Who this guide fits

1. It fits anyone heading to the Highland Lakes for a day, a weekend or a closer look: swimmers, boaters, paddlers, people fishing and campers, and anyone who has wondered why Lake Travis rises and falls while Lake LBJ is usually held within a foot. Each lake ends with its parks, what they cost and the day they were checked.
2. A day at a park: Travis County's parks on Lake Travis (section 8), the parks on Lake Buchanan run by LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams (section 4), Inks Lake State Park (section 5), Kingsland Community Park on Lake LBJ (section 6), Lakeside Park and Johnson Park on Lake Marble Falls (section 7), and Emma Long Park on Lake Austin (section 9). The one-page table is section 12.
3. Swimming: Mansfield Dam Park's swim cove, Pace Bend's three swim coves, and Sandy Creek, Bob Wentz and Tom Hughes parks on Lake Travis; Black Rock Park's swimming areas on Lake Buchanan; Inks Lake State Park; Kingsland Community Park; and Emma Long Park's swimming area. None of them lists a lifeguard, and Travis County and Inks Lake State Park say there are none. Swimming holes and pools are in "Swimming Holes Near Austin".
4. Boating: where to check levels and ramps (section 3), each lake's ramps (sections 4 to 9), and the rules, the boater education course and the law on draining boats (section 11).
5. Paddling: Inks Lake State Park's no-wake paddling area, where boats go slow enough to make no waves; Bob Wentz Park's ramp on Lake Travis, for boats without motors only; and the rentals at Black Rock Park, Canyon of the Eagles and Inks Lake State Park. Paddling Lady Bird Lake is in "Things to Do in Austin".
6. Camping: Pace Bend and Arkansas Bend on Lake Travis, the three LCRA parks on Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake State Park and Emma Long Park.
7. Fishing: each lake's details list names the fish Texas Parks and Wildlife reports there.
8. Dog owners: section 11, on blue-green algae, whose toxins can kill dogs, and the pet column in section 12.
9. Lady Bird Lake: section 10, short. It's the City of Austin's lake downtown, not one of the six.
10. It isn't the guide for swimming holes and pools (see "Swimming Holes Near Austin"), Lady Bird Lake's trail and Mount Bonnell (see "Things to Do in Austin"), or homes on the lakes.

The six lakes at a glance

Six lakes on one river, and two of them hold more than nine-tenths of the water: Lake Buchanan covers the most ground, and Lake Travis holds the most.

The Highland Lakes are six lakes on the Colorado River, each held back by a dam that LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority, runs. From upriver to downriver: Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis and Lake Austin, the last of them inside the city of Austin. Lady Bird Lake, downtown, sits below the six and is run by the City of Austin (section 10).

Lake Buchanan covers the most surface, 22,452 acres. Lake Travis holds the most water, 1,115,076 acre-feet when full (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep, about 325,000 gallons), more than the other five lakes put together. Between them, Buchanan and Travis hold more than nine-tenths of the six lakes' water when full. They're the storage lakes whose levels rise and fall. The other four are small pass-through lakes, which the river runs through and which LCRA keeps within about a foot of full (section 2).

Figures are LCRA's. Levels are in feet above sea level: the height of the water's surface, not the lake's depth. Counties are LCRA's; LCRA doesn't list towns, so the towns are those the Handbook of Texas or Texas Parks and Wildlife places on or near each lake.

Use the table to compare two lakes, the way people search for Lake Travis against Lake Austin. Sections 4 to 9 go lake by lake.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Where the figures come from: LCRA's "Dams and Lakes" page, the operator's own figures. Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Water Development Board give slightly different areas and storage; this guide uses LCRA's throughout.
2. Widest points: Lake Buchanan 4.92 miles; Inks Lake 3,000 feet; Lake LBJ 10,800 feet; Lake Marble Falls 1,080 feet; Lake Austin 1,300 feet. LCRA gives none for Lake Travis.
3. Deepest points (Texas Parks and Wildlife): Lake Travis 190 feet; Lake Buchanan 132; Lake LBJ 90; Lake Austin 75; Inks Lake and Lake Marble Falls 60 each.
4. Full marks, in feet above sea level: Buchanan 1,020; Inks 887.7; LBJ 825; Marble Falls 737; Travis 681; Austin 492.8.
5. The two storage lakes: 1,995,432 acre-feet between them when full, against 2,173,063 for the six lakes together, or about 92 percent (worked out from LCRA's figures). LCRA puts it as "Lake Travis and Buchanan hold nearly 2 million acre-feet of water when they are full." The four pass-through lakes hold 177,631 acre-feet together.
6. The dams, upriver to downriver: Buchanan Dam (1938, the first finished in the chain); Inks Dam (1938); Wirtz Dam (1951, first called Granite Shoals Dam); Starcke Dam (1951, the smallest and the last finished); Mansfield Dam (built 1937 to 1942 by LCRA and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation); Tom Miller Dam (1940, on land leased from the City of Austin). Lake LBJ, first called Lake Granite Shoals, was named in 1965 for President Lyndon B. Johnson.
7. Lake Travis's length: LCRA gives none; the Handbook of Texas calls it "sixty-five-mile-long".
8. Lake Marble Falls's counties: LCRA says Burnet County; Texas Parks and Wildlife says Burnet and Llano.
9. A map: LCRA's map of the lakes is on LCRA's own site.
10. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Which lakes stay near one level, and which rise and fall

Two lakes rise and fall by design, four are held within about a foot of full, and only Lake Travis is built to hold a flood.

Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis are the region's water-supply lakes. LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams, says they "capture water during rainy times, and hold it for later use during drier times," and that "They are designed to fluctuate." Full is the exception: in LCRA's words, "lakes Travis and Buchanan usually are not full." From 1940 to 2026, the two held about four-fifths of their combined full storage on average, 1.61 million acre-feet against 2 million (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep).

Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls and Lake Austin are what LCRA calls pass-through lakes: the river runs through them on its way downstream, and they keep no room for floodwater. LCRA holds each within a set range of a foot or less, in feet above sea level: Inks at 886.9 to 887.7, LBJ at 824.4 to 825, Marble Falls at 736.2 to 737 and Lake Austin at 491.8 to 492.8. The phrase people search is "constant level lakes", and LCRA's answer is no: "None of the Highland Lakes are constant-level lakes." Of the four smaller lakes it says, "While they typically are operated within a range of about a foot, the lakes are not 'constant level'". They "can rise well above their normal operating ranges during floods," and LCRA occasionally lowers one or more of them on purpose, so lakeside owners can repair docks, retaining walls and shoreline structures "in the dry."

Only Lake Travis is built to hold back a flood. It's full at 681 feet, and above that sits its flood pool, the room kept for floodwater: "an additional 33 feet or 776,062 acre-feet", or, in LCRA's words, "the equivalent of 31 Lake Austins." When Travis rises above full, LCRA releases water through Mansfield Dam's floodgates, the movable gates in the dam, following flood rules set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Buchanan has no flood pool ("Unlike Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan has no room to store floodwaters after it is full."), so LCRA opens its floodgates to keep it from rising past 1,020 feet. Inks Dam has no floodgates: floodwater pours over its spillway, the dam's overflow section.

How far the lakes have moved, by LCRA's records:

1. Lake Travis: its record high was 710.44 feet on 25 December 1991, about 29 feet above full, and its record low 614.18 feet on 14 August 1951. That 96-foot spread is the widest of the six.
2. The 2008 to 2016 drought (LCRA's dates): both storage lakes hit bottom on 20 September 2013, Lake Travis about 62 feet below full and Lake Buchanan about 35 feet below the year-round full mark it has had since 2025.
3. October 2018: Lake Travis rose to 704.39 feet on 20 October, about 23 feet above full, its fifth-highest level.
4. July 2025: after what LCRA called "a serious, yearslong drought", heavy rain from 3 July raised Lake Travis more than 29 feet and Lake Buchanan 16 feet by 14 July.
5. July 2026: both storage lakes filled "for the first time since 2019", and LCRA opened floodgates at Mansfield Dam from 18 July, with others open at Wirtz, Starcke and Tom Miller dams.
6. The pass-through lakes have records too: Lake LBJ's lowest was 793.8 feet on 16 November 1970, about 31 feet below full, and Lake Marble Falls reached 756.3 feet on 11 September 1952, about 19 feet above full.

