Things to Do

5 Reasons to Visit the Highland Lakes

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The Highland Lakes, which start about 85 miles northwest of Austin, are a conglomerate of six freshwater lakes that are established by dams on the Lower Colorado River. Theses lakes are Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis and Lake Austin. The locality of these lakes provides millions of people with the opportunity for outdoor recreation. There are hundreds of ways to enjoy yourself in this area and those who live anywhere in Texas should plan to visit this lake area as soon as possible (see www.highlandlakes.com for more information).

Dozens of reasons exist to visit the Highland Lake area; here are five of them:

1. Location, location, location

5 Reasons to Visit the Highland Lakes

Photo: stateimpact.npr.org

Whether you live in a big city like San Antonio, Austin, and Waco, or a small town like Fredericksburg, Comfort, Junction, or even Sisterdale, these lakes are reasonably close to you. How far do you drive every week back and forth to work? If you’re anything like the average American (check you area’s average commute here), then that total time is probably significantly greater than the time it would take you to drive to one of the Highland Lakes. The excuse “it’s too far” is not an option.

2. Multiple outdoor activities

5 Reasons to Visit the Highland Lakes

Photo: hillcountryportal.com

For those who enjoy outdoor activities, look no further. The Highland Lake area boasts recreational activities like boating, skiing, cliff jumping, fishing, hunting, zip-lining, kayaking, bird watching and rock climbing. This area is even good for non-recreational activities such as flower gazing, photography or even just sitting on the water’s edge with your favorite beverage.

3. Accessibility to nifty small towns

5 Reasons to Visit the Highland Lakes

Photo: takemytrip.com

The amount of towns nearby the Highland Lake area make it easy to get away from lake when it’s too cold or too dark to enjoy getting wet. If you like hunting deer, visit Llano, the deer capital of Texas, if you like nightlife, visit Austin and if you enjoy beer, visit the Real Ale Brewery in Blanco.

4. So many places to stay

5 Reasons to Visit the Highland Lakes

Photo: highlandlakes.com

Multiple options exist for where you choose to slumber after a hard day on one of the lakes. There are RV parks, lake rental houses, cabins, vacation homes, motels, hotels, tent camping and even bed and breakfasts. The choice is yours.

5. Seclusion in a busy area

5 Reasons to Visit the Highland Lakes

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Despite being a busy area, the lakes are vast. Just over 21 miles of water exists for the chain of lakes. This means there are multiple places to escape. A crowded lake is never fun and the Highland Lakes is a good example of a beautiful area of water where you can find your own nook and depart from reality.

Do yourself a favor and visit this area as soon as you can. With all the tributaries, deltas, ducts, creeks, streams and well…lakes, the Highland Lakes offer a prime spot for outdoor enthusiast who enjoy a clean Texas lake system in the Texas Hill Country.