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Acres Of Water & Miles Of Shoreline
1,599 acres and 24 miles of shoreline
Links
Brief Overview:
Lake Austin is one of the infamous six Highland Lakes, which include Lake Travis, Inks Lake, Lake Buchanan, Lake Marble Falls, and Lake LBJ. At the north end of the lake is Lake Travis and the Mansfield Dam (and the water at this end of the lake is damn cold) and at the south end is the Tom Miller dam and the start of Town Lake - you can't go from lake to lake so don't even think about it! Lake Austin snakes its way through the Austin hill country and at its widest point is only 1300 feet. Lake Austin is a Texas Outside favorite because it is a very pretty, constant level lake, with clear water, beautiful scenery including great people watching, and lots to see and do -- plus no known prop dingers!
Lake Austin is great for skiing, partying, camping, and prefect for cruising as you sip a cold beer or soda and marvel at the trees, cliffs and big, beautiful, very very expensive homes that line the banks of Lake Austin.
A Typical Texas Outsider Day
Camp in Emma Long Park and cruise on down the lake taking in all the scenery; stop and swim in Bull Creek cove; boat up to Lucy's Boatyard (they have great music on the deck) or Hula Hut and have an appetizer and drink of your choice (excellent margaritas!); find some calm water for skiing, boarding, or tubing; head back upstream and tie-up at Ski Shores or The Pier for a cold beer, good burgers, and live music. Can't get much better than that!
Other Cool Things To Do:
Here are some fun things to do that the entire family should enjoy: picnic and play volleyball or horseshoes at West Beach Park; tour the lake on either Sunshine Machine Boat Tours or Austin Party Cruises; in addition to swimming, fishing on the bank, and shooting hoops at Emma Long, you could rent a jet ski or a banana, or take them on a tour of the lake with Austin Duck Adventures.
Some other things to do on Lake Austin include: any part of the lake is great for skiing or boarding if there isn't much boat traffic; you can raft up or swim in Bee Creek or Bull Creek cove; or boat over and have some good BBQ at County Line
What To Do If No Boat:
Buy one; you're missing a good time! Or you can rent some water toys like jet skis, pontoon and ski boats at Sun & Fun Watercraft Rentals or Aqua Ventures. Aqua Ventures rents and leases top-quality watercraft on Lake Austin including Air Nautiques, Sea Ray Ski boats, Crest Pontoon boats, and new 3 passenger 4-stroke Kawasaki Jet skis. Enjoy a couple of hours or stay the whole day meandering through the Hill Country under the cliffs of Mt. Bonnell, past parks and waterside restaurants, and floating past Celebrities multi-million dollar mansions. Pack a picnic lunch and sit on the banks of Lake Austin and fish and swim at any of the day use parks -- Commons Ford, Selma Hughes, or Fritz Hughes. Spend the day or camp overnight at Emma Long Metropolitan Park and swim, hike, play baseball or volleyball, and in the evening sit on the bank and listen to some good music across the river at The Pier
Nearby Activities:
You have the entire City of Austin at your beck and call with tons of fun things to do including: golf, cultural stuff, hiking, biking, canoeing, tennis, etc. Read some of the Austin golf course reviews by clicking here.
Restaurants, Bars, & Music:
Lake Austin is one of our favorites for restaurants and live music. Hula Hut (fun crowds, good variety of food and drinks, great deck), Ski Shores (small and laid back, but good burgs and music), County Line (good BBQ), and Lucy's Boatyard (good food and music) all have some good food, boat slips, and nice decks.
Wake Boarding & Skiing:
If there is not much boat traffic, the entire lake is excellent for boarding and skiing. If there is traffic, try either end of the lake.
Fishing:
According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, Lake Austin contains an excellent population of largemouth bass with the potential for a trophy. Many bass weighing over 10 pounds have been caught since the early 1990s; six were over 13 pounds. The lake also has some good quality bluegill, redbreast, and redear fishing, and has low-density populations of flathead and blue catfish. Fishing during the summer months is best done at night due to heavy recreational boating activity in the daytime. Anglers should use caution when fishing at night.
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*Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife
Day Use Parks, Camping, Lodges, & Cabins
We are not aware of any rental lodging on Lake Austin. The only campground on the lake is Emma Long Metropolitan Park which is a Texas Outside Favorite. Click here to read our review of Emma Long.
Ramps & Marinas
Walsh Landing, Mary Quinlan Park, 360 bridge, and Emma Long Park have ramps. Lake Austin Marina provides gas, ice, slips, and more
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More Pictures
Texas Outside Lakes Rating Scale
Texas Outside rates lakes on a 1 to 10 scale based on:
- Beauty: high scores are given for lots of trees, hills, or pretty houses
- Water Clarity: if you’re standing in two feet of water and can’t see your toes or the water has a deep brown color, we’re talking a 1
- Water Conditions: rough water with waves over a foot (good for PWCs or surfing) due to consistent wind or boat wakes don’t rate high on our scale
- Skiing & Board Conditions: on the weekends if you can typically find a good cove or part of the lake with glass, we’re talking a 10
- Beaches: don’t you hate those beaches when you step into the water you sink in mud up to your knees and loose your flip-flops or it’s all slime and weeds or small rocks – if so, that’s a 1
- Fun Scale: lakes scoring a 10 have fun restaurants and bars, great coves for raft ups or swimming, and fun rental toys
- Cruising & Touring: if you can cruise the lake and look at beautiful houses, nice marinas, pretty coves, or anything similar it will score high
- Restaurants & Bars: nothing better than cruising over and having some good food and listening to some great music on the deck of a fun restaurant – the ride back with smooth water and a fun moon is also pretty cool – we’re talking a 10
- Safety Level: lakes with lots of wild and crazy jet skiers or fast cigarette boats will score low
- Camping: we’re looking for beautiful spacious sites right on the water with a nice sandy beach to swim and park the boat
- Fishing: the bigger the better and they have to be easy to hook
*Fishing information was provided with permission of the Texas Parks and Wildlife (www.tpwd.state.tx.us) in 2006. Texas Parks and Wildlife does not endorse Texas Outside or information presented on texasoutside.com. ©Copyright Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
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