We loved this spot! Sometimes it can be tough to park the car so get there early - also a 5-10 minute trail before getting to water so be prepared for that too. Dog friendly too! Little pier access to jump off and also walk in spots to the water. Make sure to bring your own chairs / blankets since there aren't picnic tables here. read more

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I really love this spot. I've been twice. Once when I moved to Austin back in 2017 and recently in 2025. The first time was empty, quiet, the shack was still there on the water and kids were jumping off of it in the water. The second time was busier, no shack, tons of people and a freaking DJ blasting music. lol the music was not bad but like what the heck. It's like that meme, I go to nature for relaxing and I have to listen to their shitty music. I'm honestly surprised the city of Austin allows for speakers and loud music at this spot. But anyways, I had a nice time. Recommend going on a weekday, not weekend!! Bring your floats and water shoes read more

Ford Ranch Metro Park is an AOK place to head for for a bit of off-leash fun with your fur babies :-) Tip: Parking can be tricky on busy days, so make a point of arriving early This place doesn't have big heritage trees or thrilling views, but it does have lots of open space and most of the people who come here are friendly. read more

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If you don't get here early, parking can be a hassle. Then you have about a 5-8 min walk through some trees till you reach the opening. Getting there early is key to getting a shaded spot along the shore. If you can't arrive early, I would highly suggest bringing some sort of shaded structure because there aren't many places with shade as it's mostly an open field. As for the water, it feels a lot cleaner here than town lake and it's not nearly as crowded. Bring your paddle board or a float and just enjoy the water and watch the boats go buy. It's nice packing snacks and games and just making a day out of it. I love this spot. The only downfall is that there aren't any steps to get into and out of the water and it's rocky so I'd wear water shoes and be ready to hoist yourself out of the water. read more

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Such a beautiful place with lots of hiking trails, space to play with dogs, and nature to enjoy. Don't miss out on the waterfall trails in the left side that can be easily overlooked. I wish there was better signage marking the trails -- but it's not too hard to find! Lots of shade, a beautiful prairie with wildflowers, butterflies, and birds to watch. So nice!! read more

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We always love it here. Between swimming, hiking, outdoor games, fishing, barbecuing, and just hanging out - this is a great place to spend the day. There is plenty of shade and the water is cool. We always look forward to our day trips here - and did I mention there is no fee to pay? The only draw back I have about this place: There are usually lots of dogs here which I generally do not mind. However, even though there are signs that dogs must be leashed - most do not follow that. I do not either, but my pet peeve with this is that so many dog owners just let their dogs trample over everything without a care in the world. Kids are allowed here also - but would you let them just run over your picnic area? It only takes one bad apple to ruin it for everyone else. read more

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I never knew this little gem of a park existed! The location was kinda out there, but is totally worth the trek (for me it was about 20mins on 360 from the Arboretum area) because it was absolutely gorgeous (reminded me of the New River Gorge in WV)! Floating on the water was great and they have a little picnic table by a volleyball net and a boathouse that I believe you can reserve. It's a lot of fun to go out with your tube and float, especially when the jet skis and boats fly by because they create some epic waves! Fair warning, it is a bit of a hike from the streetside parking to the open grassy area before you get to the water, so you may want to load up your stuff instead of trying for multiple trips! I went on a Sunday and it was not that crowded at all! read more

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Another great place to launch your paddle board. Like most places on lake Austin, bring your "A" game because of the waves from the fast boats zipping by, but the waves help you cover more distance if you ride them right. read more

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Someone hit and ran my car here. I'm sure this happens a lot bc of how tight the parking is. If you see a red pick up truck with a dent and neon green paint on it, he hit my car and owes me money. Send pics ;) I love the park itself but I'm giving 4 stars because of my car. read more

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

DO NOT GO! Very bad experience, window smashed and phone stolen!! There isn't a good way to get in the water and there is dog poop and toxic algae everywhere. The water is stagnant and muddy. Someone also stepped on a rusty nail from the dock! read more

