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    Arkansas Bend Park

    4.3 (9 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 8:45 pm

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    Walk down to the lake from the playground
    Rebecca H.

    Really nice stop during our vacation this week. Beautiful playground with 180 degrees views of the lake. Bathroom was exceptionally clean for a park. Nice paved and off road walking trails with lake views. We had a great time.

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    4 years ago

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    Pace Bend Park

    Pace Bend Park

    4.0(84 reviews)
    5.5 mi

    A pretty big park with cool scenery. The trails are not really along the water edge, but still not…read moreso many people and you can walk on the road next to the water. The trails are on the other side of the road. They seem long and easy to hike.

    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.

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    Pace Bend Park
    Pace Bend Park
    Pace Bend Park - Off the shore of Lake Travis

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    Off the shore of Lake Travis

    Starnes Island Lake Travis - North side of Starnes Island

    Starnes Island Lake Travis

    4.5(2 reviews)
    3.6 mi

    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!

    Photos
    Starnes Island Lake Travis - We did it!  James, Paul, Tracy and Qi

    We did it! James, Paul, Tracy and Qi

    Starnes Island Lake Travis
    Starnes Island Lake Travis

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    Hippie Hollow Park - Going down trail 1 again

    Hippie Hollow Park

    4.2(141 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    Hippie Hollow is a nice winding drive in North Austin. The park is $8.00 CASH ONLY…read more Lake Travis is 100% full, since 2019! So thrilled that we have the water level back. But with that, you loose space to lay out. And then there becomes no place to walk around. Not complaining. Thrilled we have the water level back to 100% Hippie Hollow is the only nude beach in Texas. So I'm told. Started many decades ago when the catch phrase "keep Austin weird" actually meant something. Weddings have actually been performed here. Maybe someday mine will too. Haha. I went all the way down to trail 6 to see if there would be an easy way down, and easy to get out of the water. Now that the water level is so high, it just becomes a cliff. Easy to get in, just jump. But climbing out, can get a little tricky. Picking a trail to go down can be tricky. Of course you want to give people their private space. You need a spot where you can lay out on a blanket. And getting out of the water easily where you don't have to be rescued. I needed rescuing last time, and luckily I was able to get in and out fine on my own. The second time a gentleman was walking past, and offered his hand to help me out. People are just so friendly here. I met two gentleman separate occasions. Very nice. Apparently they are regulars here. Water was choppy again. It's hard to just float and relax. You just have to keep treading water and keep your head up. Super freeing. Natural. Water is refreshing, the Texas sun is like no other. But the ants! Oh my word, they bit. Next time ant spray. They're brutal. Till next time Hippie Hollow, stay weird.

    The park sits on a rugged stretch of Lake Travis, and the scenery alone is worth the trip. The…read morecliffs, the water, and the wide‑open views make it one of the more striking spots around the lake. The hike down to the shoreline is rocky and uneven, so it's not the kind of place you wander into by accident -- you earn the view a little, which honestly fits the whole atmosphere. When you arrive, the staff makes sure you understand the rules, especially the one about no sexual activity. They're clear, direct, and they repeat it enough times that you'd think no one could possibly forget. And yet, once you're inside, you occasionally encounter someone who seems to have the memory retention of a goldfish or the attention span of a distracted squirrel. Thankfully, the vibe of the park is mellow enough that these moments are more eye‑roll than incident. The crowd is a mix of regulars who clearly know the place well and visitors who show up curious or just wanting a quiet spot by the water. The atmosphere is laid‑back, nonjudgmental, and surprisingly calm. Even with the clothing‑optional reputation, it doesn't feel chaotic or wild; it's more like a group of people who collectively decided they're done pretending swimsuits are mandatory. The water access is great once you get down there, and the rocky shoreline gives you plenty of places to set up without feeling crowded. The views across Lake Travis are some of the best you'll get without renting a boat or owning one of the massive houses perched above the lake. If you're looking for a typical beach park, this isn't it. But if you want a quiet, scenic spot with a very specific kind of freedom baked into its identity, Hippy Hollow delivers exactly what it promises.

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    Hippie Hollow Park - Mansfield dam

    Mansfield dam

    Hippie Hollow Park
    Hippie Hollow Park - You've been warned

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    You've been warned

    Lake Travis - Sunset at Lake Travis

    Lake Travis

    4.5(28 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    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.

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    Lake Travis - Sunset at Lake Travis

    Sunset at Lake Travis

    Lake Travis - Sunset

    Sunset

    Lake Travis - Sunset at Lake Travis

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    Sunset at Lake Travis

    Arkansas Bend Park - hiking - Updated September 2026

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