Water, Water Everywhere
In the old days, Texans fell into two categories: lake people and folks who wouldn’t be caught dead within a hundred yards of the shore. But times have changed—lakes are more accessible, facilities are more family friendly, and activities include a heck of a lot more than going out on a boat and drinking beer. We scoured the state from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande to find twenty great adventures, from skiing on Lake Texoma to flying high above Lake Conroe. So dive right in. The summer won’t last forever.
1. Horse Around
Lake Whitney, near Whitney
WHEN THE SUMMER SUN LURES YOU to the lake, you’ll be tempted to hit the water as soon as possible. But cool your spurs. There’s no better way to enjoy the lush landscape of Lake Whitney than to ride horses. Saddle up at Arrowhead Resort, located on the lake’s wide southeast edge, which is the only outfit in town where you can “borrow” a horse for a lazy, forty-minute jaunt. The head wrangler will guide you along a shady path that leads right down to the shoreline. Inexperienced riders (read: city folk) needn’t worry about skittish behavior from the mounts; Hoover, a 23-year-old Appaloosa, has earned the nickname the Mover because he’s so unhurried. If you have your own horse (a Coggins test is required to prove that the animal is free of disease), you’ll want to explore the maze of equestrian trails at McCowan Valley Park, also on the east side of the lake, which ambles through rolling pastures and dense woodlands and has campsites that accommodate trailers. As for beating the heat after a dusty day on the trail, you’ll know what to do next.
Arrowhead Resort: From Whitney, head west on Texas Highway 22 for 3 miles, then turn right on County Road 2105 and follow the signs for 1 mile to resort entrance; 888-412-3044 or arrowheadatlakewhitney.com; trail rides $24, lead-line rides $7.50. McCowan Valley Park: From Whitney, head north on FM 933 for 4 miles, turn left on FM 1713, and go 6 miles. At fork, veer left and continue on Spur 1713; trailhead is at the McCowan campground; 254-622-3332; day use $1 per person (an additional $1 if camping overnight), camping $12 per site per night. JORDAN BREAL
2. Live It Up
Lake Lewisville, near Lewisville
LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO GO TO THE LAKE don’t own boats and, for that matter, are not particularly wild about waterskiing, bass fishing, or sailing. They go simply to hang out, drink beer, stare at good-looking people in bathing suits, listen to loud music, and shout, “Let’s party!” If you’re such a person, then visit Sneaky Pete’s, the giant restaurant-bar on the southwest corner of Lake Lewisville, the 29,000-acre lake twenty miles north of Dallas. You also need to catch a ride on someone’s boat to the Party Cove, a little inlet just around the corner from Sneaky Pete’s that has been regularly described as “a waterlogged Bourbon Street.” The patrons think of Sneaky Pete’s as their own country club. There is a swimming pool, a beach, four sand volleyball courts, and an indoor sports bar where bands play at night (classic rock, of course). On your first visit there, you’ll no doubt say, “Ah, TTB (trashy Texas bacchanalia) at its finest.” But that’s before you hit the Party Cove, where, on weekend afternoons, dozens of gigantic cabin cruisers, ski boats, cigarette boats, and Jet Skis pull alongside one another. As you might expect, one thing leads to another. If you’re a voyeur, bring a camera. Don’t, however, bring your kids.
Sneaky Pete’s: 2 Eagle Point Drive, 972-434-2500 or sneakypetesonline.com; open daily. SKIP HOLLANDSWORTH
3. Win $100,000
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, near Jasper
IF YOUR FRIENDS ROLL THEIR EYES EACH TIME YOU talk about landing a twenty-pound largemouth bass (which, for some reason, looks smaller in your pictures), here’s your chance to show off your skills. Each year the Sam Rayburn Reservoir hosts upward of three hundred tournaments for both amateurs and pros alike. The most famous is the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series Lone Star Shootout, held in March, which attracts more than one hundred professional anglers. (This year’s winner, Louisiana’s Greg Hackney, walked away with $100,000 after landing a total catch of 79 pounds, 10 ounces.) Making a run at that title will earn you plenty of face time on ESPN2, but maybe it’s better to consider putting your jigs in at Mill Creek Park or trying an amateur tournament instead. The reservoir is also the site for the Big Bass Splash, in April, which draws nearly four thousand contestants. Don’t worry. You can always tell your pals it was for pros only.
