On the night of October 4, 2026, Lake Travis read 677.76 feet above mean sea level at Mansfield Dam. That's 95% full and 14.06 feet above the lake's historical October average of 663.70 feet. The only public Lake Travis ramp that LCRA lists as closed is shut because it's underwater.
That affects your weekend more than the headline figure does. Each public ramp has a minimum lake level below which it can't be used. A typical October level knocks some of the shallow-end ramps out. This October, nearly all of them are open, and the deep-water ramp built for drought years is closed. Below is what has changed on the water for Lakeway residents and what to check before you go.
The numbers behind this fall
LCRA's River Operations Report compares the current level with recent readings and the long-term October baseline. Here's how the lake looked as of the evening of October 4, 2026:
| Reading | Lake Travis level |
|---|---|
| Oct. 4, 2026, 10:50 p.m. | 677.76 ft msl |
| Seven days earlier | 674.86 ft msl |
| Thirty days earlier | 677.97 ft msl |
| Historical October average | 663.70 ft msl |
| Top of conservation pool, "full" | 681 ft msl |
The lake was about as high in early September as it is now. It dropped close to three feet over the following weeks, then climbed back almost all the way in a single week. LCRA's flood report forecast a range of 678 to 678.5 feet for the next 24 to 48 hours, which puts the lake a little closer to full. LCRA marks these figures as provisional and subject to revision, so read them as a dated snapshot.
Two rain events got it here
The first was in July. Storms dropped 1 to 4 inches across much of the Hill Country, and up to a foot fell near Junction and Fredericksburg. LCRA then said it would open at least two floodgates at Mansfield Dam on July 18 as Lake Travis rose into its flood pool. It was the first floodgate operation at that dam since 2019. Above 681 feet, the flood pool can hold another 776,000 acre-feet, and Lake Travis is the only lake in the Highland Lakes chain designed to store floodwater.
The second came last week. On the morning of Friday, October 2, LCRA opened floodgates at Wirtz Dam, which forms Lake LBJ, and Starcke Dam, which forms Lake Marble Falls. That sent Llano River floodwater down to Lake Travis while a National Weather Service flood watch covered Travis, Hays and Williamson counties on the first day of Austin City Limits. As of LCRA's October 4 update, those gates had closed by Saturday evening. No floodgate operations were underway or planned anywhere on the Highland Lakes, though LCRA noted that could change with significant additional rain. The Llano gauge alone accounted for 22,158 acre-feet of the lake's inflow on October 3.
Which ramps a full lake opens
LCRA publishes the lowest lake elevation at which each public ramp works. Set that list next to the October 5 reading of 677.81 feet and next to the October average, and you can see how the map has shifted.
| Lake Travis ramp | Minimum usable level | Status at 677.81 ft | Usable at the 663.70 ft October average? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Creek Park, LCRA | 667 | Usable | No |
| Cypress Creek, Travis County | 667 | Usable | No |
| Gloster Bend Recreation Area, LCRA | 662 | Usable | Barely |
| Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area, LCRA | 660 | Usable | Yes |
| Narrows Recreation Area, LCRA | 659.5 | Usable | Yes |
| Pace Bend, Collier Cove and Tatum Cove | 653 | Usable | Yes |
| Arkansas Bend, Travis County | 647 | Usable | Yes |
| Jones Brothers Park, Jonestown | 645 | Usable | Yes |
| Sandy Creek, Travis County | 640 | Usable | Yes |
| Mansfield Dam, Travis County | 637 | Usable | Yes |
| Pace Bend, Tournament Point | 631 | Closed, underwater | Yes |
Camp Creek and Cypress Creek need at least 667 feet. At a typical October level they'd sit more than three feet short of that. This year they have almost 11 feet of margin. Tournament Point is the opposite case. It's built to work all the way down to 631 feet, the lowest minimum on the list, which is why water now covers it. The ramp that serves the lake in drought is the one ramp a full lake takes away.
Bob Wentz at Windy Point appears on LCRA's list with no minimum level and is limited to non-motorized boats.
The three county parks closest to Lakeway
Travis County runs the parks Lakeway households can reach fastest, and all three use the same fee schedule: $5 per person for day use, $3 for seniors 62 and older, free for children 12 and under, and $7 per trailer per day. All three take cash only at the entrance.