This beautiful and apparently unknown of Park is just off of 2244 and right on Lake Austin. It is a great place for a picnic on the lake, there are a few benches to sit and enjoy the view, a pier for fishing, further inland their are some historic buildings, a gazebo and picnic tables and 1 grill. The main reason I come here is for the hiking trails. I rarely pass another person and I love the peaceful tranquility. The trails are unimproved with no signs or maps so you just have to set out for an adventure and find them - one follows the lake going east and the other one heads north through a flat grassy field before it reaches a cedar covered trail with abundant foliage and waterfalls. The only reason I do not visit more often is their bizarre hours (I like to hike early in the morning) closed Mondays and open 1PM - 6PM the rest of the week. So, don't get lost on the hiking trails late in the day because they close the gates at 6PM and you will have to walk home. FYI dogs are allowed but you need to bring your own poopy bags and swimming is not allowed. read more

Commons Ford is one of the most beautiful parks in the Austin area. There is a short hike which leads to a large green open field. Just beyond the field is Lake Austin. There is a dock that you can jump off of, and a generally laid back crowd. I always have a great tome whenever I head out to Commons Ford. Some points to mention: There are a lost of dogs off the leash at Commons Ford even though it is not permitted. Many dog owners who frequent this park do not pick up after their dogs. There is literally dog ISH everywhere. If you plan to picnic, do it at a table or make sure to bring tailgate chairs because dogs will run all over picnic blankets, get them wet, and sometimes get got poop on your blanket. I don't mean to turn people off by mentioning the dog issues, but just be aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine Also, I ALWAYS recommend wearing water shoes in Lake Austin, because a lot of people fish in the Lake & lose their hooks. You don't want to be the one who finds one! read more

Visiting from out of town (we're from Seattle) I was told about this place and decided to check it out with my 6 year old son. We took a nice walk down a trail and ended up at the water in the big open field. My son spent some time throwing rocks into the water and kicking a ball around, and I just enjoyed the scenery and the people watching. A little annoying that the "no off-leash dogs" sign is apparently written in an incomprehensible and now-dead language not understood by anyone, but none of the dogs bit anyone, so I guess that's ok. They're restoring all parts of the prairie here so try and avoid walking off trail, mkay? read more

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park - Field, volleyball, dock and old boat house - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Beautiful place to take your dog and picnic with friends. I will appreciate if you go to this beautiful getaway to pls pick up after yourself and your dogs! read more

You get what you pay for ($0 entry fee) Place is pretty unruly, there is some good times to be had but it is spoiled by people letting their dogs run wild and not picking up trash. Could be a good place to fish if you can go when there isn't anyone in the water or jumping off the pier. read more

This review may change in the future if the extremely restrictive policy on park hours is changed. Please understand that my primary interest in the outdoors is birding, and birds are invariably most active between sunrise and mid-morning. Therefore, having a public park that is not open to the public before midday / afternoon is essentially useless to me. I am aware that there is an option to reserve the park in advance, and there have been many reports of good birds from this park by locals who somehow have morning access, but for folks with unstable schedules or non-locals this is not a viable option. Also, in mid-summer, having the trails open only during the hottest part of the day mitigates the enjoyment of said trails - why am I going to go hiking here when it's 104 outside when I could choose any of dozens of other parks in the Austin area that are open at sunrise and therefore still in the 70s-low 80s? It's a real shame because I would love to be able to enjoy this park, its wildlife, and its amenities, but with the current, borderline-insane hours of operation. which are completely unlike any other metropolitan park I've experienced in this country (or the other eight countries I've visited), there's essentially no reason for me to go here. Highly disappointing. (*) (Edit 1/13/2015) While I am still highly disappointed in the posted hours, I have since had the opportunity to visit the park, which is quite nice, though there are still some nagging issues which preclude a high rating. For one, there is literally no enforcement of the posted leash requirements. I like dogs, but I do not like being jumped on by someone's dog while I am trying to bird. A dog owner's failure to follow basic rules should never become my problem. The inability to get here early (unless you are a local and can park off site and walk in) still means that the best birding hours are essentially off-limits to most, and, more importantly, you have to bird when everyone else is around. There's clearly a lot of wildlife here, but you're not going to detect it if you have to deal with boat engine noise, dogs, people on picnics, et cetera. What's frustrating is that there is a lot of very good habitat here, but clearly enjoying nature is less of a priority to the park managers than catering to other forms of recreation. It's a beautiful place, though. I'd certainly rate this higher if my priorities lay elsewhere, but as a birder, I can only give it a middle-ground rating. (***) (Edit 6/10/2015) The restricted hours are no longer an issue! HOORAY! That being said: the only major issue remaining is the continued lack of enforcement of leash laws and cleaning up after dogs. Don't get me wrong -- I do in fact enjoy dogs -- but lack of presence indicates to dog owners that they have carte blanche in this park, and considering we have to share space with folks at the boathouse, as well as birders and nature photographers, that could become very divisive. Otherwise, the prairie restoration is going nicely, and this is one of the few places in Austin to find birds like Northern Parula and Yellow-throated Warbler, so it is my pleasure to sound the all clear on this one for birders. Keep up the great work, and this park may yet earn that fifth star. read more

