Dogs in Austin - Lakes and Dog Parks

[jshorns03]

What are the best places to take a lab to swim? We love Barton Springs, but I've read about different places such as Red Bud, etc. Any recommendations?

As for lakes, we'll be staying around Lake Travis. Any beaches where dogs are free to swim without leashes?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[whickums]

My absolute favorite is Redbud Isle. There are lots of little coves that you can have to yourself, or there are a couple of large areas for multiple dogs. There's also a boat ramp if you want to kayak or something.

Bull Creek park is ok when the water is up but I don't ever go there during peak times or on the weekends because lots of families go there with small children to picnic and BBQ, then get mad and scream at the dogs when they come around them.

I've heard Windy Point off of Lake Travis will allow your dogs to swim but unless they're swimming they have to be leashed.

Pace Bend Park is a really large place and the whole thing is leash free. There are tons of places for your dog to jump in and you can camp there as well.

Here is a list of all the leash free parks in Austin. If you click on the maps you can see which ones have water.

 

[Steel Shank]

Pace Bend is leash free?

 

[gcsmithiv]

Another good one on Lake Austin is Commons Ford Ranch off of Cuernavaca. My dogs used to love it there. It was never crowded and has a lot of room for your dogs to run.

 

[whickums]

Yup

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[GarCiaRia]

went to Redbud isle today and a bout 20 minutes after arriving we (everybody) was asked to vacate the park because the 4th Tom Miller Dam floodgate was just opening and the park may be flooded over as a result. It was already flooded all over the place. It was eery. As the water started making its way onto the parking lot, thats all I had to see to agree with the police.

Can't wait till it returns to normal.

 

[whickums]

Well damn it. I drove by there yesterday not realizing just how flooded it really was and I should have taken pictures then. I was thinking about going down there today to take some but it looks like that's a no.

We went to auditorium shores yesterday for my dogs' swimming fix. There were quite a few there at one point. The current was still swift but it wasn't bad.