What can you tell me about Inks Lake? (Mansfield, Jollyville: rentals, camping)

[Moonlady]

Planning an outing, which at this time of year usually involves swimming! Travis is out because of the low lake level. Inks is a constant level lake, but I don't know much about its amenities. I know there is a state park there, but that's about it. Good swimming? Boat rentals? Anyone been that can give me the skinny?

[hoffdano]

Inks Lake is very nice, but small. The park is nice and you have Longhorn Caverns nearby. No marinas that I know of, just boat ramps. The lake is just 831 acres.

Why is Lake Travis "too low" for you? Unless you need to launch your own boat (Mansfield is the only operating public boat ramp), it is perfectly usable as is.

[phone man]

Good swimming and the state park has canoe and kayak rentals.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Reviews are always entertaining.

Ink Lake Reviews on the link.


Google Maps

I had to click on the picture to get the reviews. Don't know if you have to do that or not.

[tibbar]

I haven't been in a couple years but it was a nice park. Do you have an annual pass? The general store at Inks Lake gave a discount with the pass, 10% if I remember right. I also remember them having those peddle boats for rent.

[EzPeterson]

I'll second hoffdano. Why rule out Travis? I keep my boat on Travis and this summer (and last) have been the best ever! the lack of available public ramps makes the lake awesome - you can have whole sections of the lake to yourself at times.

Want to rent a boat? Multiple marinas would love your business - try:

Riviera Marina - from Jollyville, less than 20 minutes door to door. Good hourly rates, better boats.
Just for Fun - they'll rent to anyone.
Lakeway Marina - if you feel like driving.


and many more.

[Moonlady]

Don't get me wrong. We love Lake Travis and have enjoyed going there for many years. When we lived near Bee Caves, Pace Bend was our destination of choice. When I lived on this end of town ages ago, Sandy Creek and Cypress Creek were our go to spots. Those parks just aren't the same when the water is down, and well, they're not as secluded as they used to be either!

I suppose I should have explained the boat rental a little better too -was thinking on a small lake like Inks about canoes or kayaks.

Anyway, I have a day off work and wanted to go do something fun and relaxing that involved water and was just looking for options. I'm pretty sure that we could pack up our pop up shade, fill a cooler with snacks and cool beverages and have a wonderful day at Pace Bend but I wanted to consider other options as well.

[love roses]

Go to Inks. I think it's great to explore all the Lakes around here and not limit yourself to Travis. We used to go to Travis all the time but it's gotten so busy now, that Belton has become one of our favorites.

[Trainwreck20]

Inks is (or used to be, it has been years) a great lake. We used to take our own canoes, so not sure if they rent them out or not. They did used to rent out paddle boats, but those just aren't near as practical as a canoe for getting around the lake. If you do go there, paddle up toward the headwaters and there are some really neat rock formations, some of which are good for 'cliff' diving (10 or so feet, maybe a bit more ).

[mark311]

Originally Posted by Moonlady

I suppose I should have explained the boat rental a little better too -was thinking on a small lake like Inks about canoes or kayaks.

Anyway, I have a day off work and wanted to go do something fun and relaxing that involved water and was just looking for options. I'm pretty sure that we could pack up our pop up shade, fill a cooler with snacks and cool beverages and have a wonderful day at Pace Bend but I wanted to consider other options as well.

I assume that you've already rented kayaks on Town Lake and hung out at Zilker on a weekday? If not, that is always a good option especially on a weekday as you don't have to fight the crowds and I'm always amazed at how cheap it is to rent kayaks there.

We've gone camping at Inks Lake before. It's a big Boy Scout destination so it's possible you could encounter some Boy Scout troops while you're there. It's pretty nice. We welcomed the short one hour drive home.