Kayaking the Colorado River | Austin, Texas
- Michael Thornton
- 4 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Picture this. You wake up on a random Saturday morning with no plans and start looking at kayaking spots in the Texas Hill Country. Then, 30 minutes later, you decide to drive 5 hours to Austin, Texas, to kayak the Colorado River and see where the day takes you. What starts as a spontaneous decision then leads you to one of the most memorable trips you've ever had. After 2 years, I'm finally ready to tell the story of the Colorado River adventure!
Nearing 3 hours and 50 minutes into the drive, I came across a town named "West" between Dallas and Waco. West, Texas, is known for its Czech Heritage, with nearly 45% of the population having Czech ancestry. I needed gas, so I stopped at Slovacek's.
If I had to describe Slovacek's to the average person, I'd describe it as a Czech version of a Buc-ee's, except much cooler and laid-back. Inside their store, you will find clothing and various other knick-knacks. In addition, they also sell Czech-style smoked sausages, kolaches, klobasniks, and BBQ sandwiches. I didn't have a chance to try their fresh BBQ sandwiches because the line for them went to the front of the store!
I arrived in Austin, Texas, around 2:30 PM, and what a beautiful sight it was! The skyline was magnificent; however, the traffic was not. During my research, I learned that one of the better launch points was the "Austin High Boat Launch." The only issue was that there seemed to be a theme of traffic jams throughout this area, as the lanes are narrow and parking is hard to come by, especially on high-traffic water days. Sure enough, the entire street and boat ramp were packed. If I were going to launch at this point, I'd have to walk nearly a half-mile with a 50-lb kayak. That was not a desirable plan. I noticed that 3 miles southeast of the Austin High Boat Launch was another ramp called "Holiday Inn Boat Launch." This boat launch was even smaller, with practically zero parking in the middle of downtown Austin. I decided to take my chances and drove through a very active Austin, Texas, filled with people dancing, cars speeding through traffic, fire trucks blaring sirens, and so forth. To my surprise, the boat ramp and limited parking were empty on a beautiful 90-degree, sunny day! SCORE! I hopped out of my vehicle and saw people walking and running along a trail that followed the Colorado River, and people were launching their kayak rentals from across the street into the river. The entire scene was peaceful.
I set off on my journey north on the Colorado River around 3:07 PM with the biggest smile ever. Here I was, kayaking in downtown Austin, Texas, something I had never done before. To say I was feeling complete was an understatement. I felt complete, not because I am from Austin or hold memories of the town, but because this was something I had always wanted to do. Kayak a river through a major metropolitan. Roughly a quarter mile into my trip, the Austin Skyline began to open up, previously covered by the tree line. I took nearly 10 pictures of the skyline in a mere 5 minutes; that's how awestruck I was.
As I came to my first of three bridge crossings, I discovered a group of Egyptian and Chinese Geese relaxing under the Congress Lane Bridge. I had never seen either of these types of animals before. What made the experience even better was that in the middle of a bustling city on a highly trafficked river, it was just the geese and me soaking in the beautiful weather.
As I made my way towards the Lamar Bridge Crossing, I watched the skyline become distant, and a more natural setting took over alongside the river, even though I was still in downtown Austin. This change was nice because while I loved the idea of kayaking in a bustling city, it's also nice to feel "lost" while still in said city. Just past the Lamar Bridge Crossing was where the Austin High Boat Launch resided. As I passed the launch, I noticed even higher traffic volumes. I was glad that I launched from a less-populated part of the river. This is also where I found 30 to 40 people all stacked into one area on floats, blaring loud music. I am sure they were having a great time, but I couldn't paddle fast enough to get away from this area!
After passing the Highway 1 Bridge, I noticed the flat, tree-filled riverside began to push higher into the sky, and watched as ridges with cutouts started to take over. It was a beautiful and unexpected sight. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm in the middle of downtown Austin, Texas, and I have a view like this? Is this real-life?" I was taken aback by such natural beauty located in a Metropolitan area, not accessible or displayed to the natural eye passing through. Along these ridges were million-dollar homes with large windows. I couldn't imagine the views they get of the Austin Skyline at sunrise or along the river as the sun sets.
Not long after the ridges along the river opened, a noticeable split in the river was evident due to the Red Bud Isle. I chose the right split because the left split looked to have less coverage and was less interesting. Now, alongside Red Bud Isle, I was in disbelief that this was in the middle of Austin. The views were not those of a highly trafficked Metro, but mimicked what I grew up with in Wisconsin. Vast trees, calm rivers, and cutouts showing grand rock displays. I suppose that is why this trip stuck with me afterwards. It reminded me of where I was from, even though I was thousands of miles from Wisconsin. As I neared the dam, marking the end of my northward trip, a fisherman called out, "Have you caught anything today?" I replied, "Nope, I am just kayaking and loving life!" I remember seeing another kayaker fishing further up alongside the dam. I was not going to be that brave, even on a calm day.
Journeying back towards the put-in, I came across what appeared to be an active police investigation along the river. I was unsure what had happened, but I was not willing to find out and kept paddling along, minding my own business. Not long after, I decided to really push myself and see what my 14 ft Necky Zoar Sport was capable of. I'd stop and then paddle off as if I were sprint racing. I achieved around 6 to 7 mph, which is considerably fast. However, my ego was shattered when a solo rower passed me as if I were standing still. I thought to myself how much one of those Olympic rowers must cost and wished I owned one.
About a mile from the put-in, I realized I had been smiling a lot on this adventure. Unbeknownst to a lot of people, I had been dealing with many personal struggles allthrought 2024. It felt nice to smile and enjoy life again. I took this picture of myself and part of the Austin Skyline. I sent it to my mother and said, "I am happy." The further I paddled, the more distant the skyline became, now replaced by the treeline once again.
Four hours after arriving in Austin, Texas, I safely made it back to the put-in. I pulled into the boat ramp and sat for a minute or two, thinking about how beautiful the Colorado River had been and thankful for the opportunity to explore such a beautiful and diverse area. I made my way up the short ramp, tired from the heat, now pushing near 95 degrees, and hours of paddling. I set my kayak and paddles down next to my vehicle and took one last picture of the skyline with everything together before loading up. As I exited Austin, I found a Culver's just north of the city in Round Rock, Texas. Of course, I had to stop for a custard and curds.
I highly recommend checking out the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, as it's one of the most beautiful rivers I've had the opportunity to kayak over the past 3 years. Thank you for reading about my adventure!
About the writer: Michael Thornton graduated from Rose State College, majoring in Emergency Management. Currently, he is the Director of Warren County Emergency Management and an Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager. In 2024, he was awarded the OEMA Innovator Award for his severe weather operations in Tillman County.