This is a fantastic place to go kayaking and see Mansfield Dam from a little downstream. Today there was 1 gate open yet the current is fast. Apparently you can also fish here too. I saw a person haul in at least 7-8 fish when I was there. Great place to have a picnic/grill and walk across the river. The water was just below the curb. Theres a fenced in picnic area, separate area if you need to relieve your pet(s) and grills if you feel so inclined to bbq something. Awesome place for friends/family to hang out during summer. And hey.. you can get some cool river sprays when youre on the walk path to cool off read more

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Hypothesis: because Lake Travis [just across 620] water levels are sooooooo low, people are cramming into lil JHP this season. ??? The parking lot is small, as is the space, but people are parking a mile up the street and on the side of 620. Beware of amateurs! Lol. Still a great space (please see previous review) with ice plunge bath temp waters even with consecutive days of 100°F+; however, not so great when overcrowded. Happy summer! read more

As summer ends I discover this beautiful park with perfect clear water to paddle board. There was one parking lot area that we found. Other people were parking along the side of the road. The parking lot does charge $1/hr and that is not bad if you ask me. There were some gentleman at the entrance that had clear kayaks and paddle boards for rent. We did share the water with motorized water crafts, but they were careful and courteous of us. I am already looking forward to next summer, because this will be my go to instead of town lake. Oh! And some great views :) read more

Jessica Hollis Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love this place. It is my favorite place to go paddle boarding in the Summer, and the water is so cold and very calming. The nature all around it super pretty, and it tends to get a lot less crowded than other water-areas in the Summer. Sometimes the current from the dam can be a lot, and it makes it hard to not get swept downstream, but Ive only really run into a problem with that in the off seasons, like early fall and Spring, and right after Summer storms. This is a beautiful place to enjoy nature. In the summer, during weekends and on holidays, you do need to make a reservation to be able to park and put your things at a picnic table. read more

After first discovering this spot at the start of the year, this has been a near-weekly spot to beat the heat and have fun outside. They've gotten extremely strict on parking here on weekends (which imo was necessary, the crowds were getting unbearably large and loud and just generally not respecting the park by littering everywhere) so be sure to get here earlyish if you want to secure a spot for sure. A couple pro tips: 1. Water is let out from the very bottom of the dam roughly at 4 PM every day, and that water is INCREDIBLY cold and clear. It makes Barton Springs even seem a little warmer, so if you're looking for the coldest spot in central TX this might be your best bet. 2. The parking meter seems to suggest that it's pay by the hour, but even if you pay $1 the time that it expires just says "DUSK," so $1 gets you a full day of parking in reality. read more

Jessica Hollis Park - The ultimate spot to kayak or SUP - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

It's a nice small park. You do need to pay for parking. $1.00 an hour. There are mens and womens bathrooms. There looks to be 2 areas where you can launch your kayaks or paddle boards etc. there's a walking bridge that crosses the Colorado river. There are signs that say no jumping off the bridge, but people still do. It's not patrolled and there are no lifeguards. Swim at own risk. The water is shallow enough to stand in most areas. I saw some fly fishing. I saw jet skis and boats. Dogs and kids swimming. There are a few picnic tables. Not a lot of grassy areas to lay out. It was small and on a hill. So not like a "park" feel. The view is beautiful. And it was pretty peaceful. This park is close to me and I pass by coming home from work. I will probably come back for the convenience. read more

Jessica Hollis Park - Mansfield dam - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

This was the best spot to pop by on a hot weekend day and paddle board. Now it's reservation only on weekends and holidays?! But not during the week, you know... when people work for a living. How thoughtful. On top of that, the reservation is $45! This gets you one of 15 tables with a limitation of 8 people. It costs like $7 to get into an entire state park, but is now 22.50 for 2 people to have to plan ahead to go paddle boarding, and have access to a table they don't even need when they'll just be on the water the whole time?? The website does not make this clear at all, either. We drove 35 mins thinking we'd just have to pay $5 pp for park access, no table, but we were completely turned away. It also looks like a prison now. They've built a 12' wall around the whole thing. What a waste of a beautiful space. There were problems at the park, but they just opted for the most cost prohibitive and lazy solution they could come up with. Guess it shouldn't be that surprising, given the area. read more

