Boating in Austin

Motorboats are prohibited on Town Lake, a haven for canoeists and rowers, but watercraft action picks up on Lake Austin.

The 22-mile long lake has four public boat launch sites: Emma Long Metropolitan Park, a 1150-acre facility on the north side of the lake; Quinlan County Park; Fritz Hughes Park; and the Walsh Boat Landing, next to Tom Miller Dam. Lake Travis is 65 miles long, and over three miles across in some spots, with literally hundreds of coves and inlets along its snakelike boundaries.

Much of the land on Travis’s shores is controlled by the Lower Colorado River Authority and remains undeveloped, but there are several excellent public parks. On narrow Lake Austin, boaters are required to stay to the right as they proceed on the lake, unless they’re picking up a downed water skier.

You must have a Coast Guard–approved personal flotation device for each person on board. Class A and Class 1 motorboat passengers under 13 years of age are required to wear lifejackets.

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