Mill Creek Park: From Jasper, take U.S. 96 north 21 miles, then go northwest on Loop 149 for 2 miles, then 1 mile west on Spur 165 to park entrance; 409-384-5716 or 877-444-6777 or swf-wc.usace.army.mil/samray/; $3 boat launch fee. BRIAN D. SWEANY
4. Sail, Sail, Sail
Canyon Lake, near New Braunfels
THE WAY TO LEARN TO SAIL CANYON LAKE is to hook up with somebody who’s been at it a while. Like Bubba Horner, a retired family doc from San Antonio who’s been sailing in general since his dad built him a two-man Snipe when he was eight—he’s eighty now—and navigating Canyon Lake specifically since he and nineteen buddies founded the Lake Canyon Yacht Club, in 1967. Horner retired from competition last year after winning the one-man Sunfish class, but he still goes to the marina most weekends to officiate races and instruct kids. Get out on the water with Horner and you’ll learn just by listening to him think out loud: If the surface of the Guadalupe River–fed lake, normally the color of pale-green olives, turns suddenly black, then the wind is picking up; races start with the wind blowing into a sailor’s face, forcing boats to avoid the section of water in front of them between ten and two o’clock (“I call that the JC Zone, because nobody but Jesus Christ can get anywhere sailing straight into the wind,” Horner says); and there is no sight prettier than a pack of boats that have rounded the final turn and are headed to the finish line, their spinnakers filled with air. “Sailing’s like golf,” Horner says. “I could teach you in a weekend everything you need to know, and you could do it for the rest of your life, but you’d still never perfect it.”
Lake Canyon Yacht Club: From New Braunfels, take FM 306 west for 14 miles, turn left on N. Park Road, continue for 200 yards, then turn right on Mt. Lookout Drive; 210-590-7100; call for classes and camps or, for more-informal tutelage, show up with a six-pack of beer around 11 on Saturday or Sunday morning, looking eager to learn. JOHN SPONG
5. Go Deep
Possum Kingdom Lake, near Graham
POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE IS ALL ABOUT THE VIEW, whether above water or below. Walls of rock rise up more than 80 feet from the surface, and the shoreline, all 310 miles of it, is dotted with oak and mesquite trees. Hell’s Gate (so called because of the gaping chasm between two dramatic cliffs) is Possum Kingdom’s most famous landmark, and it’s also the place where the beautiful people drop anchor, hang, and talk on cell phones. But the chatter and buzz fade once you take the plunge and make your way under water. Seasoned divers get a thrill exploring structures like sunken boats as they encounter the occasional bass, crappie, or alligator gar swimming past. The water at PK—as the locals call it—is blue and clear; in fact, in early June visibility ranges from 10 feet to 30 feet (the view is always better in deeper water, so those really in the know frequent the dam, where the depths reach 100 feet). Newbies (and those without boats) go to Scuba Point Dive Shop, the only place on the lake to do shore dives, to get their fix. The facility has a water park, where there are boats, trucks, cars, and tunnels to swim through, beginning at 11 feet and going all the way down to 65 feet. In the summertime, the water temperature can be as high as 80 degrees at 40 feet below, but things get chilly past the thermocline. No, it’s not the Caribbean, but in Texas it doesn’t get any better.
Scuba Point Dive Shop: 3201 Redbird Road, on the eastern side of the lake; 940-779-2482 or scubapointpk.com; day use $10 per diver, non-divers $2.50 (certification classes available). PATRICIA BUSA MCCONNICO
6. Let It All Hang Out
Lake Travis, near Austin
I AM NOT A NUDIST, NATURIST, OR EXHIBITIONIST, but recently I spent a beautiful afternoon at Hippie Hollow Park, on Lake Travis, wearing nothing but swimming shoes and a smile. At any other public place in the state, such behavior could have landed me in the pokey, but Hippie Hollow, sitting on the north shore of the Lake Travis basin, is renowned for its public nudity. Owned by the Lower Colorado River Authority and operated by Travis County, it’s the only clothing-optional public park in Texas. Fittingly, it’s only thirty minutes west of Austin. While all 109 acres of this nook-and-cranny-filled day-use-only park can be enjoyed au naturel, most patrons (350,000 annually) can be found basking like herds of sea lions along the steep and rocky banks. In addition to nude sunbathing, other activities include nude birdwatching (although Hippie Hollow is a habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo, this also provides an excuse, albeit a lame one, for the binoculars hanging from your neck), nude swimming (also known as skinny-dipping), nude hiking (also known as streaking), and just hanging out in your gloriousness. Along with lewdness (Hippie Hollow, despite the loose policy on clothing, runs a tight ship, and questionable behavior is not tolerated), activities to avoid are pointing, jaw dropping, going bug-eyed, gawking, and, for God’s sake, jogging. And while the wearing of clothes won’t get you thrown out, it will, oddly enough, make you feel like a weirdo. I recommend doing just what the welcome sign at the Hippie Hollow entrance invites you to do and enjoy the park “naturally.”
From the intersection of RR 620 and FM 2222, outside Austin, follow RR 620 south for 1.3 miles to Comanche Trail. Turn right and go 2 miles to park entrance; day use $8 per person, $2 per vehicle. DAVID COURTNEY
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