MAKE A BEAUTIFUL SPLASH IN TEXAS!

CADDO LAKE -- TEXAS & LOUISIANA

When a monstrous log jam passed a tipping point, it created totally new bodies of water along the Texas - Louisiana border. One of these beauties is Caddo Lake.

Known as the Great Raft, the log jam which began forming around 1100–1200 grew to span more than 160 miles/250 km in the early 1830s, from Loggy Bayou to Carolina Bluffs.

The Lake sits within the 8,253 acre Caddo Lake State Park located in eastern Texas.

The indigenous Caddo tribe prospered in the area thanks to the waters’ resources.

While steamboat builder and river captain Henry Miller Shreve worked to remove the Great Raft, (1785–1851) because it prevented river navigation, it reformed later farther up the river.

Caddo Lake is part of a 25,400-acre wetland ecosystem, which includes other lakes, ponds, bayous, and cypress swamp.

More than 71 species of fish live in Caddo Lake. Plenty of alligators, turtles, frogs, snakes, and waterfowl cavort in its waters as well. Raccoons, mink, beavers, armadillos, coypu, and white-tailed deer rely on the lake for food, drink and habitat.

If you want a beautiful dip, surrounded by wild gorgeousness, Caddo Lake is calling you.

HAMILTON POOL -- TEXAS

We love beautiful openings! Especially when they lead to beautiful water!

Hamilton Pool, a spectacular natural pool just west of Austin, Texas, formed thousands of years ago when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to extensive erosion.

The pool sits within Hamilton Pool Preserve, a 232 acre section of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.

Once home to Native American Tonkawa and Lipan Apaches, this gorgeous habitat is lush, with thick mosses and ferns cladding the sides and ceilings of surrounding cliffs, and stands of Ashe juniper where endangered golden-cheeked warblers perch.

You need to hike ¼ mile downhill to reach the water. You are rewarded with a refreshing jade green pool, fed by the showers of the adjacent 50-foot waterfall.

Bald cypress trees grow along the streams that flow into the pool.

The pool is surrounded by large slabs of limestone. Large stalactites hang from the remnants of the dome ceiling high above.

While the pool suffered from a bit too much popularity, now, as a result of restoration and conservation efforts, the ecosystems of Hamilton Pool are recovering. So it’s definitely a beautiful place to visit, provided you tread especially lightly in and around the water.

Read more about Beautiful Water all this week on BeautifulNow.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Brad Wofford. “Caddo Lake Trench.” Caddo Lake State Park. Texas.
2. Image: by David Cobb. Untitled. Caddo Lake State Park. Texas.
3. Image: by Billy Bob Bain. “Caddo Reflections - Green.” Caddo Lake State Park.
4. Image: by _Gaspard_. “Caddo Lake, Texas.” Caddo Lake State Park. Texas.
5. Image: by Michael Welch. “Caddo Lake (Oil City).” Caddo Lake State Park. Texas.
6. Image: by _Gaspard_. “Caddo Lake, Texas.” Caddo Lake State Park. Texas.
7. Image: by Leon Bovenkerk. “Hamilton Pool.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
8. Image: by Knowsphotos. “Inside the Green Grotto.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
9. Image: by Trey Perry. “Hamilton Pool.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
10. Image: by mlhradio. “Natural swimming hole under the canopy of Hamilton Pool in Travis County.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
11. Image: by Darrell Miller. “Hamilton Pool - Austin TX.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
12. Image: by Eric in SF. “Waterfall during high water.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
13. Image: by BrandonLord. “Hamilton Pool 5.” Hamilton Pool Preserve in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Dripping Springs, Texas.
14. Image: by BN App - Download now!
15. Image: by stokes rx. “Caddo Lake Dock Pano.” Caddo Lake State Park. Texas.