Planned lowerings: LCRA lowers only the pass-through lakes, "occasionally", on no fixed schedule, and since Winter Storm Uri in 2021 it holds them in the fall rather than the winter. It lowers Lake Austin "at the request of the City of Austin." LCRA planned to lower Inks Lake about 8 feet from 1 October to late November 2025, its first lowering since 2020. A Lake Austin lowering planned for fall 2026 was called off by the City on 24 September 2026. LCRA posts each plan on its Lake Lowerings page.

This matters to anyone choosing a lake for a season of boating, swimming or paddling. For a single day, the check in section 3 is what counts.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Storage lakes: Lake Buchanan, full at 1,020 feet year-round since 1 January 2025 (until then, 1,018 feet from May to November), and Lake Travis, full at 681 feet. LCRA sets no range for them. Texas Parks and Wildlife rates their rise and fall as "Considerable" (Buchanan) and "High, 10-20 feet" (Travis).
2. Pass-through lakes, LCRA's target ranges in feet above sea level: Inks Lake 886.9 to 887.7; Lake LBJ 824.4 to 825; Lake Marble Falls 736.2 to 737; Lake Austin 491.8 to 492.8. Texas Parks and Wildlife's fishing pages call Lake LBJ "Constant level", list Lake Marble Falls' fluctuation as "None", and call Lake Austin a "Constant-level lake; however, may fluctuate slightly with releases from Lake Travis upstream". LCRA, the operator, says otherwise.
3. Lake Travis in a flood: full at 681 feet; the flood pool runs from 681 to 714 feet and holds 776,062 acre-feet; at 714 feet, water flows over Mansfield Dam's spillway. LCRA runs the dam in floods under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' rules, and how much it may release depends on the lake and on the river downstream at Austin, Bastrop and Columbus. LCRA warns that "Any area in the flood pool is subject to being inundated," and that the flood pool "cannot prevent flooding along creeks and streams that are tributaries to the Colorado River".
4. Lake Buchanan above full: no flood room; LCRA opens floodgates to hold it at 1,020 feet. Inks Dam: no floodgates; floodwater passes over its spillway.
5. Record highs and lows (LCRA), with dates: Buchanan 1,021.4 feet (20 Dec 1991) and 983.7 (9 Sep 1952); Inks 902.8 (25 Jul 1938) and 877.1 (6 Dec 1983); LBJ 836.2 (11 Sep 1952) and 793.8 (16 Nov 1970); Marble Falls 756.3 (11 Sep 1952) and 715 (4 Oct 1983); Travis 710.44 (25 Dec 1991) and 614.18 (14 Aug 1951); Austin 495.2 (25 May 1981) and 474.3 (17 Feb 1963).
6. Lake Travis's five highest, by LCRA's daily 8 a.m. readings: 710.44 feet (25 Dec 1991), 707.38 (18 May 1957), 705.11 (26 Jun 1997), 704.83 (8 Feb 1992) and 704.39 (20 Oct 2018).
7. Lake Travis's three lowest, by drought (LCRA's labels): 614.18 feet (the 1947 to 1957 drought, 14 Aug 1951); 615.02 (1963 to 1964, 8 Nov 1963); 618.56 (2008 to 2016, 20 Sep 2013). Lake Buchanan's low in the 2008 to 2016 drought: 985.27 feet, the same day in 2013.
8. The long-run average: LCRA's chart from 30 Sep 1940 to 1 Sep 2026 marks "Full storage (2 million acre-feet)" and "Average storage (1.61 million acre-feet)" for Buchanan and Travis combined.
9. Floods in the record: October 2018, Lake Travis to 704.39 feet. July 2025: between 3 and 14 July, Lake Travis up more than 29 feet and Lake Buchanan 16 feet. July 2026: "more than 20 inches of rain over some parts of the Texas Hill Country" in a week; both storage lakes full for the first time since 2019; floodgates opened at Mansfield Dam from 18 July, with more open at Wirtz, Starcke and Tom Miller dams.
10. Planned lowerings: pass-through lakes only, "occasionally", in the fall since LCRA stopped winter lowerings after Winter Storm Uri in 2021; Lake Austin's at the City's request. Inks Lake: planned about a foot a day from 1 Oct 2025, about 8 feet down, refilling from 24 to 28 Nov, for work on docks, boat slips and shoreline structures; its first lowering since 2020. Lake Austin: about 10 feet down, planned for 12 Oct to 30 Nov 2026 and called off by the City on 24 Sep 2026. On whether any lake would be lowered in 2027, LCRA said: "That decision will be made in late summer 2027 based on conditions at that time."
11. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

How to check a lake before you go

Check the lake on the day, on the dam operator's own pages, and read the number against the lake's full mark and its last few weeks.

LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams, publishes the Highland Lakes' levels. A level is the height of the water's surface in feet above sea level, not the lake's depth, so it means something only next to the lake's full mark: 1,020 feet for Buchanan, 887.7 for Inks, 825 for LBJ, 737 for Marble Falls, 681 for Travis and 492.8 for Lake Austin. LCRA says its data is "subject to revision."

Where to look:

1. LCRA Hydromet (hydromet.lcra.org): readings from LCRA's automated river and weather gauges, the name blending hydrology and meteorology. Its "Current Lake Level Data" report gives lake levels, and LCRA calls Hydromet the place for "Near real-time information on lake levels, streamflow and rain totals".
2. LCRA's River Operations Report (hydromet.lcra.org/riverreport): issued every weekday morning except holidays, it shows Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis against 7 and 30 days earlier and against full, and what the dams released the day before.
3. LCRA's flood page (lcra.org/flood), launched in February 2026, and its Flood Operations Report (hydromet.lcra.org/floodstatus), issued "when conditions warrant", show floodgate operations (LCRA opening the movable gates in its dams to let water out), rainfall and lake-level forecasts for Buchanan and Travis.
4. LCRA's floodgate alerts (lcra.org/fons) send a call, text or email when LCRA expects or is running floodgate operations. LCRA says the service "is not a flood warning service", so watch the National Weather Service's warnings too.
5. The boat ramp pages: LCRA's Boat Ramp Information page and Travis County's Boat Ramp Status list the lowest lake level at which each ramp works, and Travis County marks each of its ramps open or closed. LCRA's page also shows Lake Travis's and Lake Austin's levels beside their averages for the month.
6. The Texas Water Development Board's Water Data for Texas shows Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan as a percentage of full, beside readings from a week, a month, three months, six months and a year earlier.

Why one day's number misleads: on a storage lake, a level is a moment in a long swing. Between 3 and 14 July 2025, Lake Travis rose more than 29 feet; in September 2013, it sat about 62 feet below full. So read a Buchanan or Travis number with its trend: the River Operations Report's 7 and 30 days, or the Water Development Board's week, month and year. On the four smaller lakes, a reading well outside LCRA's range of about a foot means something out of the ordinary, such as a flood or a planned lowering, and LCRA posts both. "Rain miles away can raise river and lake levels quickly," LCRA warns, so check again after heavy rain upstream.

Before towing a boat, check the ramp, not just the lake. On Lake Travis, Mansfield Dam Park's ramp works down to 637 feet, while Cypress Creek's and LCRA's Camp Creek ramp need 667 feet, so they're the first to close as the lake drops.

This is for anyone planning to boat, swim or paddle. For a picnic or a view, the park's hours and fees matter more (section 12).

