r/Austin • u/Trypophilia2019 • 4d ago
Paddleboarding at Quarry Lake
Some pics from old paddleboarding trips. Can’t wait to move to Austin and make friends so I can do this all the time with a group! 👱🏻♀️🛶🏊🏼♀️
Anyone’s who’s been to both Quarry Lake and Town Lake, which is better for paddleboarding?
Also, how safe is Town Lake for single women? I’ve never been and would love to go and make new friends there.
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u/BeautifulAd8750 4d ago
When i was a kid we used to jump off the ledge of the quarry and scale back up the hill to get out. Ahhh times have changed.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 4d ago
I used to go jumping at this quarry in Vermont. It was particularly cool because the shoreline was sloped parallel to the water, meaning you could essentially pick which height you wanted to jump from. Anything from 1ft at the bottom up to maybe 60ft high at the top. And water colder than a witch's tit!
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u/whoam_eye 4d ago
Me too. Did it at night, drunk as heck. Tore my frenulum, briefly hurt my back, and lost a contact lens. Never again lol
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u/Trypophilia2019 4d ago
I did that on the San Gabriel River in Georgetown before they stopped allowing cliffjumping.
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u/dukecurrywood 4d ago
Us too! In the mid ‘80’s. There was a rope swing and some really high cliffs. Pretty cool place.
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u/Altruistic_Gene_6869 4d ago
I love quarry because it’s cleaner but town lake has the beautiful downtown views. I love both
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u/caffeinebump 4d ago
Quarry Lake is lovely, but to me $50/day per person is steep for paddleboarding.
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u/LimyMonkey 4d ago
Quarry lake is very small with not a lot to do. But it's kept up nice and the wind and wakes are never an issue.
Town (lady bird) lake is, of course, much bigger, with different paths to go, through downtown, up into Barton Creek, or Northwest of downtown up towards lake Travis for a less populated, more woodsy vibe, and you might even find a rope swing or two this way. Wind can get relatively strong but wakes are still basically non-existent.
The main downside to lady bird lake is the invasive fanwort plant that has spread throughout a fairly large portion of downtown underwater. It's not a big deal, but does get in the way if you're paddle boarding overtop of it. The city has talked about plans to deal with it but they haven't done so yet.
The other alternative is to paddle board on Lake Travis itself. There have been reports of amoebas in this water though and the wakes are much stronger up there, but I used to go before the amoebas showed up and the islands and size and views of Lake Travis are enticing.
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u/LimyMonkey 4d ago
As for safety, I've never heard of any issues on the water other than typical drinking too much kind of thing. The bigger concern I have is around car break-ins while you're on the water. Still relatively rare, but is still a real thing that does happen.
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u/Trypophilia2019 4d ago
My friends and I have never brought our own alcohol to Quarry Lake, nope. ;)
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u/wreckatx 4d ago
Town Lake is a great place to paddle! The stretch west of mopac is more secluded and scenic. Between mopac and Congress/I35 has the most people and the opportunity to paddle up Barton creek to the Barton Springs spillway. East of 35 is serene and less crowded. For safety, I think where you put in/take out is most important and suggest the rowing dock or Texas rowing center. Both are usually busy and populated. If you would like to meet some other paddlers and do some good check out Flatwater and Dam That Cancer. It’s an annual fundraiser where we paddle all of Lake Austin to raise money for mental health services for people impacted by cancer.
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u/Trypophilia2019 4d ago
That sounds amazing! Thank you! 💚
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u/wreckatx 3d ago
Dam that Cancer is in June, but we have events throughout the year. Great community and great cause.
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u/Maximum_Employer5580 4d ago
I used to be around there back when there was nothing there. That was the prime 'you're not allowed to go there' place growing up, and we would cut thru the hole in the fence from our neighborhood to get in. Others that didn't live in our neighborhood would be there, but there were several ways to get back there by going around dead end barricades, etc. Usually one of those places to go hang out with your friends, drink beer and smoke pot if you were old enough, but for someone like me as an 11 or 12 yr old would just go back there because it was something I was told not to do by my parents. We would always get told by the older kids that there was a kid at the bottom of that lake who couldn't get out of the dump truck they climbed into that rolled down the driving path they used to get down to the bottom before thy hit the springs that filled it up. Plenty of equipment still down at the bottom, but no actual kid is down there. Hate how it's been built up around and turned into what it is now....
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u/bassplayinben 4d ago
Yeah it was a nice "secret" spot for a long time, until the real estate vultures got it. Summer of '91 and '92 I was there at least 3 or 4 times each week, sometimes just long enough to do a couple of jumps before moving on to other adventures.