I am almost hesitant to write a review of this place because in a lot of ways it is almost a secret to most Austinites. CFMP is tucked out of the way off of Cuernavaca Rd west of Austin. Not sure where Curenavaca is? Maybe you are one of the thousands in this town who view anything outside of the 360 loop as being too far out (geographically speaking, of course). This place has some very old history to it and some nice trails. the recent drought won't allow you to enjoy the waterfall along one of the trails but since it buts up to Lake Austin, you do have water. I have put in a canoe a few times from here and paddled up the lake toward the damn and back. in the fall, this is a great place to fly a kite in the open field. in the spring, a great place to lay down a blanket and catch some less than searing sun rays with some beverage, food and a lucky companion. enjoy it, but protect it. ;-) read more

Commons Ford is one of my favorite parks in Austin and not just because there's hardly anyone ever there. It just has a really nice feel to it. It's quiet, it's right on the water, and it's tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city. There's a small parking lot at the front of the park, and then you walk back to the water. It's maybe a 10 minute walk, and a very easy walk at that. From there, you can fish from several locations, and there are trails that weave around the park, though I've never found the waterfall mentioned by another reviewer--perhaps I need to revisit that. Honestly, though, the trails aren't terribly exciting--if I want a good trail hike I"ll visit some other park in Austin. But what I do like here is the open space. Whether you want to run around and play tag, toss around a frisbee, or just span out with a blanket and a book, you have plenty of undisturbed, open space to do so. And if you're looking for a relaxing walk more than a hike, this is a wonderful location. There is also a rental space on this property which has a kitchen and plenty of rooms for a wedding reception or some other event. You can call to make reservations. There's even a pool. The park does have bizarre hours, which is unfortunate because I bet this place really shines at night--but you have to be out of there by 6, sadly. And it's closed on Mondays. read more

Park has a lot of potential but is in need of some TLC. The boathouse and ramp are in disrepair - several of the planks are missing or loose. Trash bins are all overflowing. Trails are unmarked. The signs forbid swimming, but there are some shallow access points on a cove to dip your feet or for dogs to cool off. Bring your own water - there are no facilities. read more

Free Park, easy parking, great place to take the family on an afternoon with the dog. My shepherd loves to go swimming in Lake Austin then we take him hiking through the park. Has off road trails for hiking and mountain biking. Closes at 6, so be sure to leave before they lock the gate. Also has house that can be rented for parties with a swimming pool. Been to several summer parties there and had a blast. I think you sign up for rental on the City of Austin parks and recreation website? read more

The restricted hours are now gone. What are the new hours? I have no idea. When you go to the website they still state the old ones. The hours are no longer on the signs or fences at the park. People need to start picking up after their dogs. It has gotten worst over the last year. I hope the new toll road doesn't get put here. I will enjoy it until the growth of Austin causes the toll road. read more

I arrived there today about 1:30pm...never been before but wanted to try some fishing on Lake Austin. Not much going on when I got there and the "fishing dock" was vacant so I threw a couple lines out, lovely setting, nice day, but nothing biting so soon I wandered back up the creek. People were starting to show up, and their dogs...soon enough, the fishing dock got taken over....I enjoyed my fishing, caught a couple little ones, but yeesh, the dogs were everywhere, and none of them were leashed. The sign at the trailhead says that they have to be... Very pretty location...I think there's some good fishing to be had here, just need to learn the layout. But I dislike the off leash dog park thing going on. read more

It's nice to have an open park setting to chill at on the side of Lake Austin, and it's even better that it's free. It has an abandoned boat house that's fun to hang out at, just watch out for all the dogs and young kids... Overall, it's ok and I'd go back. read more