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Full marks, in feet above sea level: Lake Buchanan 1,020; Inks Lake 887.7; Lake LBJ 825; Lake Marble Falls 737; Lake Travis 681; Lake Austin 492.8. LCRA's ranges for the four smaller lakes: Inks 886.9 to 887.7; LBJ 824.4 to 825; Marble Falls 736.2 to 737; Austin 491.8 to 492.8.
2. LCRA Hydromet: hydromet.lcra.org; the lake report at hydromet.lcra.org/Reports/LakeLevel. The page fetches fresh data every 10 minutes, and LCRA warns: "Data may be unreliable due to damage to gauge or other issues. Use with caution."
3. River Operations Report: hydromet.lcra.org/riverreport; weekday mornings except holidays; Buchanan and Travis against 7 and 30 days earlier, against historical averages and against full; the previous day's releases and inflows. LCRA also sends it by email.
4. Flood page and Flood Operations Report: lcra.org/water/floods and hydromet.lcra.org/floodstatus; dam operations, live lake levels, rainfall and forecasts for Lakes Buchanan and Travis.
5. Floodgate alerts (LCRA's Flood Operations Notification Service): lcra.org/water/flood-management/floodgate-operations-notification-system; calls, texts or emails about operations at LCRA's dams. LCRA warns that "there may be little or no advance notice of flood operations".
6. Boat ramps: LCRA's Boat Ramp Information page lists the public ramps with the lowest lake level at which each is usable; Travis County's Boat Ramp Status, parks.traviscountytx.gov/news#boat, marks each county ramp open or closed with its minimum. Lake Travis, lowest working level first: Pace Bend's Tournament Point, 631 feet (it opens only when the lake is at or below 664 feet, because above that it's underwater); Mansfield Dam Park 637; Sandy Creek 640; Jones Brothers Park (City of Jonestown) 645; Arkansas Bend 647; Pace Bend's Collier Cove and Tatum Cove 653; Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point 653 (the county's figure; boats without motors only); LCRA's Narrows 659.5, Muleshoe Bend 660 and Gloster Bend 662; Cypress Creek and LCRA's Camp Creek 667. Lake Austin's two county ramps, Loop 360 and Mary Quinlan Park: 492.
7. Water Data for Texas (Texas Water Development Board): waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/travis and waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/buchanan; percent full, with readings from a week, a month, 3 months, 6 months and a year earlier. "Data is provisional and subject to revision."
8. LCRA's Highland Lakes page: lcra.org/water/highland-lakes-overview; Buchanan's and Travis's levels with the time of the last report, projections, and historical charts and spreadsheets for each lake.
9. Phones: LCRA parks, 512-473-3366; Travis County parks and ramps, 512-854-7275 (Arkansas Bend, 512-854-6285).
10. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Lake Buchanan

Lake Buchanan, the biggest of the six by surface, has three parks on its shore run by LCRA, the agency that runs the dams: $5 for adults, no charge for children 12 and younger, open sunrise to sunset.

Lake Buchanan, farthest upriver of the six, covers 22,452 acres, more than any other Highland Lake, and runs 30.65 miles, up to 4.92 miles wide. Buchanan Dam, just over 2 miles long, was the first dam finished in the chain, in 1938. It's one of the two storage lakes that LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams, says "are designed to fluctuate": full at 1,020 feet above sea level, it fell to 985.27 feet in the 2013 drought, about 35 feet below the year-round full mark it has had since 2025. Check its level, and your ramp's, before you go (section 3).

LCRA runs three parks on the lake, each open daily from sunrise to sunset, at $5 for adults, $2 for people 65 and older, military and people with disabilities, and no charge for children 12 and younger. Black Rock Park, at Buchanan Dam, has swimming areas, a playground and mini golf, rents tubes, kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, and has campsites, cabins and Airstream trailers to book. Canyon of the Eagles, on Ranch Road 2341 with a Burnet address, is a campground with trails, a fishing pier and watercraft rentals. Cedar Point Recreation Area, in Tow, has nine campsites on a peninsula and a boat ramp. Pets are welcome on a leash in the camping and picnic areas. LCRA doesn't accept other park systems' passes, the Texas State Parks Pass included; its own LCRA Parks Pass is $150 for adults.

From November through February, the Vanishing Texas River Cruise runs its Ultimate Eagle Cruise, four hours from Lake Buchanan up the Colorado River in bald eagle season. Its two-hour Scenic Wilderness Cruise, past Fall Creek Falls, a 60-foot waterfall, runs year-round. The company says its cruises "tend to sell out rather quickly", so book ahead.

The lake suits a park day, a night in a cabin or campsite, or the winter eagle cruise. Boaters should check their ramp's lowest working level first: LCRA lists four public ramps on the lake.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 30.65 miles long and up to 4.92 miles wide; 22,452 acres; 880,356 acre-feet when full (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep), second only to Lake Travis; full at 1,020 feet year-round; deepest point 132 feet; "Clear at the dam; gradually becomes more turbid as you move upstream" (Texas Parks and Wildlife). Burnet and Llano counties. The Handbook of Texas puts the lake "ten miles northwest of Burnet" and the community of Buchanan Dam "on the south shore".
2. The dam: Buchanan Dam, finished in 1938, the first in the chain; 145.5 feet high and 10,988 feet long; 37 floodgates (movable gates that let water out); named for U.S. Representative J.P. Buchanan, who helped secure federal money to finish it after the original builder went bankrupt. LCRA finished a $51.1 million upgrade of its floodgates and hoists in 2021.
3. Level records (LCRA): 1,021.4 feet (20 Dec 1991) and 983.7 (9 Sep 1952); in the 2008 to 2016 drought, 985.27 feet on 20 Sep 2013. Until the end of 2024, full was 1,018 feet from May to November.
4. LCRA's three parks, the same fees at each: adults $5; seniors 65 and older, military and people with disabilities $2; children 12 and younger, no charge; no charge with an LCRA Parks Pass. The park pages don't say whether the fee is per person or per car; LCRA's questions page treats it as per person. A day's entry is good at any LCRA-run park that day. Hours: daily, sunrise to sunset.
5. Black Rock Park: 3400 State Highway 261, Buchanan Dam; 512-369-4774. Swimming areas, showers, flushing restrooms, picnic tables and grills, a playground, sand volleyball and mini golf, at $8 for 9 holes and $14 for 18. Rentals: tubes $10 for 4 hours to $35 for 24; single kayaks and stand-up paddleboards $49 to $99; tandem and fishing kayaks and canoes $59 to $109. Overnight: 12 campsites from $25 a night; 6 large campsites from $35; 14 RV (motor home) sites with water, electric and sewer hookups from $40; 12 cabins from $75; 6 deluxe cabins from $129; 4 Airstream trailers from $199; booked online. No boat ramp listed.
6. Canyon of the Eagles: 16942 Ranch Road 2341, Burnet; 512-473-3366. LCRA presents it as a campground: 23 Chimney Slough and 10 Tanner Point campsites from $25, and 23 RV sites from $40; a fishing pier, trails, picnic tables and grills, flushing restrooms, showers and watercraft rentals. "The Stars at Night" stargazing evenings: $25 for adults, $15 for ages 5 to 12, no charge for 4 and under; dates on LCRA Parks' home page, lcraparks.com.
7. Cedar Point Recreation Area: 545 Ranch to Market Road 3014, Tow; 512-473-3366. Nine campsites on a peninsula from $25, each with a picnic table, grill and fire ring; non-flushing restrooms; a boat ramp usable down to 1,007 feet. Drinking water isn't mentioned.
8. LCRA park rules: pets on a leash in camping and picnic areas; handguns as Texas law allows, no other firearms; no passes from other park systems. Overnight bookings: a full refund 30 or more days ahead, half 8 to 29 days ahead, nothing within 7 days. Not stated: payment methods, glass and alcohol rules, lifeguards.
9. LCRA Parks Pass: $150 for adults; $100 for seniors, military and people with disabilities; unlimited day entry to LCRA-run parks. One LCRA page says it runs for the calendar year, another for a year from the month you buy it.
10. The other public ramps (LCRA's list), with the lowest lake level each works at: Buchanan Dam Park, Burnet County, 1,004 feet (information: Lake Buchanan RV Resort, 512-793-4746); White Bluff Park, Burnet County, 993 feet (512-715-4112); Llano County Park, 1,003 feet (512-793-6181). LCRA's list gives no addresses, fees or hours.
11. Vanishing Texas River Cruise: boards at 443 Waterway Lane, Burnet; 512-756-6986. The Ultimate Eagle Cruise, November through February, 4 hours; the Scenic Wilderness Cruise, year-round, 2 hours, past Fall Creek Falls. Tea and water aboard; bring snacks, and any other drinks in a small carry-on cooler. "We typically cruise rain or shine," it says, but it can cancel for lake wind advisories, calling at least an hour ahead, with no fee. Refunds less $5 a ticket up to noon the day before; none after that. Groups of 20 or more call for rates.
12. Visitor center: the Lake Buchanan/Inks Lake Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, 19611 East Highway 29, Buchanan Dam; Monday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; maps of the area and of Inks Lake's hiking trails at no charge.
13. Fish (Texas Parks and Wildlife): largemouth bass, best in spring and fall; striped bass, stocked by the state because they don't breed in the lake; white bass; Guadalupe bass; a small white crappie population; blue, channel and flathead catfish. LCRA's mile markers run along the river channel on Lake Buchanan.
14. Zebra mussels: in the lake; drain your boat before you leave (section 11).
15. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Inks Lake

Inks Lake is small and held within less than a foot of full, and the state park on its shore often fills: reserve a day pass before you go.

