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Texas | Prairies and Lakes
Colorado River
Fisherman's Park to Lost Pines Recreational Trails
Check current paddling conditions for this Colorado River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
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Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Fisherman's Park and take out at Lost Pines / Colorado River Refuge for the official Bastrop El Camino Real Paddling Trail. Use USGS 08159200 at Bastrop with a conservative 800 cfs practical floor, then make a same-day call on shallow water, wood, regulated releases, weather, and take-out access.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Fisherman's ParkTPWD publishes both endpoint coordinates, but the downstream Lost Pines take-out can be affected by floods and should be checked after recent rain.
Take-out
Lost Pines Recreational Trails / Colorado River RefugeThe local take-out is also described as Colorado River Refuge, a public nature park, but route users should still follow current park hours, parking rules, and any posted access signs.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- TPWD publishes both endpoint coordinates, but the downstream Lost Pines take-out can be affected by floods and should be checked after recent rain.
- The local take-out is also described as Colorado River Refuge, a public nature park, but route users should still follow current park hours, parking rules, and any posted access signs.
- This route uses a conservative minimum-only threshold from local route notes. If the Bastrop gauge is below about 800 cfs, expect shallow dragging and more route-finding around sandbars.
- TPWD says rainfall runoff and regulated flows from upstream Highland Lakes infrastructure can change current and water quality on this lower Colorado reach.
- Do not infer legal camping from visible sandbars or islands. Use nearby established campgrounds or a separately verified river-camping plan instead.
Watch for
- Low-water shallows, sandbar scraping, and dragging when the Bastrop gauge is below the local 800 cfs floor.
- High or rising water after rain or upstream release changes, especially where side channels collect wood or logjams.
- Snags, overhanging limbs, hidden rocks, prop scars, soft banks, summer heat, thunderstorms, and headwinds on open bends.
- Private banks outside the named public accesses and any direct hazard-portage corridor.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Colorado Rv at Bastrop, TX |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 800 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Bastrop River Co. El Camino Real route notes |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official route shapeFisherman's Park to Lost Pines Recreational Trails, 6.0 mi
TPWD identifies the Bastrop El Camino Real Paddling Trail as a six-mile lower Colorado route usually floated in 1.5 to 4 hours.
- Public endpoint coordinates30.1119, -97.3250 to 30.0735, -97.3106
TPWD publishes Fisherman's Park as the put-in and Lost Pines Recreational Trails as the take-out, with GPS coordinates for both access anchors.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08159200 at 587 cfs / 2.92 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day values for Colorado River at Bastrop, TX at 2026-08-09 19:40 CDT during this run.
- Conservative low-water floor800 cfs minimum-only
Bastrop River Co. route notes say water levels need to be at least 800 cfs or paddlers should expect dragging through shallow areas; Paddle Today uses this as the conservative minimum-only route floor.
- Safety and access contextRegulated lower Colorado, flood-sensitive access, wood, private banks
TPWD says Highland Lakes releases and rainfall runoff influence this lower Colorado reach, warns that floods can impact take-out access, and points paddlers to current flow data; TPWD private-property rules and local route notes support the wood, shallow-water, and high-water caveats.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Colorado River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Colorado River?
Paddle Today watches Colorado Rv at Bastrop, TX and uses 800 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Colorado River route start and end?
This route starts at Fisherman's Park and ends at Lost Pines Recreational Trails / Colorado River Refuge, about About 6.0 mi on the water.
Is this Colorado River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
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