Colorado River Access Detail, Garwood 950 Bridge

Access to the Colorado River in the town of Garwood, Texas is on the north east corner of the FM 950 Bridge. Directly across the river lies the community of Garwood.

For trail orientation note the piers of the abandoned bridge slightly upstream the access.

This is a class 3 access. There are no public bathrooms, picnic tables or grills. For explanation of river accesses ratings please read the articles Classification of Water Accesses and Scouting River Bridges & Accesses. There is space to stage the vehicle and gear.

You might be able to park a car under the bridge.

Near the bridge the gravel easement plays out. My car has all wheel drive but running through this unimproved part after a rain just ruts up the place and tears up vehicles. Its not that far of a walk. I park out of the way on solid ground and pack my gear.

River access is not under the bridge, but a few yards upstream. A short path under the trees leads to a trail angling down the bank.

That trail leads to the pier of an abandoned bridge. For a class 3 access this one is well thought out. Intersecting the river at a low angle eases the approach to the water.

The river is "normally" up to or into where the grass has grown.

The prudent canoe team takes the trail about halfway to the abandoned bridge pier, not straight down to the river. I have not canoed this water this low, but it allowed for good pictures!

This is the pier on the river right with the river staged very low. The access trail ends behind this structure.

Here is the abandoned pier viewed from the access trail under normal conditions.

In the past illegal dumping practices have made for interesting visits. As long as I can get my canoe and gear close to the river it's good enough for me.

For the Garwood or Bust trip we made space to stage our gear.

The next upstream access is 13 river miles away, the Altair Boat Ramp on U.S. Highway 90 (alternate). This is a class 1 access but there is a low water dam between these bridges. The mandatory portage of that dam is on the river right, or east bank.

The next downstream access is the Glen Flora 960 Bridge. I have not yet made this run, but it is 27+ river miles downstream.

Class 3 accesses are used and maintained on the honor system. Self governing is an appreciated discipline but it only takes a few rotten apples to make the mess. There are people doing their part to steward this access. Do not let yourself be discouraged!

For details on other river accesses please see the bottom of the article Classifications of Water Accesses.

Thanks for reading!

Bonus pictures below.

The river in more normal conditions...

...and drought. I did not note the river stage, but it was September 13, 2022. The dam upstream seems to accentuate the effects of drought.