Editing San Marcos, Texas (section)

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:08-10-26 - San Marcos River, San Marcos, TX, USA - downstream from the headwaters.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Downstream from the headwaters of the [[San Marcos Springs]].]]
The San Marcos and Blanco Rivers flow through the city, along with Cottonwood Creek, Purgatory Creek, Sink Creek, and Willow Springs Creek. Each of these rivers and creeks has parks or nature preserves with hiking trails along it.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141002034647/http://ci.san-marcos.tx.us/index.aspx?page=245 City of San Marcos - LIST OF PARKS & NATURAL AREAS<!-- Bot generated title -->].</ref>

The San Marcos River rises from the San Marcos Springs. The springs are home to several threatened or endangered species, including the [[Texas blind salamander]], [[San Marcos salamander]], [[fountain darter]], [[San Marcos gambusia]], and [[Texas wild rice]]. The river begins at San Marcos Springs, rising from the [[Edwards Aquifer]] into Spring Lake. The upper river flows through Texas State University and San Marcos and is a popular recreational area. It is joined by the Blanco River after four miles, passes through [[Luling, Texas|Luling]] and near [[Gonzales, Texas|Gonzales]], and flows into the [[Guadalupe River (Texas)|Guadalupe River]] after 75 miles (121&nbsp;km). This course is the first leg of the Texas Water Safari, marketed as the "World's Toughest Canoe Race".  
San Marcos has many areas meant for recreation, but one of the most popular is Sewell Park. It is an open area along part of the San Marcos River. Because of its location on the Texas State University campus, the park is a popular spot for college students to swim, play, or just hang out. Many activities are available at Sewell Park, such as volleyball, picnics, and swimming/tubing. It is also known for being the spot where some newly graduated Texas State students jump into the San Marcos River after their graduation ceremony.