Lake Travis

Your Lake Travis questions, answered

Plain answers about water levels, boating, swimming, and how the lake works.

Lake levels

What the number means and what moves it.

  • What is the current Lake Travis water level?

    Lake Travis is reported in feet above mean sea level, with how full the lake is as a percentage. This site refreshes the reading roughly every 30 minutes from LCRA measurements.

  • What is considered a normal Lake Travis water level?

    Lake Travis is considered full at 681 feet above sea level. Normal operating levels typically range from 665 to 681 feet. Levels below 650 feet are considered low, while levels above 681 feet mean the lake is in its flood pool.

  • How often does the water level change?

    Lake Travis changes daily based on rainfall, upstream releases, and water released through Mansfield Dam. During dry spells, the level typically drops 1–3 inches per week. After heavy rain, it can rise several feet in a matter of days.

  • What affects Lake Travis water levels?

    Several factors: rainfall in the Hill Country watershed, releases from upstream dams, water demand from cities and farms, hydroelectric power generation, and required environmental flows downstream.

  • Is Lake Travis in a drought right now?

    This site compares the reservoir’s elevation with its 640 ft drought line and the 681 ft conservation pool. Those are not official U.S. Drought Monitor categories or LCRA drought stages. The drought page has the current status and every low stand since 1942; county drought maps come from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Boating and swimming

The levels that open ramps, coves and beaches.

  • When is the best time to visit based on water levels?

    Above 670 feet is best for boating: coves and marinas have their fullest access. Each swim spot has its own cutoff, from 633 to 660 feet; most need the lake above about 650 feet, and beaches get smaller and rockier below 660 feet.

  • How do water levels affect boating and marinas?

    Most ramps become difficult to use below 650 feet, and low water can limit marina operations. The boating page checks every public ramp against the current level and marks each one open or closed.

  • What level is needed for swimming and beaches?

    Most swim spots need the lake above about 650 feet; their cutoffs run from 633 to 660 feet. Some popular spots have smaller beaches or rockier shorelines below 660 feet. The swimming page checks each spot against the current level.

Records, forecasts and updates

How high and low it has been, and how to keep up.

  • What are the historical high and low levels?

    The highest recorded level was 710.44 feet in 1991 — above the spillway. The lowest was 614.18 feet in 1951. In recent drought years the lake has dropped below 630 feet several times. The drought page lists multi-year low stands from LCRA monthly records.

  • How accurate are water level forecasts?

    For the next 1–3 days, the outlook follows the weather forecast and is usually close. Past 3 days, treat it as a range, not a number: it assumes the lake moves the way past years moved from this date, and one Hill Country storm can change it by feet.

  • How do I stay updated on changes?

    This site updates every 30 minutes, and you can tap “Get updates” to subscribe. LCRA publishes official data through its Hydromet system, and local news covers major changes.

Still curious?

Check today’s conditions, read the drought deep dive, or send us your question.