Drove to eat dinner on Lake Travis from a meeting at Kalahari Resort in Round Rock. It was so…read morebeautiful and peaceful to watch the sun set while waiting for dinner on a floating dock. Loved watching the groups of ducks swimming and feeding the hungry catfish waiting by the dock. Lake Travis is known for everything related to water. Fishing, boating, swimming, camping. It is one of the clearest lakes in Texas. It supplies water to nearby Austin. Like fishing? If you are lucky, you can catch a variety of bass, catfish or sunfish. Remember the Alamo. Lake Travis is named after William B. Travis. During the Siege of the Alamo, Travis wrote the Victory or Death letter pleading for reinforcements. When Travis and his colleagues were defeated, killed and burned, it made him a martyr. He was only 26 when he died. "Remember the Alamo" became a battle cry for Texas Independence.

It's about time I review this beautiful Texas hill country lake. I first layed eyes on lake Travis…read moreexactly 50 years ago. All of our lakes in Texas( with the exception of Caddo) are man made. Travis is one in a chain of lakes snaking through the hill country and known as the highland lakes. Some of our man made reservoirs are prettier than others, depending on the surrounding natural topography,geology etc. Travis sits on top of limestone and as a result is normally very clear with a beautiful terraced and rocky shoreline. Steep hills of oak surround the circumference. It's a very long lake with hundreds of bends and coves. My initial visit was to scuba dive the clear waters,which I did in summer of 1975. There was only one other person on that part of the lake that day. Hardly any homes had been built out here and the 45 minutes drive from Austin was mostly desolate and undeveloped. Jump forward a mere 50 years and the place is unrecognizable. Every hill is covered with homes and the drive out feels like any other suburban area. Well,Travis is full again for another cycle. It's a beautiful lake and everyone that lives here and uses it is ecstatic. But more importantly,Travis is one of the main water sources here and it was threatened. This new relief will hopefully give the powers that be time to develop a better water conservation plan for the area.

It's called a park but, basically a parking lot with a porta John and a trail head leading down to…read morelake Travis. That's what a lot of these parks are. After decades of development it's getting harder to get to the lake free. I came here today to hike down to the lake which has gone from an almost all time low to almost full in a matter of weeks due to recent flooding.

Yay, a "new" place to get in the water. I'm always looking for somewhere new to go cool off in the…read morewater. A friend told me about this little park, so I headed out there. Let's start with the cons: it's seriously off the beaten path- there's nothing out there. Bring everything you need- water, food, sunscreen etc. Secondly, there is literally no beach- just rocks, lots of rocks. Lastly, it is not dog, kid, or "out of shape" friendly. You have to climb around and over all those rocks to get to the water. (Oh, and there is a fee per person, if there's someone on duty). Now the pros- it is seriously off the beaten path, which means there's parking and very few people. Secondly, the water is clear and beautiful as are the views. It is near a marina, so boaters give nice waves every so often. Lastly, I loved sitting in my float just listening to the water hit the rocky shore. Very peaceful. I enjoyed it, but it's not for everyone. Let me know if you go- enjoy!

Nice park tucked away on Lake Travis! Love that you can jet ski, kayak, picnic, people watch or…read morejust simply fly your kite as I love to do! Last year the lake was so full the water was up the sidewalk but it was beautiful! To get to the lake take the driveway all the way down to the 2nd level. Theres only a small older playground on the upper level where the little viewing gazebo area is. There's plenty of picnic tables and BBQ pitts as well I think I saw. Lakeway Police does patrol for safety. It definitely a beautiful view and very peaceful! I live on the upper part of the lake in the hills without access so it's rare that I get a chance to get down and this gives me my fix!

Park is small, but great if you have toddlers as the equipment is geared towards them. There are…read morerestrooms onsite and a short hike to see Lake Travis. While there, a man let his large dog defecate near the children and equipment. He didn't even think twice to curb his dog, but rather continued on with his walk.

