Jacob's Well

Useful Information

Location:	Jacob's Well Natural Area, 1699 Mt Sharp Rd, Wimberley, TX, 78676 (30.034484, -98.126131)
Open:	All year daily 8-18. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, 25-DEC, 01-JAN. [2023]
Fee:	Swimming Fees: Adults USD 9, Children (5-12) USD 5, Children (0-4) free, Seniors (60+) USD 5, Military USD 5, Locals USD 5. [2023]
Classification:	Karst Spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	L=1723 m, VR=40 m, Twater=20 °C.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Jacob's Well, Jacob's Well Natural Area, 1699 Mt Sharp Rd, Wimberley, TX, 78676, Tel: +1-512-214-4593. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1847	area surveyed by surveyor Bartlett Sims.
1850s	discovered by early settlers.
APR-2023	closed for swimming until further notice.

Description

Jacob's Well is a typical deep karst spring, with water welling up from a cave system, the Trinity Aquifer. The crystal clear hole shows the dark blue colour of water with a high amount of dissolved limestone. The floor of the spring is a layer of massive limestone, the water emerges from a 10 m deep shaft with vertical walls and an almost circular shape. Below is one of the longest underwater caves in Texas, which is explored by cave divers to a water depth of 40 m. It is the second-largest fully submerged cave in Texas.

Since its discovery, the spring has been used as a water supply for a saw mill and to irrigate fields. It generally had high production, from the early 20th century eruptions pushing water 2 m high into the air are recorded. In 2023, the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has declared an emergency stage on its groundwater. An exceptional drought in the area caused the closure of the well for swimming.

If it is not closed, the spring is used for swimming. A wooden plank leads to a wall built with limestone rocks on the limestone floor close to the shaft. From here it is possible to jump and dive into the hole. However, while the park and even parking are free, it is necessary to make a reservation and pay a fee for swimming. The site is so popular during summer, its necessary to make a reservation at least 3 weeks in advance. Swimming season is MAY to SEP, but the spring may be closed during season if the water level is too low and swimming is thus unsafe. There are numerous restrictions, probably a result of the fact that Jacob’s Well has claimed at least 12 lives since 1935. However, these were cave divers exploring the cave behind, not people swimming in the well. Once the body of a young diver from Pasadena lay at the bottom of the chambers for almost two decades. Finally, the San Marcos Area Recovery Team accidentally discovered it while videotaping the caves. Those dangers are the reason why diving requires a permit and a proof of the cave diving skills.

The park offers free guided morning tours on Saturday mornings from October to May. The one-hour guided tours led by park staff or dedicated volunteers explain the history and geology, as well as the local wildlife and vegetation. They depart from the Jacob’s Well Nature Center at 10 a.m. They suggest bringing drinking water, good walking shoes, binoculars, and a love for nature. We would like to add a camera to the list. If you do not make it to one of the tours, they also have a download link for the free audiotour on their website.

Jacob's Well is the spring of Cypress Creek, a tributary of the Blanco River. It flows through Blue Hole Regional Park. The spring was discovered by early white settlers in the 1850s when they followed Cypress Creek to its source. At least that's what the Hays County website says. They claim that William C. Winters, a San Jacinto veteran and early settler of Wimberley, was the one. And as he exclaimed “like unto a well in Bible times”, the well was named Jacob’s Well. In the same paragraph, they also state the land was surveyed by the famous surveyor Bartlett Sims in 1847, who used the spring as a corner of five land surveys. He discovered the spring, actually, but probably he is not credited, as he neither named the spring nor mentioned its existence to anyone.