We went to Five Mile Dam Park today. The dam is on the Blanco River between Kyle and San Marcos. The park is managed by Hays County and consists of picnic areas and walking trails along the Blanco River and also includes a 43 acre soccer complex. I’m not sure of the origin of the name but Five Mile Dam seems to be located about 5 miles from both San Marcos and Kyle, so perhaps that’s it.

There weren’t many people at the park even though it was a nice day. A cold front came through last night, leaving about 0.2 inches of rain at our house and cooling us off a bit.

We started our hike below the dam and I was surprised to find water in the river, although in several scattered pools. We saw minnows, a small frog which may have been a cricket frog, and a couple of six-lined racerunner lizards.

Here’s a shot of a beautiful cypress (Taxodium distichum) tree at the first pool we came upon. Cypress trees love to grow on the river bank and they always seem to be gripping the bank to keep from falling in. The exposed roots are quite lovely.

Blanco Swimming Hole

Here’s a close-up of the fantastic roots. They form an intricate, thick mat and keep the bank from eroding.

Cypress Roots

This is a view along the Blanco River, looking north, and above the dam. There is plenty of water in this part of the park. I like the dramatic sky in this photo. It had rained earlier in the day and was threatening to open up again.

Blanco River Upstream From 5 Mile Dam