5 Fun Activities That Make Lake Lewisville a Must-Visit Texas Destination

Lake Lewisville lies in the heart of Texas thirty-five minutes northwest of the massive city of Dallas. This massive lake spans over 29,000 acres of land. It’s a perfect attraction for nature lovers and adventurers. The lake has been around since the forties. Lake Lewisville’s average depth is twenty-five feet, and the maximum is sixty-seven feet. Its depths can vary greatly as there are underwater cliffs and tree debris that can cause drop-offs in the lake’s depth. When it comes to the other Texas lakes’ depths, Lewisville is one of the deeper lakes in The Lone Star State.

Lake Lewisville History

In the 1940s, the state had an apparent need for additional flood control and an increased need for water storage. Prior to the forties, Lewisville was once named Lake Dallas. The creation of the Garza Dam formed Lake Dallas in 1927. Garza Dam was an eleven thousand-foot-long dam with a 567-foot-long spillway. United States Congress passed the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1945. It called for additional work in the Trinity River Basin. The United States Army Corps of Engineers built the Garza-Little Elm dam between 1948 and 1954. The dam combined Little Elm Creek, Lake Dallas, and Lake Hickory. Lewisville Dam opened in 1955 and the Garza Dam was breached in 1957. The breaching of Garza made the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir, which was later renamed Lake Lewisville.

Activities At The Lake

Nowadays, Lewisville Lake is a hotspot for family gatherings and recreational activities. It can get busy with foot traffic and water traffic, especially in the summertime. Below are some of the fun activities that visitors can get into.

1. Parks

There are fifteen parks at the Lewisville Lake. Lewisville occupies plenty of land space for people to have great cookouts and picnics. All of the parks there are:

• Arrowhead Park
• Copperas Branch Park
• Cottonwood Park
• East Hill Park
• Harbor Lane Park
• Hickory Creek Park
• Hidden Cove Park
• Lake Park- Lewisville
• Little Elm Park
• Oakland Park
• Pilot Knoll Park
• Stewart Creek Park
• Westlake Park
• Willow Grove Park

The fifteen lakes vary in location around the lake in cities such as Lewisville, Little Elm, Highland Village, Town of Hickory Creek, The Colony, and Lake Dallas. Westlake Park provides a beautiful view of Lake Lewisville and the Lewisville Bridge. Many people go fishing, swimming, or relaxing. The Westlake Park is also connected to the Oakland Park.

The Willow Grove Park has several picnic tables across the park. There are fees for park entry and to bring your own boat to the park. Willow Grove has a sand volleyball court, fishing pier, playground area, walking trails, and designated swimming areas.

Arrowhead Park has a pavilion that people can rent out for special events or occasions. It’s a wonderful park for boating. It has two boat launch ramps with six launch lanes, several restrooms, a courtesy dock, purple and blue houses, and a playground area.

Lake Park has a unique 18-hole golfing course! It also has a unique 18-hole frisbee golf course, a nine-hole and par-three golf courses, and a fishing barge. People can go tent camping and RV camping at the Lake Park. It’s divided into several sections with different multi-purpose facilities. Some of the athletic facilities they have are:

• several soccer fields
• several baseball fields
• football fields
• softball fields

Some additional facilities that Lake Park has are:

• pavilions
• boat ramps
• campgrounds
• group picnic/shelter areas

2. Sandy Beaches

Lewisville Lake has over two hundred thirty-three miles of shoreline for people to catch a tan or walk on. The Little Elm Park Beach is one of the better beaches to visit. It’s one of the designated swimming spots in the lake’s vicinity. The beach has a snack bar and grill area near the sandy shore to enjoy as a break from having fun.

However, there is some unfortunate news. As of now, the swim beach at Lewisville Lake is closed indefinitely. The ABC 8 Dallas affiliate covered the closing in August 2023. The city cited drowning fatality concerns as one of the reasons it’s closed. City officials closed the park area at the intersection of Lake Park Road and Trotline Road. Lower lake levels and the receding shoreline are other reasons that the city was concerned about the safety of the swimming beach. The closure came more than a month after three straight drownings were reported to public news stations. From July 3rd to July 5th, two nineteen-year-olds and a man in his forties were found dead in the lake. This specific closure will last until park and public safety personnel identify better solutions.

3. Fishing At The Lake

Lewisville Lake is a popular fishing site in the greater Dallas area. The lake has a popular hybrid striper and white bass fish population. What is a hybrid striper? A hybrid striper is a striped bass mixed with a white bass. Other names for the hybrid striper are the Wiper and the Whiterock Bass. A White Bass has solid horizontal stripes and the Hybrid Striper has broken stripes. Alongside those two fish species, the other fish types there are catfish, crappies, freshwater drums, carps, and smallmouth buffalo.

Some notable fishing records there include a forty-six-inch catfish caught in 2013, a sixty-four-inch longnose gar, and a sixty-three-pound catfish! The Texas Parks and Wildlife Angler Recognition Program lists all the records from fly fishing, catch and release fishing, and bow fishing at the lake.

4. Boating

The lake is an enormous space for boating. Some people love speedboating, jet skiing, rowing, and fishing there. Some of the Texas boat owners love to launch their boats in small races but eventually find a place to relax and enjoy the waters. People also go boating to have more intimate picnics on their boats with their loved ones rather than worrying about the foot traffic around the lake.

5. Golfing

Lake Park at Lewsville Lake holds a unique 18-hole golfing course! The lake also has a unique 18-hole frisbee golf course, a nine-hole, and par-three golf courses for people to play at. Lake Park’s golf courses have generally positive reviews for their courses based on the great quality that the grass fields have. The nine-hole course is wonderful for beginners and people who are time-conscious with their day. The par-three golf course has batting cages and offers FootGolfing for most hours. The 18-hole golf course is 6,135 yards long and the nine-hole course is 1,724 yards long.

Summary

Lewisville Lake is one of the more popular lakes in the greater Dallas area. It’s a perfect nature getaway for Dallas citizens and is a fun spot for people to go to in the summertime. There are a total of fifteen parks in the massive twenty-nine thousand-acre area. Lake Park is famous for its several golf courses. It also has softball, football, and baseball fields along with a pavilion to rent out for events.

Willow Grove Park has a sand volleyball field, several picnic tables, boat launch ramps, walking trails, fishing piers, and a playground area. Arrowhead Park has a pavilion that people can rent out for special events or occasions. It’s a wonderful park for boating. Arrowhead Park also has two boat launch ramps with six launch lanes, several restrooms, a courtesy dock, purple and blue houses, and a playground area. The fifteen parks at Lewisville Lake help provide visitors with many unique experiences to remember.