- Bob Wentz at Windy Point is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Its ramp runs during park hours and is for kayaks, paddleboards and other non-motorized craft. The park allows swimming and has The Point, a small sandy peninsula with water access.
- Mansfield Dam Park is open from sunrise to civil twilight, and its four-lane ramp with an accessible courtesy dock is open 24 hours. The park also has a designated swim cove.
- Pace Bend is open daily from sunrise to civil twilight. The Collier ramp is listed as open 24 hours, and the Tatum ramp runs from 8 a.m. to civil twilight. Pace Bend has designated swim coves. The park's own status notice is dated July 27, 2026, so LCRA's October ramp table is the fresher check.
If a full lake means more trips for your household, Travis County sells an $80 annual day-use permit to county residents. It covers one person and runs from the month you buy it through the end of the same month the following year. At $5 a visit, it pays for itself on the 16th trip. A permit bought in October would cover a full year of fall, winter, spring and summer visits.
Marinas inside Lakeway
You don't need a ramp or a trailer to get on the lake. Lakeway Marina's 2026 rental lineup includes party barges, jet skis, runabouts, pontoons, tritoons, paddleboards and kayaks. The marina's homepage says it now sells 93 non-ethanol fuel. Rough Hollow Yacht Club & Marina has more than 294 boat and jet-ski slips, a fuel dock, pump-out service and a ship store. Most of its amenities are set up for members, and Freedom Boat Club is located on site. Neither marina's website lists a dated fall schedule, so call ahead about hours and rental availability.
Lake Austin stays up, too
If your fall plans include Lake Austin, it won't be lowered this year. The City of Austin canceled its planned October 12 to November 30, 2026 drawdown after stakeholders raised concerns about fall business and events, including weddings, UT football and Formula 1. Some stakeholders preferred a drawdown in January and February 2027. That runs into LCRA's policy, adopted after Winter Storm Uri, of not doing winter drawdowns so hydroelectric generation stays available to the grid. Both lakes go into late fall high.
What high water brings with it
When LCRA announced the July floodgate operations, it warned of possible debris and bacteria in the lakes while flooding continued. A CBS Austin report on July 20 described flood debris and damaged docks on Lake Travis. We found no advisory after the October inflows about debris, bacteria or no-wake zones. The July warnings are general cautions after a flood, not a report on current conditions.
One standing warning applies no matter the level. LCRA says unscheduled releases from Highland Lakes dams can happen suddenly at any time, and it advises staying out of the water near the dams. That matters most at Mansfield Dam Park, since the ramp sits at the dam.
Before you hitch up a trailer, here's a short routine:
- Check the latest Lake Travis reading on LCRA's River Operations Report.
- Compare it with the minimum levels on LCRA's boat ramp page, and look for closure notes.
- Bring cash for Travis County park entry.
- Look at LCRA's Flood Operations Report if it has rained upstream in the past few days.
On land, on the city calendar
The City of Lakeway's fall calendar runs alongside the lake season, and several events are close to the water or tied to it.
- Big Band Bash, October 12, 7 to 9 p.m., free at Rough Hollow Event Center with the Republic of Texas Big Band.
- Floating Pumpkin Patch, October 17, 9 to 10 a.m., free at the Swim Center, 3103 Lakeway Blvd.
- Witches Ride and carnival, October 17, 6 to 9 p.m., free. Riders meet at the Live Oak Golf Course driving range, 510 Lakeway Drive, and ride to City Hall, 1102 Lohmans Crossing Road.
- Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, October 24, 7 to 9 p.m., with the Lake Travis Chamber Orchestra at the Activity Center, 105 Cross Creek. Tickets are $7.
- Trail of Lights, December 4, 5 and 6 at 6 p.m., on the City Hall Trail.
Lakeway City Park is free and open to everyone, with no residency requirement. Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. once standard time returns. The city's own FAQ refers boat-ramp questions to Travis County Parks and LCRA. In Lakeway, the county parks and the marinas are the way onto the lake.
Thinking about what lake access adds to a Lakeway property, from a dock to a short drive to Mansfield Dam? AZTX Realty Group can compare specific homes on those details and explain the costs plainly. Book a Consult when you're ready to talk it through.
