This Hidden Gem in Texas Allows You to Cliff Jump up to 45 Feet

When the Texas heat becomes unbearable, there’s a rugged stretch of Lake Travis shoreline that locals have been escaping to for decades.

Pace Bend Park, a Travis County gem tucked into the Hill Country west of Austin, offers the kind of swimming experience you won’t find at your average beach.

We’re talking limestone cliffs plunging into aquamarine water, quiet coves designated just for swimmers, and for the adrenaline junkies among us, cliff jumps ranging from a modest ten feet all the way up to a heart-pounding forty-five.

It’s wild, beautiful, and the kind of place that makes you feel like you’ve discovered something special.

A Sprawling Peninsula on Lake Travis

Pace Bend Park occupies a dramatic peninsula in far western Travis County, about thirty miles northwest of downtown Austin.

The drive takes roughly fifty minutes along Highway 71, winding through the rolling terrain of the Highland Lakes region until you reach Spicewood.

The park itself encompasses nearly 1,400 acres with more than nine miles of Lake Travis shoreline, making it one of the most expansive waterfront recreation areas in Central Texas.

The geography here is striking. The west side features high limestone cliffs and rocky coves carved by time and water, offering some of the most impressive views anywhere on Lake Travis—especially at sunset.

The east side tends toward gentler slopes and sandy beaches when water levels cooperate.

A six-mile paved loop road winds around the peninsula, giving you access to dozens of coves and camping areas.

The interior is managed as a wildlife preserve and can only be explored on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback via roughly thirteen miles of trails.

Old-timers still call it Paleface Park, its former name, supposedly because that’s exactly what happens to people’s faces when they peer over the edge of those forty-five-foot cliffs.

Designated Swimming Coves

If you’re looking for a place to swim without dodging speedboats, Pace Bend has you covered. Three coves—Mudd Cove, Kate’s Cove, and Gracy Cove—are officially designated for swimming only.

No boats are permitted, which means you can actually enjoy the water without constantly scanning for watercraft.

The coves offer calmer conditions than the open lake and tend to have clearer water since there’s less boat traffic stirring things up.

Mudd Cove sits on the east side of the peninsula and is popular with families and casual swimmers. Kate’s Cove and Gracy Cove offer similar vibes with rocky shorelines and natural limestone formations.

None of these swimming areas has lifeguards, so you’re swimming at your own risk.

Where the Cliff Jumping Happens

Now for the good stuff. Pace Bend is legendary among Austin-area thrill seekers for its cliff jumping, and the options range from manageable to absolutely terrifying.

The key thing to understand is that cliff jumping happens primarily on the west side of the park, along the limestone bluffs.

Maugham’s Cove offers jumps in the ten to fifteen-foot range, making it a solid starting point for newcomers.

Here’s the critical safety piece: Lake Travis water levels fluctuate significantly depending on rainfall and dam releases. What’s a safe forty-foot jump one month might be a catastrophic leap onto submerged rocks the next.

You absolutely must check the depth before every single jump. Scout the landing zone, look for rocks and debris below the surface, and never assume conditions match your last visit.

There’s no ladder back up either—you’ll climb the rocks or swim several hundred yards around to a beach area.

What to Know Before You Go

Pace Bend Park is open daily from sunrise to civil twilight for day use. The park charges per person: $5 for adults ages thirteen to sixty-one, $3 for seniors, and free for kids twelve and under.

Critical detail: the park accepts cash or check only at the entrance booth. No credit cards, no exceptions. Hit the ATM before you head out.

The park has more than four hundred primitive campsites scattered along the shoreline, plus twenty improved sites with electricity, water, and shower access.

Primitive sites are first-come, first-served and fill up fast on summer weekends.

Where Adventure Meets the Hill Country

Pace Bend Park delivers something increasingly rare in the Austin area: a genuine escape that still feels a little wild.

You can spend a lazy afternoon floating in the calm waters of Mudd Cove, hike the interior trails, watch the sunset paint the limestone cliffs gold and pink, then wake up in your tent the next morning and do it all again.

Or you can go straight for the adrenaline rush, working your way up from the smaller jumps to those forty-five-foot monsters that will absolutely make you earn your bragging rights.

Either way, Pace Bend is one of those places that rewards the effort of getting there.