Inks Lake, just below Lake Buchanan, is 4.2 miles long and covers 798 acres. LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams, holds it between 886.9 and 887.7 feet above sea level, a range of less than a foot. It's a pass-through lake: the river runs through it, and it has no room to hold floodwater. Inks Dam has no floodgates, the movable gates that let water out, so in a flood the water pours over its spillway, the dam's overflow section. LCRA lowers the lake on purpose from time to time: it planned a lowering of about 8 feet for October and November 2025, the first since 2020.

Inks Lake State Park, run by Texas Parks and Wildlife, sits on the lake. Day use is $7 for adults and no charge for children 12 and younger, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The park says: "We often reach capacity and highly recommend reservations for both camping and day use." Book a day pass online or by phone at 512-389-8900 before you go. You can swim, with no lifeguards on duty, and boat, water ski, scuba dive and fish, and the park sets aside a large no-wake area for paddling, where boats go slow enough to make no waves. The park store rents paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and life vests.

On land, the park has 9 miles of hiking trails and a short canyon hike to Devil's Waterhole, where you can also swim; when Valley Spring Creek is running, there are waterfalls to explore upstream of the lake. It has nearly 200 campsites and 22 cabins, two of them built for wheelchair users.

It suits a day of swimming, paddling or hiking, or a night camping. For a long run in a boat, Lake Buchanan (30.65 miles) or Lake LBJ (21.15 miles) has more room: Inks is 4.2 miles end to end.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 4.2 miles long, 3,000 feet at its widest; 798 acres; 13,772 acre-feet when full (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep); LCRA's range 886.9 to 887.7 feet; deepest point 60 feet; "Clear to slightly stained" (Texas Parks and Wildlife). Llano and Burnet counties (LCRA); Texas Parks and Wildlife places it "west of the town of Burnet". Records: 902.8 feet (25 Jul 1938) and 877.1 (6 Dec 1983).
2. The dam: Inks Dam, finished in 1938, named for Roy B. Inks, one of LCRA's first board members; no floodgates; the smallest power plant in the chain; it "works in tandem with Buchanan Dam."
3. The 2025 lowering, as planned: about a foot a day from 1 Oct 2025, down to 879 to 879.5 feet, about 8 feet below full, refilling from 24 to 28 Nov, for work on docks, boat slips and shoreline structures; the first since 2020.
4. Inks Lake State Park: 3480 Park Road 4 West, Burnet; 512-793-2223. Open daily, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; headquarters and park store, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
5. Cost: day use $7 for adults; children 12 and younger, no charge. Reserve day passes and campsites online or through Texas Parks and Wildlife's customer service center, 512-389-8900.
6. On the water: swimming with no lifeguards; boating, water skiing, scuba diving and fishing; a large no-wake area for paddling; two fishing piers and fish cleaning stations (Texas Parks and Wildlife says you don't need a fishing license to fish from a pier or the shore in a state park); a boat ramp (LCRA: "Prepay online required"), usable down to 882 feet. Rentals at the park store: paddle boats, canoes, single and double kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, life vests and paddles.
7. On land: 9 miles of hiking trails; Devil's Waterhole, a short canyon hike and a swimming spot; waterfalls upstream when Valley Spring Creek runs; camping, backpacking, volleyball and picnicking. The park store sells snacks and camping supplies.
8. Overnight: nearly 200 campsites and 22 cabins, two of them built for wheelchair users.
9. Not confirmed: pet, glass and alcohol rules (the park's fees and rules pages blocked reading); the text of the park's "active alerts" banner, which didn't load.
10. Fish (Texas Parks and Wildlife): largemouth and Guadalupe bass; sunfish, with bluegill and redbreast sunfish up to 8 inches; white bass; a small white crappie population; channel and flathead catfish.
11. Zebra mussels: in the lake; drain your boat before you leave (section 11).
12. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Lake LBJ: Horseshoe Bay, Kingsland, Granite Shoals, Sunrise Beach

Lake LBJ is held within less than a foot of full, and the public ways onto it are few: two public boat ramps, and a resort at Horseshoe Bay that keeps its lake amenities for guests and members.

Lake LBJ, third down the river, runs 21.15 miles and covers 6,432 acres in Burnet and Llano counties. LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority, holds it between 824.4 and 825 feet above sea level at Wirtz Dam, a range of six-tenths of a foot. Like the other pass-through lakes, the river runs through it, and it has no room to hold floodwater. Its dam makes electricity, and the lake cools the Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant. The Handbook of Texas names Horseshoe Bay and Sunrise Beach, in Llano County, and Granite Shoals, in Burnet County, as the main communities on the lake; Texas Parks and Wildlife names Kingsland too, which the Handbook places where the Llano River meets the Colorado. First called Lake Granite Shoals, the lake was named in 1965 for President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Getting onto the water: LCRA lists two public boat ramps on Lake LBJ, at Granite Beach Recreation Area, run by the Lake LBJ marina, and at Kingsland Community Park. Kingsland Community Park is "a public access park", with a ramp you pay to use, a place to swim, a fishing pier with rod holders and a cleaning station, and picnicking at no charge. At Horseshoe Bay Resort, "All amenities and activities are reserved exclusively for overnight guests and club members," and "There are no direct access points to swim on Lake LBJ from the resort property." The public can eat at its J's Restaurant and Bar and Waterfront Bar & Grill, and shop at The Market.

The level: LCRA says the pass-through lakes, LBJ among them, "are not 'constant level'". Lake LBJ reached 836.2 feet in September 1952 and fell to 793.8 feet in November 1970, about 31 feet below full, and in the July 2026 floods LCRA had Wirtz Dam's floodgates, the movable gates that let water out, open to pass the water through.

Without a boat, Kingsland Community Park is the public shore spot in this guide.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 21.15 miles long, 10,800 feet at its widest; 6,432 acres; 131,618 acre-feet when full (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep); LCRA's range 824.4 to 825 feet; deepest point 90 feet; "Clear to slightly stained" (Texas Parks and Wildlife). Burnet and Llano counties.
2. The dam: Wirtz Dam, finished in 1951 together with Starcke Dam downstream; first called Granite Shoals Dam; named in 1952 for Alvin J. Wirtz, LCRA's first general counsel; 10 floodgates. LCRA began replacing all 10 floodgates in January 2023, a $76 million project it expected to finish in 2026 without lowering the lake, and installed the last gate in mid-2026. Boats are kept out of the water just above the dam: about 150 feet in normal times, and about 300 feet during the work.
3. Level: records of 836.2 feet (11 Sep 1952) and 793.8 (16 Nov 1970). Texas Parks and Wildlife's fishing page calls it "Constant level"; LCRA, the operator, says the pass-through lakes "are not 'constant level'".
4. Towns: the Handbook of Texas (revised 2019) names Horseshoe Bay and Sunrise Beach in Llano County and Granite Shoals in Burnet County as the main communities on the lake; Texas Parks and Wildlife places the lake "near the towns of Marble Falls, Kingsland, and Granite Shoals". Horseshoe Bay sits off Farm to Market Road 2147 and was incorporated in 2005.
5. Public ramps (LCRA's list): Granite Beach Recreation Area, run by Lake LBJ Marina, usable down to 818 feet (830-693-9172); Kingsland Community Park (information: the Kingsland Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce, 325-388-6211).
6. Kingsland Community Park: "a public access park" (Kingsland Chamber); pay to launch from the extended ramp; swimming; picnicking at no charge; a fishing pier with rod holders and a cleaning station; picnic tables and a pavilion you can reserve. The chamber's page also names the Kingsland Municipal Utility District (325-388-4559) as running "the Kingsland Memorial Lions Park".
7. Horseshoe Bay Resort: 200 Hi Circle North, Horseshoe Bay. Amenities for overnight guests and club members only; the public may dine at J's Restaurant and Bar or Waterfront Bar & Grill and shop in The Market; no swimming access to the lake from the property. Spa, 16 and older; pool, sauna and steam room, 18 and older. Nightly boat slips through the resort's marina, 830-598-9401.
8. Not found on the pages read: a city-run beach, swimming area or ramp in Horseshoe Bay; public parks in Granite Shoals and Sunrise Beach Village; Granite Beach Recreation Area's fees, hours and swimming.
9. Fish (Texas Parks and Wildlife): largemouth and Guadalupe bass; white bass, with runs up the Llano River from February to May; white crappie, "the best of any of the Highland Lakes chain"; blue, channel and flathead catfish, "abundant". Water plants include Eurasian watermilfoil, which LCRA doesn't manage. LCRA's mile markers run along the river channel on Lake LBJ.
10. Zebra mussels: in the lake; drain your boat before you leave (section 11).
11. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Lake Marble Falls

Lake Marble Falls is the smallest of the six and runs like a river past the town of Marble Falls, whose two lakeside parks hold its big lake events.

