Learn the dry-weather detour before the creek rises

A low-water crossing is part road and part creek bed. After hard rain upstream, water can cover it even when the sky above the car looks harmless. That is why the best time to learn a second route is on a dry afternoon.

Use Hays County's WETMap to see recent creek and crossing data. Treat it as one clue, not a green light. Signs, gates, and crews at the road control the choice.

Never enter floodwater or go around a barricade. Turn around and take the higher route; a sensor reading cannot tell you whether pavement beneath moving water has washed away.