Pros - Beautiful place, easy access to some fishing, insanely family friendly, off the beaten path so it's not crowded, free, easy parking, plenty of trails to walk. Cons - Trails are fairly short, the fun one is unmarked, dogs are unleashed (personally I don't care as it did not bother me), I did notice that a lot of people don't pick up after their pets though. I didn't get to go tot he cool waterfalls because we had some lil'uns that wanted to run through the water. I'll need to come back to check it out. Definitely worth the short drive and it's insanely secluded, unlike the Green Belt which is overrun sometimes. read more

Best kept secret in Austin. You're able to swim, sun and enjoy the outdoors without driving too far. The parking can get congested so try to carpool. Walk isn't far - I took a pop-up canopy and a cooler in a wagon and the wagon did fine on the dirt path. Well behaved dogs welcome. read more

Common Ford Park is a wonderful resource in western Travis County. There are two different walks you can have. One down to Lake Austin along wide trails. There are a number of old car sized paths which make a big loop from the road parking, to the lake, and back. The other path is a narrow hike up the creek canyon, about 3/4 of a mile to the waterfall at the end. The path on the east side of the creek has recently been more active than in the past, so except when there is too much water in the creek, you can do a loop in the canyon now. I really enjoy the walk up the canyon where at times you're at the crest looking down on the valley, and other parts of the path are down at the bottom. The pool and waterfall at the end of the trail is gorgeous. People often sun on the top part of the fall and skinny dip in the pool. Although dogs are supposed to be on the leash, very few people abide which can be frustrating when encountered by a sopping wet, muddy dog. There is also a frontier cabin, composting toilet, and don't forget the main house can be rented out. There's a pool, but you have to hire a lifeguard to use it. read more

Never been here before, but it i beautiful. There's. dock to fish from, a volleyball net and picnic tables. Not to mention the beauty of nature. It's a great place for family gatherings. I will definitely be back read more

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park - Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've heard people suggest Austin is like California, but in Texas. Austin is not like California at all, if you ask me. In San Jose we go to the beach to escape the heat and we drive an hour north to San Francisco or south to Santa Cruz to get there. In Austin they drive ten minutes and they're waist deep in cold Lake Austin, tall can of PBR in one hand, lit cigarette in the other while peeing in the water at the same time. Dunk your head at your own risk and definitely don't open your mouth. I flew out to Austin for Memorial Day weekend, visiting with a friend from San Jose who joined the recent exodus of Californians invading Texas. T was eager to show off her new Austin lifestyle. Commons Ford Ranch is unlike anything I've ever seen in California. In San Francisco the beach is unwelcoming and the sand is full of needles and rusty nails. The nails are leftover from the pallets partiers use to fuel their bonfires at night. The needles are from the homeless who warm themselves near the dying embers when the party is over. In Santa Cruz, the sand is full of tourists and you trip over them as you try to make your way to the water. It was a hot walk from the car and down the dirt path leading to the water. We crested the top of a hill and looked down at Lake Austin and the big field of green grass and the many people. 90 percent of the people at Commons Ford Ranch were young and beautiful. Where does Austin hide their ugly people? They get old and fat and move to Richardson, I guess. The impossibly fit twenty somethings played in the water and E and I watched them as we made our way down the hill. E, also from San Jose, moved to Dallas not long before this trip and met me in Austin. "I feel weird about my paunchy body," I told him. "Can I be that guy that swims with his shirt on?" "I feel weird about not having any tattoos," E replied. We approached the shore of Lake Austin and T pointed at someone off in the distance. "Oh good. She's here already," T said. We were meeting another one of her friends. I pushed my Ray Bans over my head and stared in the direction T pointed. There was a girl with dark skin and short, curly hair sitting on an old bed spread. She was propped up on her hands, legs outstretched in the sun, with one ankle crossed atop the other. She wore a floral print bathing suit bottom and a brown, lace fringed bra. The bathing suit top got lost somewhere, maybe? I stood on the edge of the bed spread and offered my hand out for a shake. I had been eating Flaming Hot Cheetos in the car ride over and my fingers were stained red and I felt ashamed, but it was too late to do anything about. Sucking your fingers immediately before shaking hands is generally frowned upon. "Hi, I'm Philip." "Hi," she replied, offering no indication of what she called herself. I later found out from T, her name was J. I sat on my beach towel across from J eating a chicken salad sandwich from H-E-B that cost $20, because the cashier over charged me. I hoped it would be a $20 chicken salad sandwich, but it was only a $5 sandwich at best. After a fashion, I spoke very little to J the whole afternoon at Lake Austin, instead choosing to peer at her over my large bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. I washed down my "meal" with two tall cans of PBR and after some time I had to pee. "Where's the restroom?" I asked T. She laughed and pointed at the water. It's true, everyone pees in the water at Commons Ford or they have bladders like a black hole, because no one ever goes to the outhouse. Pooing in the water, however, is not acceptable. There's an outhouse built into a small hill about five minutes walk from the shore. I expected the non-air conditioned outhouse to smell like death. It was somewhere around 110 degrees inside and humid but clean. As I sat there, a hot breeze came in through the one window, which is at the floor of the elevated outhouse. For anyone walking up the hill to the outhouse they can look straight in the low window and see you taking a dump. There used to be a privacy screen over the window, but someone put his foot through it. Hi fives all around. "I'll be done in a minute," I said as I made eye contact with a random person through the window. In time, the sun had zapped all the energy out of our party and the girls got out of the water and compared tans. T, pulled the seat of her bathing suit bottom to the side and revealed a sharp tan line across her butt. Like everyone else at Commons Ford she had gone from white to red. J pulled at her bathing suit bottom and revealed a similarly sharp tan line--brown on one side and darker brown on the other. Austin is not like California at all, if you ask me. Best regards from your friend in fun, Philip C. read more