Lake Marble Falls, fourth down the river, is 5.75 miles long and only 1,080 feet across at its widest: 613 acres, the smallest of the six by surface and by storage. Texas Parks and Wildlife calls it "narrow and riverine in nature", meaning shaped like a river, with shores "typically steep with rock bluffs or boulders." LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority, holds it between 736.2 and 737 feet above sea level at Starcke Dam, the smallest dam in the chain and the last one finished, in 1951. Like the other pass-through lakes, the river runs through it, and it has no room to hold floodwater. Lake LBJ is just upstream, and Lake Travis just downstream.

In the town of Marble Falls, two city parks sit on the lake: Lakeside Park, at 305 Buena Vista Drive, and Johnson Park, at 230 Avenue J South, with a playground and a boat ramp. A footbridge over Backbone Creek, set in place in June 2025, joins the two. LCRA lists three public ramps on the lake: the City of Marble Falls' ramps at Johnson Park and at Hays, and the City of Cottonwood Shores' ramp.

Lakeside Park is the base for the town's big lake events. Powerboats race there in June: LakeFest's drag boats raced before 2025, and an F1 powerboat series took their place in 2025 and raced again from 5 to 7 June 2026. In winter, the Walkway of Lights sets lighted sculptures along the lake; the City of Marble Falls took it over from the chamber of commerce in June 2026, after more than 35 years, and dropped the ice rink for the 2026 season. Check the City's dates and prices for each.

It suits a walk, a picnic, a fishing trip or an event in town. For open water to boat on, Lake LBJ upstream and Lake Travis downstream are many times bigger: 6,432 and 19,044 acres against 613.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 5.75 miles long, 1,080 feet at its widest; 613 acres; 7,597 acre-feet when full (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep); LCRA's range 736.2 to 737 feet; deepest point 60 feet (Texas Parks and Wildlife). LCRA lists it in Burnet County; Texas Parks and Wildlife says Burnet and Llano counties. Records: 756.3 feet (11 Sep 1952) and 715 (4 Oct 1983).
2. The dam: Starcke Dam, finished in 1951, once Marble Falls Dam; renamed in 1962 for Max Starcke, LCRA's general manager from 1940 to 1955; 10 floodgates (movable gates that let water out); it makes electricity.
3. Lakeside Park and Johnson Park (City of Marble Falls): 305 Buena Vista Drive and 230 Avenue J South. Johnson Park has a playground and a boat ramp and has hosted the Marble Falls Summer Concert Series. The footbridge over Backbone Creek between them was set in place on 19 Jun 2025.
4. Ramps (LCRA's list): Johnson Park, City of Marble Falls, usable down to 731 feet (830-798-6250); Hays, City of Marble Falls (830-798-6250); Cottonwood Shores, City of Cottonwood Shores (830-693-3830). DailyTrib points taller boats to the Lakeshore boat ramp, 603 Lakeshore Drive.
5. Powerboat races: LakeFest's drag boat races, co-hosted by the Marble Falls/Highland Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, didn't run in 2025. The International Hot Rod Association's F1 Powerboat Championship Series took their place in 2025 and raced at Lakeside Park from 5 to 7 June 2026: Friday at no charge, Saturday and Sunday $20 a day, children 8 and younger at no charge, tickets through the chamber. The drag boat association "chose to not return to the city for LakeFest" in 2026 (DailyTrib, 14 May 2026).
6. Walkway of Lights: at Lakeside Park; run by the City of Marble Falls' Parks and Recreation Department since June 2026, after more than 35 years under the chamber of commerce; 12 themed areas added for 2026, and no ice rink that season. The 2024 season ran nightly from 6 to 10 p.m., 22 November to 4 January, at $2 a person, with parking at no charge. The web address walkwayoflights.com goes to a display in Indiana, not this one.
7. Feeding wildlife: DailyTrib reported in August 2024 that the City passed a ban on feeding ducks, geese and other wildlife in public places.
8. Fish (Texas Parks and Wildlife): largemouth bass and channel catfish; smaller populations of white crappie and blue and flathead catfish; white bass in the upper end of the lake, below Wirtz Dam.
9. Zebra mussels: in the lake; drain your boat before you leave (section 11).
10. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Lake Travis: Lakeway, Lago Vista, Jonestown, Point Venture, Volente, Briarcliff

Travis County's parks on Lake Travis cost $5 a person and nothing for children 12 and younger, and their booths take cash only.

Bring cash. Seven of Travis County's parks on Lake Travis are listed below, and each charges $5 a person for the day, $3 for people 62 and older, and nothing for children 12 and younger or for disabled veterans rated 50 percent or more; a boat trailer is $7 more. The entrance booths don't take cards. Swimming is at your own risk ("No lifeguards are provided," the county says), and glass, off-leash pets and drinking alcohol in public view are banned. During a burn ban, only covered, above-ground propane grills are allowed.

1. Mansfield Dam Park, on Mansfield Dam Park Road: covered shelters, a playground, a swim cove, and a four-lane boat ramp, open 24 hours, which the county calls "the deepest, most accessible boat ramp on Lake Travis."
2. Pace Bend Park, Spicewood: three swim-only coves, 20 campsites with water and electricity, basic campsites with no hookups, and three ramps.
3. Arkansas Bend Park, Lago Vista: 18 campsites with water and electricity, a playground, trails and two ramps.
4. Sandy Creek Park, Leander: swimming, nature walks, birding and fishing, with a ramp; day use only, and bring drinking water.
5. Cypress Creek Park, on Bullick Hollow Road: a ramp to the "popular basin area of Lake Travis," with picnic tables and grills; no drinking water.
6. Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point, on Comanche Trail: swimming, windsurfing, sailing and scuba diving, and a ramp for boats without motors only. On holiday weekends it generally fills, and once full it closes to everyone, people on foot included, for the rest of the day.
7. Tom Hughes Park, near Mansfield Dam: a place to swim and watch the sunset over the lake; portable toilets and no drinking water.

Lake Travis, behind Mansfield Dam, holds more water than the other five Highland Lakes put together: 1,115,076 acre-feet when full at 681 feet above sea level (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep), with its flood pool, 33 more feet of room kept for floodwater, above that. It runs through Travis and Burnet counties, 65 miles long by the Handbook of Texas's count, and the Handbook places six towns on it: Lakeway, Lago Vista, Jonestown, Point Venture, Volente and Briarcliff. Its level has swung further than any other Highland Lake's, 96 feet between its record low and its record high, so its shoreline and its ramps change with it (section 2).

Before you tow a boat, check the ramp as well as the lake. LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams, and Travis County post the lowest level at which each ramp works: Mansfield Dam Park's down to 637 feet, Sandy Creek's to 640, Arkansas Bend's to 647 and Pace Bend's Collier Cove and Tatum Cove ramps to 653, while Cypress Creek's needs 667, so it's the first county ramp to close as the lake drops. Pace Bend's Tournament Point ramp works only when the lake is at or below 664 feet; above that, it's underwater.

The list suits a day trip with a swim, a picnic or a boat; camping is at Pace Bend and Arkansas Bend. For swimming holes rather than lake coves, see "Swimming Holes Near Austin". And the Pennybacker Bridge isn't on Lake Travis: it crosses Lake Austin, below Mansfield Dam (section 9).

