Hays County opens 175-acre park preserve

Hays County officials and parks department staff celebrated the opening of Karst Canyon Preserve on March 27. The 175-acre preserve features a stretch of Dry Cypress Creek, the Wimberley Bat Cave and a habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.

The big picture

Karst Canyon is the biggest addition to the Hays County park system in a decade, said Karl Flocke, Hays County director of parks and natural resources. The preserve is located in the Greater Jacob’s Well Natural Area.

The Watershed Association purchased the site in 2019, stopping the established plans for high-density development of more than 1,000 residential lots. Hays County purchased the land in 2025 with funding from the Parks and Open Spaces Bond.

The two entities, in partnership with Hays County Master Naturalist volunteers, prepared the land for public access following the purchase. The efforts included:

• Trail cutting and clearing
• Installation of maps, signage and wayfinding markers
• Construction of benches
• Completion of biological and karst surveys

“With this conservation, we're able to protect the sacred springs of Jacob's Well,” Flocke said. “We're able to protect the recharge into the aquifer that not only feeds Jacob's Well, but supports the lives of so many people in this area.”