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Texas | Prairies and Lakes
Colorado River
Horseshoe on the Colorado to Utley (FM 969) Bridge
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
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Gauge source
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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
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Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Horseshoe on the Colorado and paddle 6.8 lower-Colorado miles to the FM 969 / Utley Bridge access. Use the Colorado River at Bastrop gauge with a conservative 200 cfs floor, then make a same-day call on low-water dragging, heat, wind, regulated releases, debris, and private-bank discipline.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Horseshoe on the ColoradoTPWD publishes Horseshoe as an active leased-access site through August 31, 2026, with the coordinate at 30.179637, -97.427311. Treat it as an access anchor and follow the signed parking and river-entry path on arrival.
Take-out
Utley (FM 969) BridgeText the Horseshoe landowner at least 24 hours before arrival with vehicle make, model, and license plate information; complete the waiver before using the property.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- TPWD publishes Horseshoe as an active leased-access site through August 31, 2026, with the coordinate at 30.179637, -97.427311. Treat it as an access anchor and follow the signed parking and river-entry path on arrival.
- Text the Horseshoe landowner at least 24 hours before arrival with vehicle make, model, and license plate information; complete the waiver before using the property.
- Horseshoe is open daily from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset for bank angling and launching non-motorized boats, canoes, or kayaks for paddling or fishing.
- The immediate Horseshoe river access area is for loading and unloading only, parking must stay in the designated area, and TPWD says no firearms or alcohol are allowed on the property.
- Do not infer camping or casual private-bank stops from the short distance, sandbars, islands, or rural shoreline. No route source supports legal camping for this segment.
Watch for
- Flows near or below about 200 cfs, when the Texas River Flows minimum is not met and shallow bars, scraping, and slow travel can dominate even this shorter segment.
- High or rising water after rain or upstream release changes, when current, debris, water quality, and bank exits can change quickly.
- Headwind on open bends, summer heat, thunderstorms, limited public exits, motorboat traffic near access points, and a missed or crowded take-out at FM 969 / Utley.
- Snags, overhanging limbs, island splits, soft banks, and private banks away from the named access points.
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.
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- 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 | 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 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.
- Official route shapeHorseshoe on the Colorado to Utley boat ramp at FM 969, 6.8 mi
TPWD says Horseshoe serves as the put-in for the 6.8-mile float downstream to the Utley boat ramp at FM 969; TPW Magazine independently describes the same Horseshoe-to-Utley route.
- Active leased access and coordinates30.179637, -97.427311; lease through August 31, 2026
TPWD publishes Horseshoe on the Colorado at 142 Frances Loop just off FM 969 and Howard Lane, with complimentary parking and non-motorized launch access for leased-access users.
- Public-use conditionsAdvance text, vehicle details, waiver, daylight use, loading/unloading only
TPWD requires texting vehicle information at least 24 hours before arrival, completing a waiver, parking only in the designated area, and limiting the immediate river access area to loading and unloading; no firearms or alcohol are allowed.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08159200 at 633 cfs / 3.03 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day values for Colorado River at Bastrop, TX at 2026-08-10 20:40 CDT during this implementation run.
- Conservative low-water floor200 cfs minimum-only
Texas River Flows lists lower Colorado corridor levels starting at 200 cfs and defines level 1 as minimum floating water; Paddle Today uses only that conservative floor for this route.
- Camping and endpoint rulesNo route camping
Horseshoe is published as a daily leased-access site from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, and no TPWD, LCRA, or route-manager source supports legal camping for this selected day segment.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded TPWD, TPW Magazine, LCRA, Commons, USGS, and same-route web image review found route-context imagery but no clearly rights-clean exact Horseshoe-to-Utley 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
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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 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 Horseshoe on the Colorado and ends at Utley (FM 969) Bridge, about About 6.8 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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