Waterfall · McLennan County
Tonkawa Falls
Crawford, Texas
Tonkawa Falls is a City of Crawford park at 8540 E. 5th Street, where Tonk Creek drops about twenty feet off a rock shelf into a limestone basin. The park is a little over 35 wooded acres on the east side of Crawford, roughly twenty miles west of Waco.
Stay, an experience, or the gear
These open a search on that site. Texas Hidden Gems does not hold a reservation and does not set the price.
Before you go
The twenty-foot drop is from a 2024 Austin Chronicle account of the park. That column also reports the Depression-era story Ethan was pointing at. Crawford, it says, used Civil Works Administration funding in the 1930s to build the park. His page called the agency the Texas Civil Works Administration. The federal program was the Civil Works Administration.
The city runs the park, the RV sites, and the clubhouse. Swimming hours, a weekend parking fee, and closures are posted by the city and move with weather and water quality. This guide does not say whether the water is open today.
The rock around the basin is not railed. People jump. That is not a managed attraction. The 2024 page already suggested a swim rather than a jump.
Crawford is the town associated with George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch. The ranch is not the park.
- RV sites and the clubhouse are booked through Crawford City Hall at 254-486-2125, or the registration notes on the city page. City of Crawford — Tonkawa Falls (opens in a new tab)
- The Austin Chronicle day-trip column (April 11, 2024) is the published account of the falls' height and the Civil Works Administration story. Austin Chronicle, Day Trips (opens in a new tab)
City of Crawford — Tonkawa Falls (opens in a new tab) Map (opens in a new tab)
Best season. Late spring and early summer, when Tonk Creek is running. By late summer the creek can thin to a trickle. Winter swimming is a cold prospect even when the park is open.
In his words, October 2024
Ethan wrote these for the first site. Spelling is his. The pages they came from are archived unchanged.
If you ever find yourself traveling through Central Texas, it's worth checking out our next gem. Tonkawa Falls is located in a sleepy town called Crawford. Home to President George W. Bush, Crawford can easily be missed on the map along with Tonkawa.
Thus, we thought this would make an excellent find for those seeking gems. Nestled just off the highway lies one of Texas' best kept secrets. Tonkawa falls offers fresh spring water rolling down a miniature waterfall, aproximately one story high. While you may find some eager kids looking to jump off the nearby cliffs, we suggest taking a relaxing dip into the sacred waters below.
Tonkawa's rich heritage eminates from the Tonkawa Native Americans that traveled through the land long ago. Fast forward through time and we can thank the Texas Civil Works Administration for funding the construction of Tonkawa Park. Tonkawa Park offers RV recreation, and easy access to the incredible Tonkawa Falls.
The next gem, by email
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Details checked 2026-10-24. Hours, prices, and closures change. Confirm them on the official links before you go.