Hippie Hollow Beach

Hippie Hollow is the only legally recognized clothing-optional public beach in Texas and was originally known as McGregor Country Park. The word “beach” is somewhat misleading as it is really a lakeside park and access to the water involves scrambling over the smooth limestone rocks when the water level is low.

Located on the shores of Lake Travis, the park is managed by the Travis County Parks Department. It is around 30-minutes drive northwest of Austin, about 12 miles along Hwy 2222. After parking, access is along a paved trail and down some rough limestone steps in the steep cliffside.

Remote and peaceful, the area became popular in the 1960s, particularly for hippies looking for a quiet spot for skinny dipping and sunbathing. It opened in 1985 as an official clothing-optional park and signs indicate that it can only be used by visitors over the age of 18.

Hippie Hollow is also known as a LGBT beach and sunbathers and nude swimmers flock to the park when temperatures rise above 50°F (10°C). The beach “opens” with the First Splash Weekend hosted by gay bars and other Austin communities over Memorial Day Weekend. In mid-July it hosts another fun LGBT get-together at the annual Hippie Hollow Otter Fest and ends with a closing party Splash Weekend over Labor Day Weekend.

In 2004, a double-decker party boat capsized and sank just offshore when the 60 passengers all rushed to one side of the barge to gawk at the nudists! Hippie Hollow is ideal for swimming and sunbathing but diving is dangerous due to many submersed rocks.