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Texas | Prairies and Lakes
Colorado River
FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge to Little Webberville Park
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
Checking the next several hours.
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 FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge and paddle 12 lower-Colorado miles to Little Webberville Park. Use the Colorado River at Austin gauge with a conservative 200 cfs floor, then make a same-day call on release changes, heat, wind, shallow bars, limited exits, and private banks.
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
FM 973 / Del Valle BridgeLCRA publishes FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge as a TxDOT-managed access with limited parking alongside the bridge and boat launching that requires a carry over uneven ground.
Take-out
Little Webberville ParkLCRA and Travis County publish Little Webberville as a public lower-Colorado access, but the stored coordinates are access anchors; follow the current ramp path and signs on arrival.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- LCRA publishes FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge as a TxDOT-managed access with limited parking alongside the bridge and boat launching that requires a carry over uneven ground.
- LCRA and Travis County publish Little Webberville as a public lower-Colorado access, but the stored coordinates are access anchors; follow the current ramp path and signs on arrival.
- The Austin gauge is upstream of this selected reach and the threshold floor is broad Austin-to-Bastrop guidance. Treat the app score as conservative and verify visible level and current at FM 973 before launching.
- Little Webberville has no electricity or drinking water, and Travis County Parks does not provide paddling equipment. Bring water, sun protection, shuttle gear, and a backup plan.
- Do not infer camping or casual private-bank stops from the rural shoreline, mid-river bars, or islands. This shorter public-access route has no selected overnight option.
Watch for
- Flows near or below about 200 cfs, when the Texas River Flows minimum is barely met and shallow bars or dragging can slow a 12-mile day.
- High or rising water after rain or upstream release changes, when current, debris, water quality, and bank exits can change quickly below Austin.
- Headwind on the broad channel, summer heat, thunderstorms, motorboat traffic near access points, and a trip length that still needs daylight margin.
- Snags, overhanging limbs, island splits, soft banks, and private banks away from FM 973 and Little Webberville Park.
- Arrival-point offsets: use the published access anchors for planning, then choose the actual wetted launch or landing only from signed, open, source-backed access paths on arrival.
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 Austin, 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 | 200 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 | Texas River Flows lower Colorado Austin-to-Bastrop table |
| 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.
- Route shapeFM 973 / Del Valle Bridge to Little Webberville Park, 12 mi
LCRA lists FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge and Little Webberville Park as consecutive lower-Colorado access points and gives 12 miles from FM 973 to the next point.
- Public endpoint accessTxDOT bridge access to Travis County park ramp
LCRA identifies FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge as a TxDOT-managed access with limited parking and an uneven carry, and Travis County publishes Little Webberville as a park with 24-hour boat ramp access and river access for canoeing and kayaking.
- Access-anchor coordinates30.21, -97.64 to 30.23, -97.52
LCRA publishes access-anchor coordinates for both FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge and Little Webberville Park. Treat them as planning anchors, not exact wetted-edge launch points.
- Product-supported live gaugeUSGS 08158000 at 185 cfs / 12.39 ft
USGS Water Services JSON returned same-day Colorado River at Austin discharge and gage height at 2026-08-11 12:50 CDT during this implementation run.
- Conservative low-water floor200 cfs minimum-only
Texas River Flows lists the Colorado Austin-to-Bastrop corridor at 200 / 500 / 1,000 / 3,000 / 5,000 cfs and defines the first tier as minimum floating water; Paddle Today uses only that conservative floor.
- CampingNo route camping selected
Travis County prohibits camping at Little Webberville, and LCRA does not identify FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge as a campground. Do not infer legal camping from private banks, islands, or sandbars on this shorter public-access route.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded LCRA, Travis County, TPWD, Commons, USGS, and same-route web image review found route-context photos but no clearly rights-clean exact FM-973-to-Little-Webberville paddling asset selected for local reuse.
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 Austin, TX and uses 200 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 FM 973 / Del Valle Bridge and ends at Little Webberville Park, about About 12 mi on the water.
Is this Colorado River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.