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 19,044 acres; 1,115,076 acre-feet when full at 681 feet; a flood pool of 33 more feet (776,062 acre-feet) up to the spillway, the dam's overflow section, at 714 feet; deepest point 190 feet; "Clear to slightly off-color in upper sections" (Texas Parks and Wildlife). Travis and Burnet counties. LCRA gives no length; the Handbook of Texas calls it "sixty-five-mile-long". Records: 710.44 feet (25 Dec 1991) and 614.18 (14 Aug 1951). LCRA's mile markers run along the river channel.
2. The dam: Mansfield Dam, once Marshall Ford Dam, built from 1937 to 1942 by LCRA and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and raised after a flood in July 1938 to hold floodwater; 278 feet high and 7,089 feet long; 24 floodgates, the movable gates that let water out.
3. Towns (Handbook of Texas): Lakeway, on the lake and State Highway 620, five miles west of Mansfield Dam; Lago Vista and Jonestown, on the lake and Farm to Market Road 1431, twenty miles northwest of Austin; Point Venture, about eighteen miles northwest of Austin; Volente, on the lake and Ranch Road 2769; Briarcliff, on the lake and Farm to Market Road 2322. Pace Bend Park has a Spicewood address.
4. Travis County park fees, at the seven parks in this section: $5 a person for the day; $3 for 62 and older; no charge for children 12 and younger and for disabled veterans rated 50 percent or more; trailer parking $7 a day, with no charge for seniors and disabled veterans. Bob Wentz Park lists its adult fee for ages 13 and older. Cash only at the entrance booth. Passes, sold only at the booths: an annual day-use permit for Travis County residents, $80 a person with proof of residency; a senior lifetime permit, $80; an annual trailer permit, $125.
5. Rules at the county's lake parks: no glass; no drinking alcohol in public view; no off-leash pets (leashes no longer than 6 feet); "Intoxicated persons are prohibited in County parks."; motorized and trailered boats launch only at designated ramps; no tying up to park buoys; "All swimming is at your own risk. No lifeguards are provided." During a burn ban, no wood fires, ground fires or charcoal grills, only covered, above-ground propane grills. Burn bans come and go; the county posts the current one on each park's page and at parks.traviscountytx.gov/news.
6. Hours: four of the seven parks close at civil twilight, the end of usable daylight, about half an hour after sunset. Three (Pace Bend, Cypress Creek and Bob Wentz) stop letting anyone in about 30 minutes before closing.
7. Mansfield Dam Park: 4370 Mansfield Dam Park Road, Austin; sunrise to civil twilight, the ramp open 24 hours. Seven covered shelters; a pavilion for up to 30 people, $60 a day plus a booking fee of $10 for Travis County residents or $30 for others, reserved at 512-854-7275; picnic tables, grills, a playground, chess tables, restrooms and a climbing boulder; a designated swim cove. A four-lane ramp with a wheelchair-accessible courtesy dock (a short dock beside the ramp for loading), usable down to 637 feet; expect waits on busy weekends and holidays.
8. Pace Bend Park: 2805 Pace Bend Road North, Spicewood; sunrise to civil twilight, with entry closing about 30 minutes before. Swim-only coves at Mudd Cove, Kate's Cove and Gracy Cove ("No lifeguard on duty; swim at your own risk."). Improved camping: 20 back-in sites with water, electricity, showers and restrooms, $30 a site a night plus day use, up to 2 vehicles and 8 people a site, reservations recommended, cash or check. Primitive camping, with no hookups: $15 a site a night plus day use; some primitive campgrounds on the west-side coves can close for construction, so check the park's page before you go; Tournament Point is day use only. Ramps: Collier Cove (24 hours) and Tatum Cove (8 a.m. to civil twilight), both usable down to 653 feet; Tournament Point (8 a.m. to civil twilight), usable only between about 631 and 664 feet. Quiet hours, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Motorized boats launch from the ramps, not the beaches. Drinking water across from the Tatum Cove ramp.
9. Arkansas Bend Park: 16900 Cherry Lane, Lago Vista; 512-854-6285; sunrise to civil twilight, ramps open 24 hours. 18 back-in campsites with water and electric hookups, $30 a night plus day use, reservations recommended, cash or check; quiet hours 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Two ramps, one with a courtesy dock and a wheelchair-accessible ramp, usable down to 647 feet. 323 acres, trails, a playground, grills and water fountains. "No lifeguard on duty; swim at your own risk." The county posts restroom and other closures on the park's page.
10. Sandy Creek Park: 9500 Lime Creek Road, Leander; sunrise to 8 p.m., the ramp open 24 hours and usable down to 640 feet. Day use only: camping was suspended in late 2022 for a regional water project, with late 2027 the county's estimate for its return. Bring your own drinking water; the county posts water alerts on the park's page.
11. Cypress Creek Park: 13601 Bullick Hollow Road, Austin; 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. A ramp usable down to 667 feet, the highest of the county's Lake Travis ramps; picnic tables, grills and portable toilets; no electricity or drinking water; no camping. An entrance on each side of the creek.
12. Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point: 7144 Comanche Trail, Austin; 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Swimming, windsurfing, sailing and scuba diving; "Travis County Parks does not provide any equipment." A ramp for boats without motors only, usable down to 653 feet (the county's figure). 18 covered picnic tables, restrooms, showers, drinking fountains, grills and sand volleyball; a pavilion for up to 20 people, $60 a day plus a booking fee of $10 for Travis County residents or $30 for others. No pets on The Point.
13. Tom Hughes Park: 12714 Hughes Park Road, Austin; 9 a.m. to civil twilight. Portable toilets; no electricity or drinking water; no ramp; no glass; no pets, leashed or not. It closes when rain makes its trail hazardous.
14. Camping requests (county): at least 24 hours ahead, handled first received, first reserved; a request isn't a booking until it's confirmed, so allow 24 hours; fees paid at the entrance booth; no more than 7 nights in a row, or 14 in any 30 days. County parks: 512-854-7275.
15. LCRA's four Lake Travis parks, ramps only: Narrows Recreation Area, usable down to 659.5 feet; Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area, 660; Gloster Bend Recreation Area, 662; Camp Creek Park, 667. LCRA parks: 512-473-3366. Jones Brothers Park, the City of Jonestown's, has a ramp usable down to 645 feet (512-267-3243).
16. Also on the lake: Lake Travis Zipline Adventures (512-614-1996): a three-hour, five-line tour, $138, or a single line, $88; reservations required; riders must weigh 70 to 250 pounds; about a mile of mostly uphill hiking; closed-toe shoes; open rain or shine, with tours rescheduled for lightning and no refunds for weather. Volente Beach, 16107 Farm to Market Road 2769, Volente (512-258-5110): a seasonal waterpark, boat and jet ski rentals, and Beachside Billy's restaurant, open year-round.
17. Fish (Texas Parks and Wildlife): largemouth bass, Guadalupe bass, catfish, white bass and sunfish rated good; striped bass fair; crappie poor. People fishing with a bow follow LCRA's special rules.
18. Zebra mussels: found along the county's lake-park shores; drain your boat before you leave (section 11).
19. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Lake Austin

Lake Austin is held within a foot of full, but it takes whatever Mansfield Dam releases, and the City of Austin sets its rules.

Lake Austin is the last of the six, 20.25 miles of river between Mansfield Dam and Tom Miller Dam, inside the city of Austin. LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority, built Tom Miller Dam in 1940 on land leased from the City and holds the lake between 491.8 and 492.8 feet above sea level. It's a pass-through lake: the river runs through it, and it has no room to hold floodwater. The City of Austin governs the water: LCRA says the City "has jurisdiction over" Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake and "sets any regulations or restrictions affecting recreation there." LCRA lowers the lake at the City's request; a lowering planned for fall 2026 was called off by the City on 24 September 2026.

Because it sits right below Lake Travis, Lake Austin takes Travis's flood releases. As LCRA prepared to open Mansfield Dam's floodgates, the movable gates that let water out, in July 2026, it warned that "Flows below both dams will be higher and faster than usual," told people on the lakes to watch for "the fast-moving currents" and "storm debris that has been washed into the lakes," and asked people below the dams to secure boats and docks and "stay clear of the water near the dams." In the July 2025 floods, the City closed Lake Austin.

Rules on the water: the City bans jet skis, wet bikes, motorized surfboards and similar craft on Lake Austin over three holidays: from sunset on the Friday before Memorial Day to sunrise on the Tuesday after, from sunset on 3 July to sunrise on 5 July, and from sunset on the Friday before Labor Day to sunrise on the Tuesday after. A boat's sound system can't be heard or felt 100 feet away, and water-balloon launchers are banned on the lake and within 150 yards of its shore.

