Lake Georgetown is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the north fork of the San Gabriel River in central

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Lake Georgetown is a

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

reservoir formed on the San Gabriel by the North San Gabriel Dam, which is located about three miles west of

Georgetown, Texas Georgetown is a city in Texas and the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 67,176 at the 2020 census. It is 30 miles (48 km) north of Austin. Founded in 1875 from four existing colleges, the oldest of ...

. The dam, lake, and all adjacent property are managed by the Fort Worth District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The dam was officially completed on October 5, 1979, and serves to provide flood control for the community of Georgetown. Lake Georgetown is also a source of drinking water for Georgetown and the nearby city of

Round Rock Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County, Texas, Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of ...

. The lake is also a popular recreational destination. The other reservoir on the San Gabriel River is

Granger Lake History Granger Lake is a United States Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the San Gabriel River in central Texas in the United States. It is one of the 11 reservoirs that make up the Brazos River basin. The lake is located near the towns of ...

, located downstream of Lake Georgetown, near

Granger, Texas Granger is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. It was incorporated in 1891. The population was 1,183 at the 2020 census. History In the late 19th century, Granger was one of the centers of the large Moravian Czech immigrant popul ...

Fish populations

Lake Georgetown has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Georgetown include

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white ...

hybrid striped bass A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass (''Morone saxatilis'') and the white bass (''M. chrysops''). It can be distinguished from the striped bass by broken rather than solid horizont ...

, crappie, and sunfish.

Recreational uses

In addition to maintaining the dam that creates the reservoir, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains recreational facilities at the lake. Cedar Breaks Park, Russell Park, Jim Hogg Park and Overlook Park include day use areas for picnics. Cedar Breaks Park, Jim Hogg Park and Russell Park have boat ramp facilities for recreational boating. No camping is permitted at Overlook park though it is the only free entry park on the lake. The Goodwater Trail is a hiking trail that follows the entire perimeter of the lake with trailheads at Cedar Breaks, Overlook, Jim Hogg, and Russell Park. Tejas Camp, while technically on the San Gabriel river and not on the lake, also has trail access and is the only other entry or exit point to the southern half of the trail besides Cedar Breaks. Mountain biking is allowed on the entire length of the loop thanks to the Austin Ridge Riders group for their work on the southern half of the trail. Beginner riders would be wise to stay on the North shore as it permits shorter trips with water refilling available and multiple exits. The southern shore presents a much more challenging ride with its rocky terrain and steep drop offs and is not recommended for beginners. Also there are no water refilling stations or trail exits between Cedar Breaks and Camp Tejas. (Approximately 12 miles) Overnight primitive camping is allowed at Sawyer Park which rests roughly halfway between Cedar Breaks and Tejas.

External links

Official Lake Georgetown web siteLake Georgetown - Texas Parks & Wildlife
* {{authority control Georgetown Protected areas of Williamson County, Texas Bodies of water of Williamson County, Texas 1979 establishments in Texas