Does the Greenbelt have water?
Dry
Loop 360: 0 cfs · Lost Creek: 5.0 cfs · 3h ago
How the Greenbelt works: why it dries up and comes back →Last 7 days on Barton Creek
ideal 15 - 50 cfsPast years on these dates:10th - 90th percentile25th - 75th percentilemedian
Loop 360 is the gauge everyone quotes; Lost Creek sits upstream of the aquifer losses and speaks for the upper falls.
Bacteria: clearLast significant watershed rain was 9 days ago — past the 48 - 72h guidance.
Standard local guidance (City of Austin watershed protection, LCRA): wait 48 - 72 hours after significant rain before swimming in creeks; up to a week after major floods.We call rain "significant" at ≥0.5" in 24h on any Barton watershed gauge. How this countdown works
Hill of Life
StagnantOnly isolated pools remain and they are barely moving. Warm, murky, and a bacteria risk.
The cascades and pools at the bottom of the Hill of Life, upstream of Sculpture Falls. The creek here sits above the biggest aquifer losses, so it holds water a little longer.
Spot details →
Sculpture Falls
DryNo flow at the gauge. This location is dry.
The big swimming hole below the carved limestone falls, about 1.5 miles down the Hill of Life trail. Deep enough to jump when the creek is running.
Spot details →
Twin Falls
DryNo flow at the gauge. This location is dry.
Twin waterfalls over a limestone shelf near the MoPac access. Is swimmable at lower flow than the other falls.
Spot details →
Gus Fruh
DryNo flow at the gauge. This location is dry.
A deep pool against a limestone wall off Barton Hills Dr. Needs more water than the falls to be swimmable.
Spot details →
Campbell's Hole
DryNo flow at the gauge. This location is dry.
The broad, calm pool a short walk upstream from Barton Springs. The easiest Greenbelt swim to reach.
Spot details →
Barking Springs
LowSpring output is below its usual range, but spring-fed pools hold water even in drought.
The spillway pool just below Barton Springs Pool. Spring-fed, so it has water year-round even when the creek is dry.
Spot details →Where the thresholds come from
- Per-spot ranges reconciled from austintexasthings.com/flows and greenbelter.io, the two long-running hobbyist trackers.
- City of Austin Waterway Restriction Plan: recreation permitted below 350 cfs at Loop 360; Austin Fire Department closes the creek around 1,500 cfs. (PDF)
- Standard local guidance (City of Austin watershed protection, LCRA): wait 48 - 72 hours after significant rain before swimming in creeks; up to a week after major floods.
Published sources disagree about what's "too much water" — hobby trackers draw the line at 120 - 250 cfs while the City's plan (written for watercraft) allows 350. We show swimmer-centric numbers and cite everything, so you can decide.