The public ways in: the City's Emma Long Metropolitan Park has a swimming area with a beach entry, campsites and boat ramps. It charges $5 a vehicle Monday to Thursday and $10 Friday to Sunday and holidays, sells weekend and holiday day passes online up to 14 days ahead, and lets no more cars wait once its 250 spaces fill. Plan to pay by card: the park takes no cash for entry. The City's Walsh Boat Landing charges $10 to launch, by card. Travis County's Loop 360 Boat Ramp and Mary Quinlan Park both have ramps; its Fritz Hughes Park, below Mansfield Dam, has 400 feet of shore for picnics and fishing, and Selma Hughes Park has grills and picnic tables, with no ramp at either.

The Pennybacker Bridge, on Loop 360, crosses Lake Austin, not Lake Travis. Travis County's Loop 360 Boat Ramp, under its south end, offers what the county calls "an alternative view of the Pennybacker bridge"; the popular cliffside view "is not affiliated with Travis County Parks."

It suits a day on the water inside the city. Leave the jet ski at home during the holiday bans.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 20.25 miles long, 1,300 feet at its widest; 1,830 acres; 24,644 acre-feet when full (an acre-foot covers one acre one foot deep); LCRA's range 491.8 to 492.8 feet; deepest point 75 feet (Texas Parks and Wildlife); Travis County. Its first name was Lake McDonald. Records: 495.2 feet (25 May 1981) and 474.3 (17 Feb 1963).
2. The dam: Tom Miller Dam, finished in 1940 and named for an Austin mayor, built by LCRA on land leased from the City, on the remains of two earlier Austin dams, the first destroyed and the second heavily damaged by floods; 9 floodgates, replaced in October 2020.
3. Who sets the rules: the City of Austin, for recreation on Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake (LCRA). LCRA's own lake rules name five lakes and not Lake Austin (section 11).
4. Planned lowerings: LCRA lowers Lake Austin at the City's request. The fall 2026 lowering, about 10 feet from 12 October to 30 November, was called off by the City on 24 September 2026; its notice had said the public ramps would close and swimming would stop at Emma Long Park while the lake was down.
5. Jet ski and boat rules (City of Austin): no "jet ski, wet bike, motorized surfboard, or similar device" from sunset on the Friday before Memorial Day to sunrise on the Tuesday after, from sunset on 3 July to sunrise on 5 July, or from sunset on the Friday before Labor Day to sunrise on the Tuesday after. No boat sound "audible or causing a vibration 100 feet from the equipment." No water-balloon launchers on the lake or within 150 yards of its shore.
6. Emma Long Metropolitan Park (City of Austin): open year-round, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the office 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry $5 a vehicle Monday to Thursday, $10 Friday to Sunday and holidays, $1 to walk or bike in; a 20-entry pass $75, or $40 at 62 and older. The page says both "Credit cards or coins are accepted at the automated pay stations" and "CASH is NOT accepted for park entry fees", so plan on a card. Weekend and holiday day passes online up to 14 days ahead; room for 250 vehicles, with no waiting line once full; no parking on the road outside without a pass. A swimming area with a beach entry; boat ramps. Camping booked up to 180 days ahead, $10 to $25 a night; picnic sites from $60 a day. Pets on a leash; no glass anywhere in the City's parks; alcohol only at paid campsites and paid picnic sites. The City posts maintenance closures, such as water shut off for repairs, on the park's page; check it before you camp.
7. Walsh Boat Landing (City of Austin): 1600 Scenic Drive; a concrete ramp; a $10 launch fee, by card at the parking-lot kiosks. No commercial boarding from the docks without a permit; alcohol banned in City parks except by permit.
8. Travis County's Lake Austin parks: Loop 360 Boat Ramp, 5019 Capital of Texas Highway North, under the Pennybacker Bridge's south end: sunrise to civil twilight (the end of usable daylight, about half an hour after sunset), the ramp open 24 hours; the county's $5 day use and $7 trailer fee, cash only; usable down to 492 feet; no swimming or other water activities from the shore; parking can be cut back during highway work on Loop 360, and the county posts the current limit on the ramp's page. Mary Quinlan Park, 1601 Quinlan Park Road South, on the lake's upper reaches: no park fee; the ramp open 24 hours ("the only public boat ramp for several miles") and usable down to 492 feet; portable toilets, no electricity or drinking water. Fritz Hughes Park, 3100 Fritz Hughes Park Road, below Mansfield Dam: no fee; a 400-foot shoreline for picnics and fishing; no restrooms, electricity, water or ramp. Selma Hughes Park, 11921 Selma Hughes Park Road: no fee; 9 a.m. to civil twilight; grills and picnic tables; no ramp. At all four, no glass and no off-leash pets.
9. The Pennybacker Bridge: carries Loop 360, the Capital of Texas Highway, over Lake Austin. Who owns the cliffside viewpoint wasn't confirmed.
10. Blue-green algae, which can make toxins harmful to people and pets: the City of Austin checks three sites on Lake Austin, Walsh Boat Landing among them. The City posts its latest algae status for Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake at austintexas.gov/algae; check it before you or your dog go in (section 11).
11. Zebra mussels: in the lake; drain your boat before you leave (section 11).
12. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Lady Bird Lake, the City's lake below the six

Lady Bird Lake is the City of Austin's downtown lake, just below the six: paddle it, don't swim it.

Lady Bird Lake isn't one of the six Highland Lakes. LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs their dams, counts six, ending with Lake Austin. Lady Bird Lake is the City of Austin's 468-acre lake on the Colorado River downtown, directly below Tom Miller Dam, and Texas Parks and Wildlife names the City as its "Controlling authority." Swimming is against City law: "It is illegal for any person to swim, bathe, wade or go into the waters of Lady Bird Lake, except in efforts to rescue and recover human beings."

Boats: no gas motors without the City's permission. The City's page gives two rules for electric motors, one requiring the City's permission and one allowing motors of 5 horsepower or less, so check with the City before you bring one. Paddling and the trail are in "Things to Do in Austin", and "Swimming Holes Near Austin" explains why the lake is closed to swimmers.

Because it sits right below Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake takes the water LCRA releases from Lake Austin in a flood.

It suits a paddle or a walk downtown. It isn't a lake for swimming or motorboats.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. The lake: 468 acres; deepest point 18 feet; dammed in 1960; its level "Stable" (Texas Parks and Wildlife); controlled by the City of Austin, whose Parks and Recreation Department runs its page.
2. Name: once Town Lake. Wikipedia, citing the Houston Chronicle, says the City Council renamed it on 26 July 2007.
3. Swimming: illegal, except to rescue someone (City of Austin; Austin Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8-5-48).
4. Motors: the City's page says "No person shall operate a gas-powered or electric motor vessel on the waters of Lady Bird Lake" "except with the permission of the city", and also that "Only watercraft powered by electric motors that do not exceed a capacity of five horsepower can operate on Lady Bird Lake." Texas Parks and Wildlife: no outboard motors, though anglers may use electric trolling motors. City boats on duty are exempt. Homemade boats with any motor need Texas Parks and Wildlife registration and inspection.
5. The shore: access at Red Bud Isle, at the upper end near Tom Miller Dam; the trail "circles almost the entire lower two-thirds of the lake"; the City says to expect "significant traffic March - September" at the rowing dock and the Zilker Park boat rentals.
6. Zebra mussels and algae: Texas Parks and Wildlife lists the lake as infested with zebra mussels, small invasive mussels; the City watches for blue-green algae, which can make toxins harmful to people and pets, at three sites on it, Red Bud Isle among them (section 11).
7. Water-balloon launchers: banned on the lake and within 150 yards of its shore (City of Austin).
8. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

Safety and rules on the lakes

No lake park in this guide lists a lifeguard, so plan to be your own: life jackets on, a sober driver, the boat drained, dogs kept out of algae, and off the water during and after a flood.

None of the lake parks in this guide lists a lifeguard. Travis County's rule for its parks reads: "All swimming is at your own risk. No lifeguards are provided." Inks Lake State Park lists swimming with "no lifeguards on duty". LCRA, the Lower Colorado River Authority that runs the dams, warns that "Sudden drop-offs, submerged trees and debris are common," that "Real drowning is silent and fast," and to "Never swim alone." It also says underwater trees and drop-offs can pose more of a risk when a lake is low.

