Lake Travis Has Water in October Again. Here's Where It Lets You In This Fall.

"Closed, due to ramp being underwater." That is the note the Lower Colorado River Authority posts this week next to Pace Bend's Tournament Point ramp. Three summers ago, the same ramp was the only boat launch still open at any Travis County park on Lake Travis.

The lake has come a long way since then. On October 4, LCRA put Lake Travis at 677.76 feet above mean sea level. That is 95% full and about 14 feet above the historical October average of 663.70 feet. High water changes what limits a day on the lake. Each ramp now works or doesn't based on how it was built, and each park has its own clock, rules, and fee box.

The Ramp That Carried the Drought

In June 2023, Lake Travis sat at 637.73 feet, 45% full and more than 31 feet below its June average. Travis County closed the Mansfield Dam Park ramp on June 30 that year. After that, Tournament Point at Pace Bend was the last county ramp left on the lake. LCRA lists Tournament Point's minimum usable lake level as 631 feet, the lowest of any public ramp on Lake Travis. It was built deep enough to reach a low lake, and it worked when nothing else did.

That changed this summer. KXAN reported the lake hit 681 feet at 9:40 p.m. on July 17, 2026, the first time it had been full since July 2019. LCRA ran floodgate operations at Mansfield Dam during that high-water event. Hill Country News reported the lake at 683.75 feet on July 21, above the 681-foot conservation pool. In KXAN's July 27 check of public ramps, every Lake Travis ramp was open except Tournament Point. Travis County's Pace Bend page still shows the same status as of its July 27 update: Tatum open, Tournament Point closed, Collier open.

Every Ramp Has a Number

LCRA publishes a minimum usable lake level for each public ramp. Set against this week's reading, those numbers show how much room each ramp has before low water becomes a concern again.

LCRA's ramp page logged the lake at 677.79 feet at 9:25 p.m. on October 4. Bob Wentz at Windy Point has no minimum listed and is for non-motorized boats only.

The 2023 baseline makes these numbers concrete. Mansfield Dam's ramp is rated to 637 feet, and the county closed it with the lake at 637.73. Camp Creek and Cypress Creek need 667 feet, which is nearly 30 feet above where the lake stood that June. Both have about 11 feet of room this fall. LCRA's table also lists a phone number for each ramp's operator, and that call is the quickest way to confirm a launch before hitching up. The City of Lakeway's own FAQ sends people looking for public ramp status to Travis County Parks and LCRA.

Hours, Cash and Fire Rules

With water at nearly every ramp, the practical limits this fall come from each park's own rules. The county pages list different rules for each park:

• Pace Bend Park. Collier's ramp is open 24 hours. Tatum and Tournament Point run 8 a.m. to civil twilight. Entry and amenity fees are cash only. Travis County is under a burn ban, so no wood, charcoal, or ground fires are allowed, only propane in an above-ground, covered grill.
• Mansfield Dam Park. The ramp is open 24 hours. The park itself runs from sunrise to civil twilight.
• Arkansas Bend Park, Lago Vista. Both ramps are open 24 hours. The public restrooms are closed for plumbing maintenance, and portable toilets are on site.
• Sandy Creek Park. The ramp is open 24 hours and the park is day use only. Camping is suspended during nearby BCRUA construction, and there is no potable water.
• Cypress Creek Park. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Hippie Hollow. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., every day of the year.
• Tom Hughes Park. Open daily from 9 a.m. to civil twilight. The county says it often closes when rain makes the trails hazardous.
• Muleshoe Bend and Grelle. Both LCRA parks are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

The calendar matters more as the season goes on. Once daylight saving time ends this fall, every park that closes at civil twilight or sunset closes earlier. Lakeway City Park changes at the same point, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. during daylight saving time to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. under standard time. If you want a late afternoon on the water at Tatum or Mansfield Dam, October has the longest window left this year.

October Through New Year's on the Shoreline

Lakeside businesses and parks have filled the fall calendar, and several events run past the holidays.

1. October 10, Muleshoe Bend. LCRA has E-Bike Exploration at 10:30 a.m. and Archery 101 at 1:30 p.m.
2. October 16, Muleshoe Bend. Muleshoe by Night starts at 7:30 p.m.
3. October 17, Northshore Marina. Docktober Fest is a public event from 2 to 4:30 p.m. with food, beer, and live music.
4. October 1 through 31, Volente Beach. Haunted Shores began at dusk on October 1 for its second season, a walk-through with lights and haunted props along the water.
5. November 19 through January 3, Volente Beach. Lights on the Lake returns after its 2025 debut, with lighted displays through the park and along the shore.
6. New Year's Eve, Volente Beach. A party during Lights on the Lake with live music and a midnight fireworks show over the lake.

The Volente events are hosted by Beachside Billy's, which the Volente Beach site describes as a year-round restaurant on the water, separate from the seasonal waterpark. Sundancer Grill also calls itself a year-round restaurant and offers boat parking at its courtesy dock. It posts hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. Hurst Harbor lists hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. At the old Shack 512 property, Stumpy's Lake Travis says it is closed for the season and plans to reopen Memorial Day Weekend 2027.

Hours at other docks and marinas around the lake vary. Since the July high water, the most reliable step is to check directly with each business before planning a stop by boat.

The Projects Planned Beyond This Season

The high lake also coincides with planning for the parks around it. Lakeway City Park's bond-funded improvements were still in design as of October 2. Construction is expected to go out to bid in fall 2027, and nothing in that report points to a closure this season. Travis County Parks is writing vision plans for Reimers Ranch Park and for RGK Ranch Park, its newest property, which is not yet open to the public. The county is taking public input on both.

None of this replaces the morning check. LCRA notes that its Hydromet readings are provisional and subject to revision, and the lake can move quickly in either direction. Before a launch this fall, check LCRA's public boat ramp table and the park's page at Travis County Parks.

A high lake changes more than weekend plans. It also changes how a private dock, a shallow cove, or a shoreline lot shows to a buyer. Hall Realty Group follows Lake Travis cove by cove and can walk you through how this fall's water level affects a specific waterfront property, quietly and on your schedule. Request Private Access.