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website, located here. However, if you’re looking for the true details—the beauty, peacefulness, fun, and excitement that can be had from an experience such as this—it’s best to talk with others who have done it, and maybe even tag along!
Gatewood Brown shared the experience of kayak camping on the Medina River in the Texas Hill Country on YouTube. His channel features trips and hobbies, and this one, in particular, struck a chord with us. “We headed back to the incredible Texas Hill Country for a 3 day kayak camping trip. I still claim that this is the most underrated river in Texas and allows for scenery seemingly untouched by man. This river winds through the heart of the Texas Hill Country, lined with ancient Cypress Trees and filled with crystal clear blue water,” he wrote in the video caption.
Video: YouTube/Gatewood Brown
Capturing this kayaking trip in the Hill Country on a GoPro, Brown also noted each of his equipment components on the YouTube upload. Although it’s absolutely not necessary that your first (or even any, for that matter) paddling trip to entail such effort, an extensive packing list, or the necessity to camp, this video was shot beautifully, and in a matter of just over 12 minutes, it shares with the online community just a quick glimpse of what it’s like being out on the water here in Texas.
For this trip, the duo in the video “put in downtown Medina (Moffet Park) and took out at Rangers Crossing just west of Bandera,” but the water flow varies, depending on the season. Experienced paddlers of any one particular area will definitely be able to inform newbies where and when it’s best to experience certain parts of our waterways. If you’re new to the sport (which, honestly, can be more leisurely than you might imagine) you won’t believe how blessed we are to have such natural beauty in our neck of the woods that you’ve never experienced like this. The sport is amazing, the scenery is awe-inspiring, and the feeling of being outdoors on the water is almost indescribable. The view from a canoe or kayak along a Texas stream or river is absolutely glorious, and once you pick up a paddle, you may never want to put it down again!