Mansfield Dam Park located in Austin, Texas, is a beautiful lakefront park that offers a relaxing…read moreoutdoor experience. The park is located on Lake Travis featuring spectacular panoramic views, access to boating and water sports, and areas for picnics. Park visitors can swim in a designated cove, go fishing, launch boats and water skis onto Lake Travis or simply have a delightful picnic in the great outdoors. The park is well-maintained and includes amenities such as playgrounds, picnic tables, barbecue grills, restrooms, and walking trails. It also has a scuba diving area to observe fish, marine plants and other items underwater. The park also provides life jackets, which you do not see very often. In addition, there is an EMS helicopter pad available for air evac if an individual gets hurt at the park. You could easily spend an entire day at Mansfield Dam Park. The park is so serene and calming with wide views of Lake Travis. It was a great place to meditate and reset.

Cash only, $5 per person, has access to lake Travis with the boat ramp, the shoreline to fish or…read moreswim, picnic areas, a playground, sidewalks all over the park, a gazebo overlooking lake Travis, and a scuba dive park. Everyone can only fish and swim to the left of the boat ramp. 3 park rules: (1), no glass containers, (2) alcohol must be covered with a cup or koozie, and (3) all pets must be on a leash.

Hippie Hollow Park. The only nude "beach" in Austin. "Beach" in parentheses because it's not a…read moresandy beach where you lay out flat in the sugary sand. It's rocky. Cliffs. It's a hike down and hike back up. So be prepared. When you drive into the parking lot. It's $8.00 and it's CASH ONLY. You are told about the rules. And if you see something, say something. You're given a phone number to call if you see something lewd. You can bring in alcohol, but be discreet about it. Obviously no glass! And put it in a Yeti or something. Be discreet with alcohol. The parking lot is massive! With handicap parking spaces. And porta potties. There are bathrooms on the paved pathway. Which are down below in the nude "clothing optional" area. And off the main paved pathway, there are numbers 1 through 14. These are stairs to get down to the water. The stairs only go part of the way. The rest is up to you. Looked like as the numbers went up, 4, 5, and so on, it got worse. When the stairs ended it was rough getting down. I went all the way to stair pathway 10, then turned back around. And ended up at stair pathway 1. 1 is the easiest, But it still was hard. I got here around 10:30am. It was cloudy and actually sprinkled a little, but this is Texas, that sun came out and shone down on my bare butt! Yup. 55 year old Birthday suit, no shame. Found a spot that was level enough. Got out my beach blanket. And chilled. Had my music and head phones, lots of Kangen drinking water. Just enjoyed Mother Nature, the water, the view, parasailing way out in the distance. You can see the Mansfield damn. Which I've never seen from this side before. Was pretty cool. There are big orange buoys out in the distance. Water was wicked choppy. I didn't swim out too far. I'm a strong swimmer, but I don't need to risk it. I did wear water shoes when I went in the water. The rocks are slippery and it was hard for me to get out. With the waves knocking me down, the rocks being slippery even with shoes on, I actually had to be rescued by a guy that was laying out near me. I'm sure he must have said, should I help or not, cause, we're nude and being respectful. But he did help and that was very nice of him. I was laughing the whole time and thanking him. I mean, seriously Shannon! Haha Later "he" went in the water and invited me to join him. Which he also offered to help me out too. We both laughed. Had a great time. Talked with each other. Got a little more busy with beach goers around noonish. But we were the only ones in the water. The water was absolutely gorgeous. Was the perfect temp! Some people have beach tents. A saw a hammock. Umbrellas. Coolers. So people get right into it. I'll try to be better prepared next time. But my point is, it's a nude optional beach, and yes people keep to themselves. No one is really walking up to you and talking about the weather. I will say watch out for those little ants. My blanket wasn't long enough when I laid out, and I got ant bites on my toes. So mental note, bigger blanket. Of course you can't take pictures of people. And people are very respectful of your privacy and private parts. No one is just there goking at you. Was a great 3 hours. Totally come here again. But better prepared. Honestly I didn't think I'd be there that long. But I was having the best time being free.

