On the night of Oct. 4, 2026, LCRA's gauge at Mansfield Dam read 677.76 feet for Lake Travis. That puts the lake at 95% full and 14.06 feet above its historical October average of 663.70. Three Octobers ago, the lake averaged 628.32 feet for the month. For anyone who keeps a boat at The Reserve at Lake Travis, that is close to 50 feet of water between one fall and the next. The clearest sign of the change is which public ramp is closed this week. Travis County built that ramp for a low lake, and the water now covers it.

High water redraws the access map for fall on Lake Travis. The ramps that matter now are the ones with the highest launch elevations, and the docks that were rebuilt during the dry years are finally floating where they belong. The sailing calendar through November depends on deep water.

Three Octobers, One Lake

Lake Travis reached full pool at 681 feet on July 17, 2026, for the first time since 2019. It came down a little over the summer, then rose again this past week. Rain on Oct. 1 through 3 brought 1 to 3 inches to Travis County gauges. On Oct. 2, LCRA opened floodgates at Wirtz and Starcke dams to send Llano River water downstream into Lake Travis. Those gates have since closed. As of Oct. 4, LCRA reports no Highland Lakes floodgate operations underway or planned. On Oct. 3 alone, the Llano River at Llano carried 22,158 acre-feet toward the lake, out of 25,053 acre-feet of total gauged inflows.

Because the lake rose 2.90 feet in seven days, it now sits 3.24 feet below the 681-foot top of the conservation pool. The October averages for the past three years show how far it has come:

The first three rows are monthly averages, while the 2026 row is a single reading. Even so, the trend is clear. The lake gained only about 11 feet from October 2023 to October 2024, then about 31 feet the following year. October 2025 was already a recovered lake, and this October sits above it.

The Ramp That Closed Was Built for Drought

LCRA publishes the lowest lake level at which each public ramp on Lake Travis still works. Comparing those minimums with the lake explains this fall's access map better than any headline.

Hold that table up against the October 2023 average of 628.32 feet. Every ramp with a published minimum needed more water than the lake had. Tournament Point's 631-foot minimum came closest. It was the ramp designed to keep working as the lake dropped. This week it is the only Lake Travis ramp LCRA lists as closed, and the reason is that the water covers it. Camp Creek and Cypress Creek need at least 667 feet and were the first to go dry in the drought. They now have more than 10 feet of water above their minimums.

Travis County's most recent ramp note for Pace Bend, dated July 27, 2026, lists Tatum and Collier open. Some primitive campsites at Pace Bend remain available, including North Gracy, Taylor, Kate and Johnson, while several weekends of improved camping are already booked. Arkansas Bend still has both of its ramps and is taking October and November camping reservations. Its permanent restrooms are closed for plumbing work, and portable toilets are on site in the meantime. A burn ban covers Travis County parks right now. No wood, ground or charcoal fires are allowed, and the only permitted cooking is a propane grill that sits above ground and is covered. Anyone planning a fall cookout at a county shoreline park should bring the propane grill.

Docks That Waited a Mile and a Half Away

Ramps show where the lake used to be. Marinas show what owners did while it was gone.

Current owners took over Hurst Harbor Marina in Hurst Creek Cove in February 2022. Soon after, the lake dropped and the cove around the marina stayed dry for three years. During that time the marina worked with Meeco Sullivan on a full set of new docks. Each dock was launched a mile and a half away, where there was still enough water, then built, floated and moved into place one at a time as the lake came back. Marina World reported the docks installed by November 2025. In January 2026, Marina Dock Age reported a wave attenuation system around the slips and the party platform hosting events for slip renters again. The marina is at 16405 Clara Van Street, near mile marker 14. It advertises 300 covered wet slips, 200 dry-stack spaces with valet service, and transient slips. It lists hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week and says slip openings are limited.

Lakeway Marina at 103 Lakeway Drive did similar work. Its own history notes that D dock was refloated and reframed in 2025 and E dock was replaced. Its 2026 rental fleet includes party barges, jet skis, runabouts, pontoons, tritoons, paddleboards and kayaks. That makes it a straightforward option for hosting guests on the water without taking out your own boat. Farther along the lake, Safe Harbor Emerald Point offers wet slips, transient slips, dry storage, vessel service, a fuel dock and a ship's store.

These rebuilt docks matter most to The Reserve's own boaters because of transient slips and fuel. A full lake turns a fall cruise into an afternoon with stops along the way. Sundancer Grill at Sail & Ski Yacht Club serves lakeside year-round and offers free boat parking at its courtesy dock. It is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. on weekends. Even at 95% full, the restaurant still asks boaters to watch for shallow water near its dock. Coves keep their own shape no matter how high the main channel rises.

A Sailing Calendar That Assumes Deep Water

The biggest dates of the fall are under sail. Austin Yacht Club held its Centerboard Regatta on Oct. 3 and 4, the same weekend the rain pushed the lake up. The rest of its 2026 calendar runs into late November.

1. Oct. 22 to 24: Ensign Region IV Regatta, with up to nine races and breakfast at the clubhouse before racing each day.
2. Oct. 31 to Nov. 1: Round the Bend and Multi-Fest regatta, running alongside the SEISA middle and high school regatta. The school event is planned around 18 E420 boats and 90 participants.
3. Nov. 21: Wild Turkey Regatta.

A multiday regional regatta with up to nine races needs room on the water. Ensign keelboats racing on Lake Travis late in October show how much water came back between 2023 and now. From a dock at The Reserve, the Halloween weekend will likely be the busiest stretch of sail traffic on the lake this fall.

Back on Land Along Highway 71

Some of the best fall weekends start and finish off the water. Highway 71 Brewing at 22111 State Highway 71, Suite 601, in Spicewood has two free events coming up. Bumpers & Brews is a car show with live music and food trucks on Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Trunk or Treat on Oct. 17 runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. with a carnival, a haunted house, hayrides, vendors and live music. On the same Saturday, Hill Country Galleria holds its Oktoberfest from 2 to 6 p.m.

For an evening after the boat is put away, SAF Wine Bar & Nosh at 2127 Lohmans Crossing Road, Suite 304, in Lakeway reopened in May after a remodel. It pours 35 wines by the glass from a list of 90 bottles, has local live music five nights a week, and holds Friday salsa classes every other week during a season that started this month and runs through June.

Downstream, the Lake Austin drawdown planned for October and November has been canceled, according to LCRA's river operations page. That changes the outlook from our earlier post on the drawdown. LCRA says its lake data are provisional and subject to revision, so check its boat-ramp page and call your marina before you head out.

If the lake's return has you rethinking how you use a lakefront home, from slip access to whether it works better as a second or primary residence, Mary Anne McMahon and our team follow these waters closely through The Reserve at Lake Travis and nearby. Schedule a Private Consultation to talk about what a full lake means for your property this season.