Blue Hole Regional Park was given its name due to the large swimming hole located within it. Located in the heart of the rugged Texas Hill Country, the cool pristine waters of the “Blue Hole” have attracted local swimmers for decades. Threatened by development, the swimming hole and surrounding 126 acres were purchased in 2005 by the City of Wimberley, Texas to protect the beloved icon, which had nearly been “loved to death” by overuse, and to create a sustainable regional park.

Informed by a stakeholder-led design process through SITES certification, the design team created a plan that protected and enhanced the site’s ecologically sensitive areas, despite the addition of 320,000 square feet of new park amenities.

Furthermore, with SITES, the project reduced its construction costs by approximately $270,000! They achieved this by recycling land-clearing material into mulch and reusing excavated limestone instead of purchasing new materials. And in its first year of opening, the park experienced an increase of 60% in visitors; while in the second year, visitation nearly doubled again, generating an estimated $217,000.

Since its opening, Blue Hole has recovered from five floods up to 27 feet in depth. In fact, even in the wake of the tragic 2015 Memorial Day Flood, which claimed 12 lives, the park remained resilient, without plant loss or damage to hardscape, materials, or amenities.

Today, the park offers swimming, an extensive interpretive education program, and active and passive recreation amenities for thousands of annual visitors.