My hubby and I were running early to a holiday brunch, so we decided to visit some nearby parks to…read morekill time. First stop, Hippie Hollow Park in Austin. This park is unique park from the standpoint that it is the only legal clothing-optional park in Texas overlooking Lake Travis. We thought we get to go in and snap a few pictures of Lake Travis and zip out. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed because of the nude visitors. So we made a quick spin out of Hippie Hollow park. According to the guard, the terrain is rocky, yet scenic. However, stunning views abound from Lake Travis. Hippie Hollow is located in northwest of Austin on Lake Travis in the Texas Hill Country.

No where to park, everywhere there are private neighborhood signs, just wanted to see the lake and…read moreit was not great.

This place is a hot spot on Lake Travis. It tends to be a popular place to tie boats together and…read morethrow loud friendly parties. Being here on memorial day is an experience like none other. Sometimes there are even barges that sell things like BBQ, Ice Cream, Pizza, etc. and will even deliver it to your boat in a little Dingy! I've had many good times in this cove and will continue to visit here regularly on Lake Travis boating trips. I tried to give latitude/longitude coordinates in the "address", but more general directions are that it's the first cove west of the volente fork off the main lake. Check this link for more detail: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=lake+travis,+austin,+tx&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.885545,81.123047&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=30.445936,-97.948737&spn=0.025639,0.039611&om=1

Was in the lago vista area and decided to kill some time by going here. Totally worth my $5. It's…read moregot great hiking trails and even 1 small ADA trail. Has an awesome looking playground that makes me jealous that I'm not a kid. Has charcoal grills at almost every picnic tables that are in the shade. An area to go swimming. Can also drop your boats in and camp if you choose too

My first visit to Arkansas Bend Park was very enjoyable, pleasant and impressed with the over…read morelayout of the park. Due to COVID-19, it was one of the very few parks opened the weekend of my visit. It wasn't crowded, plenty of open space for social distancing. I was impressed with the cleanliness, even the picnic tables and park restrooms were well maintained. The park offers a nice view of the lake with lots of boating & jet skiing activities. Boat ramps are available on the park. The over night camping section of the park remains closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. I will definitely consider Arkansas Bend Park in the future for outdoor activities. Next time I'll be better prepared for some picnicking & BBQ, along with some extended fun in the sun.

"Lake" Austin is actually PART of the Colorado River. Other than rain, it gets its water from Lake…read moreTravis, beginning at the Mansfield Dam and extending all the way past the iconic Pennybacker Bridge down to the Tom Miller Dam. A constant flow from LT ensures that LA maintains the same constant water levels year-round. Because of the vastness of Lake Austin, essentially meandering down the Colorado River (something like 20 miles long!), there are several different areas, with different landscapes with some areas better suited for certain lake activities than others - while all are great. The "top"of Lake Austin, right by the Mansfield Dam, is a fantastic spot for paddle boarding, kayaking, and swimming. Boats are not allowed in this particular area, so the water is not choppy at all and is extra cool in temperature from the direct LT flow - so refreshing on the 100+ degree Texas scorchers.. It is also very clear - you can see all the way to the bottom on most days! Other parts of Lake Austin are also conducive to personal water sports; however, are better for larger watercraft and great for fishing enthusiasts. The lake has been stocked with catfish, largemouth bass, and a few other varieties. Don't have a boat? No problem. Have actually had decent success while doing some shore fishing (catch & release; that's just me). And water-skiing - weeeeeeeeh! Lake Austin also backs up against several great parks for playing with the D.O.G., friends, kiddos, and maybe even a little picnicking or grilling (e.g., Mary Quinlan Park, Fritz Hughes Park, etc.). So, whatever area you choose to visit, or whatever you choose to do, just remember to bring drinking water, sunblock, and maybe some bug spray...and just have fun! ;) [155 in 2015]