Dirt Where There Was Mud
Alex Goldsberry
(Unknown Date) Pace Bend Recreation Area - Travis County Archives
The sound of all-terrain tires slowly going over the dirt and rocks that were once the riverbed, suspension gently articulating around the pathways that once carried water back to the river. Parking near a small cliff, there is a long-dead stump clinging to the rocks, a memorial to the shade it provided generations of anglers. Zebra mussel shells scattered far from the water’s edge, clinking in the wind like rattlesnakes reminding you to watch your step.
For years, I had been trying to find a park I remembered going to in my early 20s, but the more I come here the more I am realizing I may have already found it. However, with the water currently at least 50 feet lower than 2016, it just looks vastly different.
Once the location of a very small town named Mud, one of my favorite fishing locations in the Austin, Texas area is Pace Bend Park. Best done when the water level is at its fullest, the park has long been well known as a spot for thrill-seekers to jump from the cliffs into the water below. Recognizable areas once popular for jumping from the cliffs would now be far too dangerous to attempt, as the top of some cliffs would now be well over 60ft from the water.
During the heat wave and resulting drought of the summer, I frequented the shores of the day-use area surrounding one of the boat ramps within the park, called Tournament Point. Without thinking of the cumulative results, I started capturing images as I went on fishing trips there and began noticing each trip that the river banks became further away than they were before. Revisiting those exact locations shows how far the waterline has fallen. At the end of the summer, walking to the water level would place my head well below the spot I once cast out worms to target bluegills. Maybe soon I will actually be able to easily walk over to find a lure or two I had snagged on the rocks that are quickly revealing themselves.
May 2023 Average Water Level: 638.60 feet
September 2023 Average Water Level: 630.38 feet
May 2023 Average Water Level: 638.60 feet
September 2023 Average Water Level: 630.38 feet
May 2023 Average Water Level: 638.60 feet September 2023 Average Water Level: 630.38 feet
As stated by the Central Texas Water Coalition, in order to be considered full Texas needs an estimated 2 billion gallons to raise Lake Travis back to 681ft, its ideal level. At the beginning of October 2023, the level is within 15ft of the lowest level ever recorded.
A once popular point for cliff jumping
In 2014, Tournament Point was built as a boat ramp to be used during periods of low water, accessible until reaching 631ft. As water quickly began to recede in the relentless 100+ degree heat, more boat ramps began to close, and for a brief time Tournament Point was the only public boat ramp in Travis County parks to remain open. However, after the harsh drought even Tournament Point has become inaccessible due to low water.
The change has been rapid enough that even Google Maps doesn’t have an accurate representation of the landscape as it is today. On my first trip to the area, as I drove down the boat ramp at Tournament Point my Maps had shown I should have been sinking my truck deep underwater, meanwhile my tires were still dry on the boat ramp. Going into 4-Hi, I then drove off the concrete ramp past the boat trailers up the hill to the north, navigating over the deep natural drainage pathways etched in the ground to the plateau I found to be my new favorite spot.Looking at my Google Maps, it was clear the area I was able to park was underwater just a few months prior. Looking even further back, before Tournament Point was constructed, a satellite image of the area shows this fact even better. Much of the dirt roads and paths I’ve come to know did not exist at that time, as the water level was 30ft-50ft above the level at the beginning of October 2023.
(USGS Topographical Map - 2010) Before Tournament Point was constructed, once only a peninsula, the current day-use area was underwater as of 2010
Parked in the day-use area just north of Tournament Point, land now accessible due to low water
Google Maps image, while parked where the water meets the boat ramp - May 2023
With historic lows, there also have been historic highs. The record high was recorded on Christmas Day 1991, where the water pushed over the banks and flooded the area at 710.44 feet. A reason why the storm that came mid-December in 1991 may have been so devastating is that the water level was already almost at capacity. Average water level for November 1991 was 675ft, just 6ft below the level at which Lake Travis is considered full.
If Austin receives another storm such as that, the levels would certainly increase, though it would not be as devastating as the flood of 1991. However, with as harsh of a drought as we currently are in, we may need a few storms like that to make a difference.
(1991) Floods at Pace Bend - Travis County Archives
(1991) Floods at Pace Bend - Travis County Archives