Bobcat Bucket List #73: Swim at Five-Mile Dam

With riverfront access and multiple amenities, the Five-Mile Dam Park is a perfect place to spend a day with friends and family. They have a variety of activities including swimming, kayaking, hiking, or even a game of soccer.

The park is open year-round with summer hours being 9am-8pm and winter hours being 9am-6pm. The park Five-Mile Dam Park complex includes two separate park areas, the Dudley Connaly Johnson Park and the Randall Wade Vetter Park. There is also a soccer complex on the property.

In 1973, Dudley Connaly Johnson Park became the first park developed in Hays County. Thomas C. Johnson Junior, a San Marcos local, donated 16.5 acres of land to the Five Mile Dam complex in honor of his brother. Here, you can access walking trails, picnic tables, and shaded areas that would be perfect for a picnic.

5-Mile Dam, photo courtesy of The Outbound

30 years later in 2003, Randall Wade Vetter Park was added to the complex in honor of a Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper who lost his life in the line of duty on August 7, 2000. This addition included 18 riverfront acres of trees and river access. This park also has seven barbecue grills with picnic tables and a large concrete trail system. The trail system is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) approved.

In 2010, Five Mile Dam Park made the addition of a recreational venue on the property, a 43-acre soccer complex. This complex was created in conjunction with the City of San Marcos. There are 10 soccer fields, a playscape, walking paths, restrooms, as well as extra parking.

You can visit the Five Mile Dam in any season at 4440 Old Stagecoach Rd, San Marcos, TX 78666.