Dolan Falls
Val Verde County, Texas
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Val Verde County, Texas
- Access status
- Partial guide: boat-only falls on a remote downriver trip; banks are private
- The walk
- No walk; boat access only. About 16.4 river miles downstream from Baker's Crossing, per Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Ground & access
- Remote river with slow pools, rapids and an uneven, abrasive limestone bed. Portage over the riverbank around the falls. Most land along the river is private.
Dolan Falls is a 10-foot Class IV waterfall on the Devils River in Val Verde County. It is reached only by boat, as part of a remote downriver trip. Texas Parks and Wildlife names Baker's Crossing on State Highway 163 and San Pedro Point in the Del Norte Unit of Devils River State Natural Area as public launch points above the falls. At the Del Norte Unit, park at the gate and carry your boat and gear the last mile to the river at San Pedro Point. Texas Parks and Wildlife strongly recommends portaging around the falls: watch for a large warning sign on a boulder on the left bank (facing downstream), take out early above the falls, and carry around on either bank. The banks around the falls are private property, so stay only as long as it takes to scout and portage. Take-outs are far downstream, so plan a shuttle with an outfitter. No source describes a short return trip to the falls.
Plan your visit
Paddle the Devils River downstream from San Pedro Point in the Del Norte Unit of Devils River State Natural Area (river mile 15) or from Baker's Crossing on State Highway 163 (river mile 0) to Dolan Falls
Texas Parks and Wildlife places Dolan Falls about 16.4 miles downstream from Baker's Crossing and lists San Pedro Point at river mile 15. At the Del Norte Unit, public vehicle access ends at a gate one mile before the river; the river trips page gives the paddler parking area as .9 miles from the river.
Remote river with slow pools, rapids and an uneven, abrasive limestone bed. Portage over the riverbank around the falls. Most land along the river is private.
Where to start
Del Norte Unit, 21715 Dolan Creek Rd., Del Rio: paddler parking needs a day pass permit and is about a mile from the river. Baker's Crossing is on State Highway 163, 21 miles north of Comstock.
Timing & water
Texas Parks and Wildlife lists the Del Norte Unit as open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Monday. Cell phones do not work in the river corridor. Plan for at least an overnight trip.
Before you go
A Devils River Access Permit (DRAP) costs $10 per paddler and is needed to use the state natural area units or paddler camps; call the Texas State Parks Customer Service Center at (512) 389-8901. Paddler camps cost $5 per person per night by reservation.
Visitor informationVisit sources
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Preparing for a Devils River trip
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Preparing for a Devils River trip
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Preparing for a Devils River trip
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Preparing for a Devils River trip
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Devils River Access Permit overview
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Devils River Access Permit overview
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Devils River Access Permit overview
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Devils River trip guidelines
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
No other mapped waterfalls within 40 miles.