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.

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.

Woot! I did It! I swam from Volente Beach out to Starnes Island today! Ok I had to get that out! It…read morewas that exciting. The 5 stars is for the actual overall experience not the island itself. This morning 4 of my adventure friends and I met at 620/Bullick Hollow and piled into James' truck for the ride out to Volente Beach Water Park - since the Island does not have an address that is the address I used for the island. To swim out to the island pass the water park and turn into the first private driveway on the right pay 5.00 per car and drive all the way to the water - you will see the island out off shore. If you want to swim out to this island you must have swim fins a flotation device for water and dry pack and I highly advise some sort of flag since there are boats in the area. We swam up to a sandy beach and hiked over to the other side that has cliffs and huge boulders to jump off of. The guys jumped first to prove to Tracy and I that it was safe:) yes the water is still deep enough here. Even though the water is low it was a good 1/8 mile swim out to the island that took about 20 minutes. I highly recommend the island for anyone who likes to explore, swim or scuba dive.

A buddy and I decided to go kayaking on Lake Travis, little did I know just how far we'd go. We…read moreput in at Jones Brothers park in Jonestown and just started paddling. We were having a great time but neither of us wanted to be the first to say they were getting tired. Next thing we know we could see the main body of the lake and see Starnes island (isn't it aka "Snake Island?) and paddled furiously towards it. We got there and were well rewarded. I am totally going to pack the 'yak for an overnighter on the island, its a great place! That is, once my shoulder heals up. Next time I'll probably wuss out and put in at Volente. Great times had by all!

I just visited Lake Travis for the first time. I have been to Austin many times but never got out…read moreto the lake. It was stunningly beautiful especially this park it was 100% worth a visit.

Loved camping here, but I am very sad that the water level has been too low for years to cliff…read morejump. I remember when Pace Bend used to be THE cliff jumping spot. I couldn't even get a campsite reservation because it was so popular a few years ago. It is truly past its prime now, and not just with the lack of cliff jumping. The campsites seem to be at about 50% capacity. We drove past so many camping areas that were closed. They're not using their usual online reservation system, and instead you have to reserve by emailing them and requesting specific sites. This is very inefficient as I saw quite a few vacant sites in person that were supposedly taken according to the website. We stayed at Kate's and Johnson campground, which is a primitive car camping site with pit toilets. There were no sinks, but there was hand sanitizer, and the bathrooms were quite clean for pit toilets. The campsites each had a grill and fire pit, but there was a burn ban so we couldn't have a ground fire. There was also a picnic table at each site. They limit each site to two cars, and they told me I couldn't park elsewhere in the park or pay for just the parking for an additional car. I would have had to pay for another site just to add one car. There's a lot of land in this park and not a lot of people with plenty of empty campsites even on a weekend, so I thought this was a little unreasonable. We went hiking on the blue trail per the recommendation of the lady at the lady who checked us in at the entrance. She told us it has the best views of the park. We certainly reached the highest point of the park, but there were no views. It was all rocks and trees. The trails are all pretty short. We went up the blue trail and down the yellow from the southeast trailhead, and it was a total of 3.6 miles. I liked the hike for a bit of exercise, but there wasn't really anything to see, so we felt deceived. My friend went swimming in the lake, and he seemed to enjoy it except for the sharp rocks at the bottom. I didn't go swimming, but I'm sure it would be enjoyable on a hot day.

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

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!

Our friends rented a double deck boat for the children's birthday. We had Austin as our Captain and…read morehe was phenomenal. It was a great time and he was pretty cool. It was so relaxing on a beautiful day.

Great time with Captain Lee on Lake Travis for our buddy's bachelor party. Would recommend to any…read moreone looking to rent a boat for the day with friends

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.

We've had our boat at West Beach Marina over the past 6 years. The staff is very nice and helpful…read more Highly recommended!

I was one of the first tenants to rent a slip on the day that they opened back in 2000, and 12…read moreyears later I finally sold my boat. I can say that in 12 years West Beach Marina was perfect! The guys who run it are really nice and do an outstanding job running the place. It's always clean, and they'll help you with issues any time you ask. The marina itself is on a point, not in a cove which is what you want because no matter how low the lake gets there's always plenty of water there to keep things afloat, and once you exit the marina you're right on the deep part of the channel. If I ever buy another boat, I'll be returning here.

What an incredible experience. I have to say first off, I really appreciate that it's reservations…read moreonly. Doing that limits the amount of people entering at once and allowing for a more enjoyable experience. Paying for a reservation and then additional money upon arrival allows this reserve and park to be properly maintained. I'm thankful for that and for the people who take care of it. It was a bit chilly the morning we went and the water was freezing. I still went in! I wanted the full experience and I got it. The way the water in the pool meets the rock formations is breath-taking. As is the rest of the park. It was a nice area to hike and breathe in nature.

A little slice of paradise, right outside of Austin! I went for the first time with my family and…read morefriends this past November and because we stopped by off-season, we had the entire grotto to ourself for a beautiful, tranquil thirty minutes. I was immediately taken by the blue-green water, so clear that you could see dozens of catfish living their best life right underneath the surface. Outlined by a limstone canyon, I felt like I was an extra in a movie. I'm not someone who usually swims when the weather is any less than 90 degrees, but the lagoon was so beautiful I could not resist jumping in. The water was cool and refreshing -- and I'm sure there are some types of health benefits from all of the natural sediment in the water (at least that is what I told myself). Things to note: - Bring cash to park - Bathrooms are clean, use before getting on the trail - There is a short hike from the parking lot to the grotto. It was a little challenging but my three-year old did it in a pair of crocs with no problem. - Bring towels, a small blanket to sit on, and snacks - No lifeguard, but there is a really friendly ranger who is happy to tell you about the history of the area and answer any questions - In the past several years they have had to close down certain parts of the grotto due to falling limestone. There is also no waterfall due to lack of rain. Be nice to the planet, climate change is real. Hope this area will be around for my children to enjoy in the future.