Lake Travis Is Nearly Full Heading Into November. Here's What That Changes on the Spicewood Side.

Which boat ramp at Pace Bend is closed this week? It's Tournament Point, the one built for low water. LCRA lists its minimum usable lake level at 631 feet, the lowest of any Pace Bend ramp. As of mid-October, the ramp's own entry in LCRA's boat ramp table reads "Closed, due to ramp being underwater."

That one line explains this fall on the Spicewood side of Lake Travis. The lake is a few feet below full pool. The outdoor season that usually goes with high water is already on its last weeks. Those two schedules overlap for only a short stretch, and the overlap runs from now into November.

Fourteen feet above a normal October

LCRA's river report for the evening of Oct. 18, 2026, had Lake Travis at 677.59 feet and 94% full. The October average elevation is 663.70 feet, so the lake sat 13.89 feet above it. Full conservation pool is 681 feet, which left the lake about 3.4 feet short of the top. The state's Water Data for Texas reservoir page gives 94.3% full for the same day. That figure counts conservation storage only, so flood-pool water above 681 feet is not part of it.

Those numbers change daily, and LCRA marks its Hydromet data as provisional. Check the live river report before you hitch up a trailer. Still, a gap of nearly 14 feet doesn't close in a week. On the shoreline it shows up as coves with water in them, ramps that reach the lake, and one low-water ramp that sits under it.

How the lake got here

July did most of the work. On July 17, 2026, LCRA announced it would open at least two floodgates at Mansfield Dam on July 18 as Lake Travis rose into its flood pool. It was the first floodgate operation at the dam since 2019. The release says storms had dropped 1 to 4 inches across much of the region, with up to a foot near Junction and Fredericksburg, and that the runoff was heading for Lake Travis. LCRA calls Travis "the only lake in the chain designed to store floodwaters."

October added a smaller second push. CBS Austin reported on Oct. 2 that heavy Hill Country rain led LCRA to open gates at Wirtz and Starcke dams to pass Llano River floodwater downstream toward Travis. LCRA said Travis could rise another 1 to 2 feet. Those gates have since closed. As of Oct. 18, LCRA's flood operations page showed no floodgate operations underway or planned.

So the high water is what's left over from summer and early fall rain, not an active flood. That makes it usable. Nothing is pouring through the dams, and the lake is holding near full as the weather cools.

Where the water meets the Spicewood shore

Each ramp on LCRA's table has a minimum lake level below which it stops working. Here is how the ramps closest to Spicewood compare with the mid-October lake level.

With the lake near 677.6 feet, every minimum listed above except Tournament Point's sits well below the waterline. Muleshoe's 660-foot mark is more than 17 feet under the current level. The table lists minimums and closures but doesn't separately confirm that each ramp is open, so call the number in each row before heading out. Travis County's own Pace Bend status block is dated July 27, 2026. At that point it showed Collier and Tatum open and Tournament Point closed, which matches LCRA's later table.

For a broader look at how the shoreline is laid out on this side of the lake, our guide to Lake Travis waterfront communities in Spicewood covers the coves and bends by name.

The outdoor calendar is short this year

The timing matters because several of Spicewood's best water and shoreline spots work on seasonal or maintenance schedules, and those schedules are coming due right as the lake peaks.

Krause Springs says on its FAQ page that it closes for winter "usually between November 1st and February 15th" for property improvements. It hasn't posted a specific 2026 closing date, so this weekend may or may not be the last one. Call before you go. The springs aren't tied to lake level at all. Krause says they flow year-round at about 68 degrees, even in drought. In practice, a nearly full Lake Travis does nothing to lengthen the Krause season.

LCRA scheduled a park-wide closure at Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area for Oct. 26 through 28 and sent visitors to nearby Grelle. The notice gave no reason. Grelle Recreation Area is at 640 CR 412 in Spicewood. It's open daily from sunrise to sunset, and adult entry is $5. LCRA's Grelle page lists trails, camping, biking, fishing, hiking and horseback riding alongside the lake access.

At Pace Bend Park, Travis County lists hours as sunrise to civil twilight. New entries stop about 30 minutes before civil twilight. As November days get shorter, that cutoff comes earlier each week, which makes a weekday after-work visit harder to fit in. Primitive camping is limited while west-cove campsites are rehabilitated. Kate and Johnson Cove and North Gracy campgrounds remain open.

So the lake has rarely been this reachable in late October, while the hours, seasons and campsites around it are all getting shorter.

Where November moves when the light goes

As the shoreline window narrows, Spicewood's calendar shifts to the wineries and the Hwy. 71 corridor. These are the dated events on local venue listings right now. Listings change, so confirm with each venue before you go.

1. Oct. 31, Spicewood Vineyards Fall Festival. A free community event from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. with live music, face painting, crafts, a bounce house, games, food for purchase and wine tasting, per the Spicewood Vineyards event page.
2. Nov. 1, "Hello, Fall!" Sip & Paint at 5 Soul Wine Co. An instructor-led session from 1 to 3 p.m. at 4514 Bob Wire Road. Its Eventbrite listing gives the price as $60 per person, with a glass of wine and supplies included.
3. Nov. 6, Paul Overstreet & Friends. Spicewood Arts presents the show at the Spicewood Vineyards Event Center with Mike Loudermilk and John Patti. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and music starts at 7:30.
4. Nov. 14, "The November Table" at Stone House Vineyard. A multi-course winery dinner at 6:30 p.m. with a choice of Wagyu strip steak or grouper, listed at $115 per person on Stone House's events page.
5. Nov. 19, "A Taste of Australia" at Stone House Vineyard. A 6 p.m. wine master class on Barossa and Eden Valley wines, listed at $50 per person.
6. Nov. 22, Spicewood Vineyards Fall Wine Club Pick Up Party. Noon to 5 p.m. in two sessions, noon to 2 and 3 to 5, with live music, light bites and three new wines. The listing says RSVPs aren't open yet.

Two 2026 additions give that evening calendar more range than it had a year ago. La Cabaña Bar & Grill reopened Jan. 31 at its new site, 23526 W. Hwy. 71, serving tacos, enchiladas and margaritas, Community Impact reported. Bella Loma opened its tasting room at 12501 County Road 404 on Feb. 21, pouring house-made agave spirits and cocktails, according to Community Impact. This fall's Spicewood growth story is still moving, as we wrote in our look at the resort and the library, but these two places are already open.

Planning around both

With the lake near full pool and park hours getting shorter, plan the water first this year. A Saturday that starts at Grelle or a Pace Bend cove that's actually holding water, and ends at a Stone House dinner or a Spicewood Vineyards show, fits both before the short days set in. Lake levels, ramp status and Krause Springs' winter date can all change on short notice. LCRA's ramp table and river report, plus a call to Krause, are the three places to check before any trip.

Lake level is also one of the details that comes up first when someone in Spicewood thinks about selling a waterfront home or buying one. If a fuller Lake Travis has you wondering how your stretch of shoreline compares, Sarah McAloon can talk it through with you, cove by cove. Schedule Your Personal Consultation.