Cranes Mill Park

Canyon Lake

Cranes Mill Park is located on a long peninsula on the southwestern shore of Canyon Lake in Texas Hill Country, halfway between Austin and San Antonio. Dramatic sunrises to the east of the park across Canyon Lake and sunsets on the western side of the park behind the Guadalupe River make this an unforgettable location.

Cranes Mill Park hosts 30 RV sites, 34 tent sites, water and electrical at most sites, a dump station, restrooms with hot and cold showers, boat ramp in the park with restroom facilities, two fishing piers, adjacent marina and many undeveloped acres of land where the wildlife is abundant.

Notifications and Alerts

All USACE parks at Canyon Lake no longer accept cash, checks, or money orders for payment at the gatehouse. Please be prepared to pay use fees with a credit or debit card.

Need to Know

BASIC INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cranes Mill Park is a Class A style RV and TENT CAMPING park
- This means the park has a restroom with showers, personal sites, a dump station, gatehouse, park hosts, and that each site has a table, benches, a fire ring, a standing grill with a closable lid, and drinkale water connection, and electricity. The only exception in Cranes Mill park are sites which do not have electricity. Check each site before confirming your reservation to make sure you are getting what you expect. There is also access to the lake, nearby trails, two fishing piers inthe park, and a boat ramp that puts you in near the mouth of the river.
Standard Park Season and Hours
- Open 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Park Hours and Seasons
- Check in time: 3pm - No Early arrivals allowed!
- Check out time: 2pm - On the day you are leaving.
Park Gate Hours and Seasons
- Summer Season: April 1st through the end of September
- Gate Hours: 8am to 10pm daily
- Fall Season: October 1st through the end of March
- Gate Hours: 9am to 9pm daily
Rules for Gate Access and Entry
- No one is allowed in the park unless they have a reservation or are a guest of a reservation.
- Before entering the park, you MUST check in with a gate attendant. This includes both reservation holders and their guests.
- You can not check in or drive in after the gates are locked each night. Speak with the gate attendants when you arrive so they can answer any questions you have about coming in after normal gate hours.
- If you are traveling to check in and know you will not arrive until after 10pm, know that you will NOT be able to access the park until the next morning when the gates open again.
- You may always leave the park after the main gate is locked, but will not be allowed to re-enter with a vehicle after the gates are locked. You may walk into your site, but the vehicle must be parked outside of the gate on the side, out of the way until the gate opens in the morning.
- You may NOT drive through the locked gates or attempt to reenter the park with a vehicle after you have left and the gates are locked. If the gate is locked when you return to the park, you may walk to your site after hours if you have already checked in earlier with the gate attendants.
- Anyone attempting to drive into the locked park after hours is subject to a citation, potentially punctured tires, and to pay for any damages you do to the gate(s) that are locked.
Maximums of the Park
- 2 Camping Units - For any single use RV site this means an RV style unit and a tent, or two tents. For a tent only site this means two tents. No More Allowed. May not have two RVs on same site. May not have an RV and a pop-up on same site.
- 10 People - This is for all single use RV or Tent sites. This includes all people including infants, children, pre-teen, teenagers, young adults, middle aged adults, and well seasonsed and wise older adults.
- 2 overnight vehicles
- 2 Guests vehicles: must be out of park by 10pm daily
- 1 boat trailer: per single use site (RV or Tent). You are limited to one trailer in the park, not one at your site and one at the boat ramp.
No feeding the wildlife in the park.
- Do NOT attempt to interact with the wild life. Some are protective of their territory, homes, dens, food and young. If you encroach on their space, they may become aggressive.
- To keep you safe, we ask that you do not feed, pet, handle, chase, harass, follow, hunt or attempt in any form or fashion to attract or interact directly with the wild life. You may observe them from a distance. If you find a fawn or other baby animal by itself, do not handle them. Mother animals often leave their young in a 'safe' place so they can go off and eat. The mothers will be back for their young, but if you touch it, the mother will often abandon the baby since the animal now smells like you.
- Contact the gate attendants, park host or park ranger for assistance in any situation similar to what is described above. We will usually tell you to leave the naimal alone. Nature has a way of "fixing" what we perceive as an issue, when usually it is not.
- Game wardens and Park rangers can investigate if there is a serious problem like a rabid or injured animal.
Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
HELP US REDUCE ENERGY COSTS WHEN YOU ARE GONE…DON’T LEAVE IT ON!

Turn off the AC/Lights/Fans Turn Down/Off Electric Water Heaters

WHEN NOT IN USE…TURN OFF THE JUICE!

Unplug Chargers and Appliances Turn off Radios and TVs KEEP THE PARK OPEN BY SAVING ELECTRICITY.

Natural Features

The Guadalupe River flows into Canyon Lake on the west side of Cranes Mill Park creating tranquil, warm summer evenings as the sun rests across the horizon. The peninsula is home to wildlife including deer, squirrel, fox, armadillo, raccoon, Cardinals, dove, Mockingbirds, finch and swallow.

Nearby Attractions

Some of the local attractions include: Historic Downtown Gruene Texas, Natural Bridge Caverns, Wonder World in San Marcos, Comal River, Guadalupe River, San Marcos River, Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeny, historic downtown New Braunfels, San Antonio River Walk, Six Flags, Sea World and many others.

Recreation

Cranes Mill Park offers a ramp for boating and two fishing piers. The Canyon Lake area has many options for recreation including: helicopter tours, boating, kayaking, canoeing, jet-skiing, dining, hiking, biking, fishing, camping, waterskiing, parasailing, horseback riding, guided gorge tours , river tubing, and much more. Anglers are welcome to try their hand at trout fishing in the Guadalupe River between the dam and New Braunfels.

Changes & Cancellations

The reservation system has the right to charge fees for cancellation of a reservation, or for changes to a reservation. Changes include shortening a stay, extending a stay, or site transfers.

Contact Information

Physical Address

4698 Cranes Mill Road Canyon Lake TX 78133

Mailing

US Army Corps of Engineers Attention Cranes Mill Park 601 COE Road Canyon Lake TX 78133

Phone Number

For campground inquiries, please call: 830-964-3341

Rental Options

Learn more about gear rental options for your trip

Driving Directions

From IH 35 take Exit 191 north of New Braunfels, Texas. FM 306 is exit 191. Drive west on FM 306 for about 14 miles. Turn left on FM 2673 at the red light just after the first Guadalupe River crossing. Cranes Mill Park is located at the westernmost end of FM 2673 and South Cranes Mill Road. Drive until FM 2673 goes down to a two lane road going through a neighborhood. Continue through the neighborhood. You will go down a steep incline and be at a Y in the road. Go left on at the Y and you have entered the park. The gate house is at the far end of the road past the marina.

Available Campsites

Photo Gallery

Camp, RV, and Explore Outdoors

Recreation.gov is your gateway to explore America's outdoor and cultural destinations in your zip code and across the country. We provide tools and tips to discover new adventures through a one-stop shop for inspiration and ideation, trip planning, information sharing, and reservations. Find incredible places and experiences that help you bring home a story through Recreation.gov!