Parking is a nightmare. Hard to get in and out of park on busy days because people park in the middle of the road and create a one way. There is one way in and one way out. Dogs off leash and aggressive. Rattlesnakes and water moccasins. City of Austin Police, on horseback, monitor often and give tickets for weed, underage drinking, dogs off leash and illegal parking. Be careful not to step in dog mess. read more

I heard that the city might be trying to sell part of the park to developers to be built over. Please help spread the word to stop this. There will be a city counsel meeting on the 19-20 this month and an Austin Parks and Wildlife Dept. meeting on the 24. The more people who spread the word the better the chance of saving the park. read more

Commons Ford used to be my most favorite park. Close to home, I could take a walk, a longer hike, go fishing, or just sit in the park and read. Well someone told all the young folks with dogs that this was the place to be. They bring their dogs, off the leash, and really don't pay any more attention to them or their kids. They bring alot of beer, hang out, whatever. I would have no problem at all with it except I am tire of trying to fish and have to protect bait, gear, and myself from all the pit bulls. Why is it that every young partier thinks they have to have a pit bull? I am baffled that the City of Austin isn't enforcing the dog on a leash law- it's posted everywhere out there, and forget the idea of picking up after your dog- they don't pick up after their kids, their dogs, etc. In fact, they were planting restoration trees and putting guards around them. Yesterday the kids were knocking down the new trees and stealing the support sticks to use as play swords! City of Austin, I am a private investigator and I have video! read more

My husband and I went to the park for the first time today. It was really a lovely walk to the lake! I will come back in the spring when the thistles are blooming and, hopefully, see lots of birds. I agree with a previous review regarding the dogs. There are LOTS of them and off-leash. The "leash" law is posted and ignored! I think most of the people that come to the park are there to let their dogs run and swim. read more

First timer and I cannot wait to return. This spot has the most perfect water. As much as I love the Springs, it usually takes me roughly 40 minutes to get in the water. The top half of me sweating profusely, as my bottom half trembles in ice cold numbness. However, at Commons Ford, you can sink right in without hesitation. Animal friendly, and a great place to picnic. The grass can be a bit sketchy, and make sure you watch out for all the dog poop that people do not clean up, and casually look the other way to act like they don't know what their pet just did. Also, while I was there, there were some cops ticketing unleashed pets and smokers, so it's definitely a spot that you want to follow the rules at to avoid any tickets. Nevertheless, I had a blast, and it's a beautiful spot that has yet to succumb to the crowds of every other beautiful Austin oasis. read more

A fun, free place to come hang with friends, bring the kids, or bring the dog. You can make it whatever kind of day you want it here! Enjoy a game of volleyball or soccer; then jump off the deck into the nice lake! Soak up the warm sun!!! read more