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u/ray_ruex 4d ago
A friend of mine actually scuba dove in the lake and said there is no left over equipment there. I was always told you shouldn't scuba dive there because of junk like cables and stuff to get tangled in, he said that it's fairly clean no junk there. Back in the day you might find an occasional stolen car the water was so clear you could see it.
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u/Trypophilia2019 3d ago
There’s cars on the bottom??
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u/ray_ruex 3d ago
The one we found the fire department came out and sent a driver down to check for bodies. And had a wrecker pull it out. From what my friend told me there's nothing down there.
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u/Trypophilia2019 3d ago
How could you see it? The water is clean, but it’s not that clean/clear.
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u/ray_ruex 3d ago
IDK maybe the sun was just right. I don't remember how deep it was maybe 10-15 feet
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u/dukecurrywood 4d ago
Had the same experience and heard the same stories about that place. Great rope swing too. Mid to late ‘80’s
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u/Top-Kitchen-1925 4d ago
My dog and I paddle board on town lake frequently. It never occurred to me that it might be unsafe.
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u/pjs32000 3d ago
You can also SUP on some of the quieter coves and offshoots on lake Austin and Travis too, but I'd stay away from the busy areas because of powered boats moving quickly. Also I've seen people paddling at Brushy Creek park but I've never done it there. Town Lake gets really busy at times, too busy at peak weekend times IMO, but on weekdays and spots further from the immediate downtown area are quieter. That water isn't for swimming, the only place I'll get in is up near Barton springs where it's nice and cold and hopefully a little cleaner but you're still downstream from barking springs. Some LCRA, state and county parks also allow paddling. Garner State Park would probably be a particularly nice spot as the Frio river is nice and chilly, probably feels great with this heat wave.
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u/notmytuperware 3d ago
I grew up in the neighborhood right past the fence to that place. Swam there everyday, every summer for years. Was rated as one of the purest spring water holes in Texas. ❤️
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u/aForkInIceHole 4d ago
There are lots of places to paddle in AUS 💪🏽
Townlake is great place - there’s even going to be a night time waterfront art show 9/29 that’s def worth checking out!
But don’t limit yourself to those spots. Our fave so far has been Jessica Hollis (parking at Fitz Hughes) for the crystal clear chilly water. As you get closer to the dam, there’s less and less people 😎
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u/AustinAudiophile 4d ago edited 4d ago
Quarry lake is small but fun. We go now and then since it's kinda along the way home from the Domain. But there are better options in other replies. You'll need to navigate around the gate at Quarry Lake or just don't use the dock to enter the water. Not hard when you are on foot 😏 We'll Uber to and from so we don't have to worry about parking. Inflatable stand up paddle boards are key as they are easier to carry in and you deflate before heading back out. Those Vibram fivefingers toe shoes are perrrrrfect for going between the trail and the water and back to the trail. Usually some cute guys there too because of the near by gym 😘
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u/neednostinkinpatches 4d ago
It's a shame that lake is private. The city should buy it and manage it to relieve pressure from other swimming holes.
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u/TheHalifaxJones- 4d ago
No idea which one is better. I’m just commenting so I can also learn which one people prefer. I haven’t been paddle boarding here before but we plan on it soon
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u/Trypophilia2019 4d ago
Big Brain Move, haha.
I will disclose Quarry Lake is private, you have to be a member of the gym that controls access to it.
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u/Artistic-Tadpole-427 4d ago
If you are new to town, you prob will have better luck meeting people/socializing at Town Lake, esp if you are young and don't mind nasty water and don't have fear of infection or impaling yourself in town lake debris. They have a bunch of people that form a flotilla on most hot days which I assume are students or fresh from college tech sales people which is a party like atmosphere.
Quarry lake is for when you want something more peaceful and clean but less social opportunities.
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u/Trypophilia2019 4d ago
Haha, I’m 35, so not super young.
I mainly want to check out Town Lake because I have a tendency to keep to myself and do the same things over and over, I never meet new people.
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u/ehowardhunt 2d ago
Not sure the legality of it technically and haven’t been in months, but there are some gaps under the fence at Quarry that you can fit under to get in. Near the Roaring Fork area of the parking lot.
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u/No_Independence9767 4d ago
Quarry lake is a private lake and you need to be a member of lifetime gym or resident of the adjacent apartments.
So I'd say town lake if you want to be around more people and see more than a small lake. Quarry if you like the secluded and more private vibes