Zilker Park is also home to the world-renowned Aust City Limits music festival. This public park features many lakeside amenities, including picnic tables, canoe rentals, and a disc-golf course. Zilker Park is a 370-acre natural space abutting the lake. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail is a popular pedestrian corridor with great views of the water. One of the best hiking trails in Austin lines much of the lake.

Popular cruises are also available throughout the year. Several rental companies line the shores near downtown. However, non-motorized vessels like kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards are welcome to explore the water. No motorized vessels are allowed on Lady Bird Lake without a special operating permit. And the Austin skyline provides a beautiful eastern backdrop while crossing the iconic Congress Avenue Bridge. Paddlers take advantage of this urban amenity via kayak or canoe every day of the year.

Lady Bird Lake is the last in the series of Highland Lakes on the Colorado River and runs through the heart of downtown Austin. Lady Bird Lake Lady Bird Lake and downtown Austin With sunny weather and picturesque twilight hours, if anglers come up empty-handed, they still feel like they caught something special atop Texas waters.ĭiscover more places to enjoy the water with our list of the best lakes in Texas.ġ. Each is also well known as some of the best bass fishing lakes in Texas. Lake Texoma and Sam Rayburn Reservoir are two of the best fishing lakes in Texas. These massive reservoirs are some of the best boating lakes in Texas. The Highland Lakes are five famous lakes on the Colorado River, including Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. The Central Texas Highland Lakes are also of note. Caddo Lake and Lake O' the Pines are two great east Texas lakes. Cypress trees in Caddo Lake, Texasīeautiful lakes are across the state, but east Texas has one of the densest concentrations. If you're looking for fishing, boating, camping, or scuba diving, the best lakes in Texas have plenty of room for that, too. The sheer size of some of these Texas lakes makes them a popular destination, where it's still easy to avoid the crowds. Significant bodies of water, like Lake Travis and Canyon Lake, feature hundreds of miles of shoreline. The best lakes in Texas share the 'everything is bigger in Texas' motto. Author Brad Lane has traveled throughout Texas, visiting lakes and outdoor areas while reporting for PlanetWare.

Planet fishing are bass boats worth it