We brought our dog here on a sunny weekday. It was so nice for her to swim around in the river! It does get going quite swiftly in the center of the river (we lost a frisbee to the current), but if your dog is a good swimmer then I'd definitely take them here! Throughout our couple of hours here, multiple other groups came with their dogs too. Parking is $1 per hour. read more

Jessica Hollis Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

One of my favorite spots. You have to pay $45 now, but it's super worth it for convenience. That included flushable toilets nearby, paved parking lot very close that reserves you a spot, a picnic table with a grill, and easy access to the water blocked off by the bridge and the dam so boats and jet skis can't blast past you. Much easier than Common's Ford! read more

Mrs. Texas and I have visited this park a few times. It's not that great but it does allow you to see the dam from the down flow side. They have a few picnic tables and they did recently pave a parking area and they have restrooms. You can walk across the low water bridge and see fish swimming in the clear water, which is cold. You can swim (one sign says stay out of the channel while another sign says swimming is ok) but use extreme caution due to possible under currents, water moccasins and the possible sudden release of water from the dam without warning. It could be a nicer park with some TLC. read more

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Nice picnic place at the low water crossing. Great place to put in a raft or standing board.

The most northern part of lake Austin and a great place to launch your paddle board. It's a small parking lot so get there early. There's a $1 dollar an hr fee with a max of $12. The water is nice and cool here! read more

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This place is great! I do not even mind paying the 1$ an hour permit either. It's peaceful and even though it says no fishing from the bridge you can still fish from the bridge just be cautious of the vehicles. One of my all-time favorite spots to go fishing caught a couple of stripers there's monster carp in here also read more

Jessica Hollis Park - They were ready to go...i wasn't - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I just wanted to share that my car was broken into and my purse was stolen two weeks ago at Jessica Hollis Park. I have seen multiple reports of a similar thing happening that I'm a little disappointed I didn't know about it sooner. My car was parked for less than 10 minutes when someone smashed the window and stole my purse. 20 minutes later they tried charging $500 at a Walmart on Rt. 620. This exact story has been reported in the news at so many other local parks, I wonder why it isn't more widely known. I am new to the area, and frankly didn't expect that here. Fortunately I had my phone with me and my banks didn't allow the credit card charges. Just trying to save someone else the same trouble and money. read more

It's cute, but super small - I think the parking lot gives the idea the "park" is bigger than it is. Not very well maintained - always see trash lying around - such a shame. Overall it's really too small to call a park - it's just an area with a few picnic tables and water access, but it's practically on top of the dam, which freaks me out. No restrooms, covered areas or water fountains. Lots of people fishing off the bridge, which is illegal, but totally ignored. If you think it would be fun to jump off the bridge, please keep in mind someone died last year doing that, and he wasn't the first. read more

This spot is super pretty! But smells like methane gas! The houses on the hill have their sewer methane travel to the lower grounds, where this park is!! You will smell it! I don't think this is safe for a long period of time for humans or dogs! It's truly a nice park but the smell is foul and not healthy! Go to Lakeway city park and you won't smell sewage! read more

Wonderful place to paddle board away from the crowd if you have your own. Just be aware you'll have to tote board a bit.

Alligator gar and water moccasins everywhere and when they release water from the dam every day, and they do, your children and dogs can get swept away. Water temp makes Barton Springs feel like a warm bath! Swam across one time, it started raining and got swept way down the river! read more

I took my two sons (12 and 9) to the park a couple of weekends ago, and had a blast. We took our kayaks and the boys were even able to fish! The water is on the chilly side, but after a few seconds, it's very refreshing! The parking is great, and there's tables to set your stuff on. read more

Park is not opened. Lots of poison ivy and mosquitoes and the current from the dam is very dangerous.