Life jackets and drivers: put a life jacket on every child before the boat moves, and on yourself. LCRA's advice is that "the safest practice is for everyone on the water to wear a life jacket at all times," and Inks Lake State Park rents life vests at its store. Anyone born on or after 1 September 1993 must complete a Texas boater education course before operating a personal watercraft (a jet ski or similar sit-on craft), a motorboat of more than 15 horsepower or a sailboat over 14 feet. Operating a boat while intoxicated, with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more or without the normal use of your mind or body, is a crime in Texas: a Class B misdemeanor, with at least 72 hours in jail. LCRA's advice: "designate a sober boat operator before you leave the dock."

Whose rules apply: LCRA's lake rules name five lakes, Travis, Marble Falls, LBJ, Inks and Buchanan. They ban swimming within 50 feet of any public boat ramp and require motorboats to go at the slowest speed needed within 50 feet of the shoreline, structures, swimmers or restricted areas, and breaking them is a Class C misdemeanor, a crime with a fine of up to $500. The City of Austin sets the rules on Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake (sections 9 and 10), and each park adds its own on glass, pets and alcohol (section 12).

Zebra mussels, small invasive mussels, are in all six lakes and Lady Bird Lake. Texas requires anyone leaving or approaching a lake to drain all the water from the boat, including the motor, the bilge (the bottom of the hull), live wells (tanks that keep caught fish alive) and bait buckets, and the rule covers every kind of boat, "whether powered or not," kayaks and canoes included. Then clean off plants and mussels, and let the boat and trailer dry for a week or more before the next lake, or wash them with a pressure washer and hot, soapy water of at least 140 degrees. LCRA says fines run "up to $500 for a first offense."

Blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, "can at times produce toxins dangerous to people and pets," LCRA says, and "the toxins cannot be detected by sight, smell or touch." In Austin, the deaths of six dogs since 2019 have been attributed to them. Keep dogs from drinking lake water or licking their fur, bring them clean water, rinse them after a swim, and call a vet right away if one gets sick: LCRA says symptoms "can appear within minutes." The City of Austin says not to go in when the water is warm or stagnant, when you see scum, film or algae, or when there has been rain in the past three days.

Floods: "Rain miles away can raise river and lake levels quickly," LCRA warns. After the July 2025 floods, LCRA asked everyone to stay off five of the lakes "because of flood debris, fast-moving currents and bacteria levels that traditionally increase after a flood event", while the City of Austin closed Lake Austin, the City of Marble Falls closed Lake Marble Falls, and Travis County banned recreation on the upper part of Lake Travis. LCRA's floodgate alerts, notices that it's opening the movable gates in its dams, tell you about its dams, not about flooding, so watch the National Weather Service's warnings too, and "never drive through flooded roads."

This is for everyone who goes on or in the water, and for dog owners on the shore.

The details (checked on 13 Oct 2026):

1. Lifeguards: Travis County: "All swimming is at your own risk. No lifeguards are provided." Inks Lake State Park: "no lifeguards on duty". LCRA's parks, Emma Long Park, Kingsland Community Park and the Marble Falls parks: no lifeguards listed on the pages read.
2. Children's life jackets: put one on every child before the boat moves. LCRA's advice: "the safest practice is for everyone on the water to wear a life jacket at all times." Inks Lake State Park rents life vests at its store.
3. Boater education (Texas Parks and Wildlife): required for anyone born on or after 1 September 1993 to operate a personal watercraft, a motorboat of more than 15 horsepower or a sailboat over 14 feet; help line 512-389-4846, option 4.
4. Boating while intoxicated (Texas Penal Code, section 49.06): a Class B misdemeanor "with a minimum term of confinement of 72 hours"; intoxicated means an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or "not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties"; it covers boats, water skis and any "other device used for transporting or carrying a person on water," except one moved only by the current.
5. LCRA's lake rules (Land and Water Use Regulations, in effect from 1 April 2022): they cover Lake Travis, Lake Marble Falls, Lake LBJ, Inks Lake and Lake Buchanan. No swimming within 50 feet of any public boat ramp. Motorboats at "the minimum speed necessary" within 50 feet of the shoreline, structures, swimmers or restricted areas. No leaving a boat anchored or unattended except at a dock or marina; no tying up to, moving or damaging buoys and markers. LCRA's controlled-area buoys may say "Slow down so as to not create a wake": a no-wake area, where boats go slow enough to leave no waves. Breaking a rule is a Class C misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $500, and LCRA can bar the person from its land and parks. River-channel mile markers on Lakes Buchanan, LBJ and Travis only; to report a damaged marker or buoy, 800-776-5272, extension 4783.
6. Travis County's park rules: no glass; intoxicated people are banned from the parks; motorized and trailered boats launch only at ramps; no mooring to park buoys; no swimming where signs say so. Emergencies, 911; the Sheriff's non-emergency line, 512-974-0845, option 3; county parks, 512-854-7275.
7. Zebra mussels: Texas Parks and Wildlife lists Lakes Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis, Austin and Lady Bird as infested; LCRA: "Since 2017, zebra mussels have been discovered in the Highland Lakes". The state rule: "Persons leaving or approaching public fresh water are required to drain all water from their vessels", including live wells, bilges, motors and any other container that touches the water, on "all types and sizes of boats whether powered or not, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks/canoes." The one exception: driving straight to another ramp on the same lake the same day. Moving mussels you can see is illegal even after draining. LCRA: fines "up to $500 for a first offense."
8. Blue-green algae: LCRA tests Lakes Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls and Travis, and says its testing "has not detected cyanotoxins in water samples at levels that would be harmful to humans or pets," though toxins have been found in the algae itself in past years. The City of Austin monitors Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake. The City posts its latest algae status for Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake at austintexas.gov/algae; check it before you or your dog go in. The deaths of six dogs in Austin have been attributed to the toxins since 2019.
9. Who to call about algae: Poison Control, 800-222-1222, for sudden unexplained illness; a vet for pets; the ASPCA's animal poison line, 888-426-4435, and the Pet Poison Helpline, 855-764-7661, both of which charge a fee.
10. Floods: "Lakes are often closed to recreational boaters during severe floods" (LCRA). Higher bacteria levels are "common for a couple of weeks after a flood event" (LCRA, July 2025). LCRA's floodgate alerts by call, text or email at lcra.org/fons: "This is not a flood warning service". Drivers: "avoid low water crossings, and never drive through flooded roads." In July 2025, Travis County banned recreation on Lake Travis upstream of Mile Marker 36 and upstream of Sandy Creek Park, and the City of Austin and the City of Marble Falls closed their lakes.
11. The signs of drowning (LCRA): facing the shore, mouth at water level, head tilted back, body upright, and a motion like climbing a ladder.
12. Checked on 13 Oct 2026.

At a glance: the parks

The parks in sections 4 to 9, run by Travis County, the City of Austin, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the towns, and LCRA (the Lower Colorado River Authority, which runs the dams). "Civil twilight" is the end of usable daylight, about half an hour after sunset. "No lifeguards" means the county or the state says there are none; "no lifeguards listed" means the park's page doesn't mention any.

Before you go

• Check the lake. LCRA's Hydromet site (readings from its automated river and weather gauges) or the River Operations Report for the level, and LCRA's or Travis County's ramp pages for your ramp's lowest working level (section 3).
• Bring. Cash for Travis County's booths; a card for Emma Long Park and Walsh Boat Landing; drinking water for Cypress Creek, Tom Hughes, Mary Quinlan and Fritz Hughes, which have none, and for Sandy Creek; life jackets; clean water for your dog.
• Leave behind. Glass, at every Travis County and City of Austin park in the table; dogs off the leash at the county and City parks and in LCRA's camping and picnic areas; pets entirely at Tom Hughes Park and on The Point at Bob Wentz Park.
• Book ahead. Inks Lake State Park day passes and campsites; Emma Long Park's weekend and holiday passes, up to 14 days ahead; Travis County campsites, at least 24 hours ahead; LCRA's campsites and cabins; the river cruise and the zip line.
• After rain. Stay out of the water for three days (City of Austin), and off the lakes in a flood.
• Drain the boat before you leave any lake, kayaks and canoes included. It's required by state rule.