Comal River

---

title: "Comal River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-texas", "guadalupe-river-(texas)", "rivers-of-comal-county,-texas", "new-braunfels,-texas"] description: "River in Texas, United States" topic_path: "general/rivers-of-texas" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comal_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in Texas, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Comal River
image	Schlitterbahn4.jpg
image_caption	The Comal River in New Braunfels
map
map_size	250
map_caption	Location of the Comal River
pushpin_map_size	250
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	United States
subdivision_type2	State
subdivision_name2	Texas
length	2.5 mi
discharge1_avg	312 cuft/s
source1	Comal Springs
source1_location	New Braunfels, Comal County
source1_coordinates
source1_elevation	645 ft
mouth	Guadalupe River
mouth_location	New Braunfels, Comal County
mouth_coordinates
mouth_elevation	600 ft
basin_size	130 sqmi
::

| name = Comal River | name_native = | name_native_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = | image = Schlitterbahn4.jpg | image_caption = The Comal River in New Braunfels | map = | map_size = 250 | map_caption = Location of the Comal River | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = 250 | pushpin_map_caption= | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = United States | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Texas | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = | length = 2.5 mi | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = 312 cuft/s | discharge1_max = | source1 = Comal Springs | source1_location = New Braunfels, Comal County | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = 645 ft | mouth = Guadalupe River | mouth_location = New Braunfels, Comal County | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = 600 ft | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = 130 sqmi | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right = | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra =

The Comal River ( ) is the shortest navigable river in the state of Texas in the United States. Proclaimed the "longest shortest river in the world" by locals, it runs entirely within the city limits of New Braunfels in southeast Comal County. It is a tributary of the Guadalupe River. The Comal begins at Comal Springs in Landa Park and flows 2.5 mi until its junction with the Guadalupe.

The Comal was originally called the Little Guadalupe in early Spanish accounts. After Spaniard Pedro de Rivera y Villalón identified the longer river as the Guadalupe in 1727, the Comal was given its current name. The name means "basin" or "flat dish" in Spanish.

Historically, the Comal was used to power watermills and cotton gins by early German settlers, and later to provide hydroelectric power. The river is primarily used for water recreation today, being the location of the original Schlitterbahn water amusement park. The water is administered by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. The river is also one of only two rivers to contain the fountain darter (Etheostoma fonticola), a fish now in danger of extinction, with the other being the nearby San Marcos River.

Recreation

Mild currents, clear water, and a host of lost items left behind by tubers make the river a common locale for scuba diving. Because the Comal maintains a temperature around 72 F year round, divers are present in both the summer and the winter. Thousands of people tube down the Comal River in the spring and summer. Tubing on the Comal provides a less intense alternative to tubing on the nearby Guadalupe River, where one may encounter frequent rapids and boulders to paddle around. The Schlitterbahn Water Park is built on a 70 acre tract adjacent to the river.

References

References

1. [[Google Earth]] elevation for [[Geographic Names Information System. GNIS]] coordinates.
2. (2021-10-06). "Comal River".
3. Marini, Richard A.. (2019-07-31). "New Braunfels scuba diver hunts for treasures lost by tubers".
4. Teitz, Liz. (2023-06-15). "Here's what you need to know before tubing in New Braunfels".
5. Hennessy-Fiske, Molly. (2023-07-21). "In the sizzling-hot heart of Texas, river tubing offers cool relief".
6. Lopez, Danielle. (2023-06-21). "The Enduring Joy of Schlitterbahn".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::