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Date
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March 1, 2025
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Meet-up
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Amigos Beach near Fentress, TX
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Put-in
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Amigos Beach near Fentress, TX
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Take-out
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Son’s Blue Mountain Campground near Prairie Lea, TX - aka Prairie Lea 1
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Paddling Miles
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3.3 Miles
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Fees or Permits
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Waiver Forms
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Gage
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San Marcos Rv nr Martindale, TX – 08171400
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Temperature
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70-83° F
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Sky
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Clear
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Moon Phase
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Waxing Crescent
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Sunrise/sunset
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Sunrise 6:58 AM / Sunset 6:31 PM
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Precipitation
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None
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Wind
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0-9 mph from the West → North → East
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Coordinator
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Susan Eda
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HCC Participants
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John Ainsworth, Tom Douglas, Susan Eda, Tom Loesch, Constantin Platon
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Shuttle
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Amigos Beach to Prairie Lea 1- 3.2 miles
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Craft
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Solo and Tandem Canoes, Solo Kayaks
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HCC Club Miles
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16.5 miles (5 HCC Members)
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Road Miles
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150 miles Each Way – From Home to Amigos Beach near Fentress, TX
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Guide Book
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An Analysis of Texas Waterways
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Photos, Map
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Photos by Constantin Platon, Map by Tom Douglas
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Food
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Picnic Lunch on Gravel Bar
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Water
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Individual Water Bottles Accessed During Several Breaks
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Our group of 17 paddlers, including 5 Houston Canoe Club members, met up at 10:30 at the Amigos Beach put-in near Fentress, TX. The weather was clear and sunny, perfect for a day on the river. We completed waiver forms, equipped ourselves with trash bags, and staged our boats along the bank while the car shuttle was being run. Several of our group picked up quite a bit of trash near the put-in, which was a special pleasure because the proprietor of Amigos Beach has long been a good friend to the paddling community.
The Put-in at Fentress
San Marcos River Section 6
By the time we put our boats in the water, it was around noon. We divided up into two subgroups: one that included paddlers who were training to be ACA instructors, and another that could focus entirely on cleaning up trash from the river.
Because the river level was fairly low, navigating it wasn’t difficult most of the time – just some logs in the water and quite a few shallow riffles that required care to avoid running aground. Because the lead group had a head start, we could take time to poke our boats into many nooks and crannies to pick up trash, both in the water, and as far up on the bank as we could reach with our paddles.
Beating the Bushes for Trash
Along the way, we saw lots of plants and animals: sunning turtles, blooming lotuses, and one sunning snake that seemed unbothered by our presence.
Sunning Turtle
Blooming Lotus
Around 2:00, we passed by Son’s River Ranch Campground, which appeared to be closed for the winter – lots of straw-roofed palapas, but no one in sight.
Quiet Campground
A little farther along, we stopped for lunch on a gravel bar on the river left side. It offered an easy landing spot and gave us a good view of the far bank, which was steep and high.
Lunch Stop
The next section of the river had quite a bit of trash – countless beverage cans, plastic and glass bottles, shoes, a full-size plastic trash can, another plastic can that was only a little smaller, and a large rectangular plastic bin.
Trash Begins to Accumulate
A little before 4:30, we reached the Prairie Lea 1 take-out at Son’s Blue Mountain campground on the river right bank. We unloaded the trash from our boats and carried it up the hill to where it was loaded into the vehicles that would take it to the designated collection point.
Unloading at the Take-out
Then, it was on to the San Marcos River Retreat for an excellent BBQ dinner, a silent auction of river gear, and lots of enjoyable companionship with our fellow paddlers. Some of us camped out there at the campground, while others returned to Houston or stayed over in San Marcos so that we could attend the following day’s meeting of the Texas Rivers Protection Association.
We are already putting the date for the next annual San Marcos River Cleanup on our calendars for the first Saturday in March 2026.
Photos by Constantin Platon, Map by Tom Douglas