Austin's boating lake, and the Highland Lakes' largest.
Lake Travis is a 19,297-acre reservoir on the Colorado River west of Austin, created when Mansfield Dam's height was extended mid-construction from 200 to 278 feet after catastrophic 1938 flooding — today the anchor of Austin's boating culture, with more than 50 rental operators.
Lake Travis stretches west from Austin along the Colorado River, part of the Highland Lakes chain and the largest of them at 19,297 acres. The Lower Colorado River Authority began Mansfield Dam in 1937 at a planned 200 feet, but disastrous flooding in 1938 forced a redesign to 278 feet before the dam was finished in 1942. The lake is Austin's boating lake in earnest: Lake Travis Marina and Riviera Marina sit closest to downtown, VIP Marina covers the northwest side near Leander, and Keep Austin Wet runs one of the largest party-boat fleets out of Volente, home to Beachside Billy's and Volente Beach Waterpark. The Oasis, built into a bluff 450 feet above the water, is the largest outdoor restaurant in Texas and markets itself as the state's sunset capital. Devil's Cove, a boat-only inlet with no road access, is the lake's best-known floating party spot each summer. Lakeway, the nearest full-service town, covers the grocery run and the hospital.
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