I will be staying in a house on Lake Austin over the Christmas Holiday. Is there any chance the water would be warm enough to do an OWS? What about with a wetsuit? I have been told that the weather is usually pretty good for cycling that time of the year, is this true? Any help is appreciated.
hopefully you won’t catch cedar fever 
it typically begins right around xmas
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Cycling, absolutely, weather is usually good (compared to other places in December). For the OWS, probably totally depends on your comfort level, what you are used to, etc… I’d definitely think a wetsuit would be necessary.
Aso keep in mind (not sure where you are from) that Texas is in a pretty bad drought right now and many of the area lakes are super low, with most boat ramps closed. This means all the constant level lakes (such as Austin) are busier than normal. Of course in December there will be way less boat traffic, but there will still be plenty on the weekends (if it’s nice). Also the city often drains the lake in the winter to try to kill hydrilla. Not sure when or if that plan will change due to the drought…
you really aren’t supposed to swim there, but the public pool in Zilker park is huge enough that it is good for open water practice
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Barton springs is the best place to swim open water in Austin at that time of year. You can get away without a wetsuit but wearing one will not be a problem. I wouldn’t swim in any lakes here in town: one it is most likely against the law, two lake levels are low so who knows what you are going to find!
He’s talking Lake Austin though… not Town Lake. You can definitely swim in Lake Austin!
He’s talking Lake Austin though… not Town Lake. You can definitely swim in Lake Austin!
ahh! my bad.
Lake Austin - We typically wakeboard through the winter, and the water can be decently chilly, down into the low 60s. I would think you would want a wetsuit. Of course, this year Lake Austin temps are up about 10 degrees since they are not releasing much water from Lake Travis (the bottom of Travis is where the cold temps come from on lake Austin). My guess would be that the water temp will drop into the mid-upper 60s if we ever get an extended period of cold weather - which may not happen until January. They typically do not lower the lake until Jan/Feb time frame, but with the drought, they have not dropped the lakes in that last couple of years.
Cycling - weather is hit or miss depending on the cold fronts. Some days are great, where other days are decently cold with a lot of wind. And, there is always the possibility of rain. I would say, however, that at least 2/3 of the days are comfortable. You might get two cold rainy days followed by a few sunny warm days - you never know.
Long and short - you can probably ride and swim but, you may have to delay a workout for a day or two if a front rolls through and you want decent weather.
Depending on where you are visiting from weather for riding will be anywhere from glorious to very cold. Averages are about lows of 40s highs in 60s but it could be colder or warmer. Rarely not rideable. Although many wwho live here don’t show up outside when it is below 50.
Someone mentioned cedar fever. Around mid-December the juniper trees begin releasing pollen. If you have hay fever or dust allergies, it can be pretty trying. Just make sure to bring your allergy medicine.
I have friends who would swim in Lake Austin in December. One of them was training for the Channel swim, so she needed the cooler water temps for her training.
As was mentioned, Barton Springs is a good place to swim. It is a dammed up creek that is spring fed. It gets to about 15 feet deep or so. The water is clear and you can watch the critters swimming underneath you. Plus if you like mountain biking, there is a nice trail head at the pool.
I’ll second (or third) Barton Springs. The water is about 68 degrees year round. I am self admittedly the biggest wuss when it comes to cold weather and I swam there year round without a wetsuit when I lived in Austin. And as was mentioned earlier, bring or borrow an MTB and hit the green belt for a good off road ride after your swim. Hell you could then go for a run around Town Lake after that! Man I miss living there. County Line BBQ, yumm!!
trav
Couldn’t help but notice this thread, so sorry for slight hijack, as we will be going down to Austin next week for the ACL Music Fest. Is the Barton Springs Pool that you folks are talking about right next to Zilker Park where ACL will be held? I was thinking I’d have to make this a run only focus weekend in my IM AZ prep but if I can sneak in a couple swims at Barton Springs that would be nice. Is it walking distance to Zilker? If its the one I’m seeing on a google map then it looks do-able. Thanks for any input.
Couldn’t help but notice this thread, so sorry for slight hijack, as we will be going down to Austin next week for the ACL Music Fest. Is the Barton Springs Pool that you folks are talking about right next to Zilker Park where ACL will be held? I was thinking I’d have to make this a run only focus weekend in my IM AZ prep but if I can sneak in a couple swims at Barton Springs that would be nice. Is it walking distance to Zilker? If its the one I’m seeing on a google map then it looks do-able. Thanks for any input.
Yes it’s all right there. When I lived there it was free to swim from 5AM to 8AM.
trav
Swim choices also include the Quarry at Pure Austin and Lake Pflugerville. Both will probably be best with a wetsuit. As others have said, cycle to your hearts content with the cedar. Some days you may need gloves or a windbreaker, but it’s totally doable! Enjoy!
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Most everything has been said already, Barton Springs is the best to swim. If you need anything or a wetsuit rental call Jack and Adams, http://www.jackandadams.com, if they can’t help they will point you in the right direction. They also have great shop rides. They are right down by Barton Springs. The only time you might rarely run into a no cycle day is a rare heavy rain day or in February if my chance we have a nice day… There is a great century ride to Johnson City and the Dam loop is great. Just pack your headlamps and reflective gear, days get short in the winter. Oh, and check out JandA events page and active.com for core classes, rides, runs and races during that time. Austin has the best free stuff and races.
As mentioned in a few other posts Lake Austin is a constant level lake and the water is introduced through the bottom of the top dam…
We ski Lake Austin most of the year and the water is chilly even in the summer…
Typically, we can ski later into November without a wetsuit… Using s shortie we easily ski far into December…
Lake Austin is busier due to the drought in Texas – however October through December the boat traffic is considerably less and pretty easy to find good water suitable for skiing…
If you decide to swim in Lake Austin during this timeframe you will be fine…
Hope this helps…