There are roughly seventeen public Lake Lewisville boat ramps and five marinas. The ramps nearest Little Elm are Little Elm Park, Cottonwood and Crescent Oaks at about ten to fifteen minutes, Doe Branch – a Corps of Engineers ramp with no launch fee – at ten to twenty, and Westlake at twenty-five to thirty. Cottonwood Creek Marina in Little Elm is the closest full-service marina, with a ramp adjacent. Texas requires a wearable life jacket aboard for every person, kayaks included, and draining every drop of water from a vessel before leaving the lake is the law because zebra mussels are established here.
Where are the nearest Lake Lewisville boat ramps?
There is no ramp on our property – our shoreline is for paddling, swimming and bank fishing rather than launching trailered boats. These are the public Lake Lewisville boat ramps closest to the gate:
- Little Elm Park – Little Elm, at The Lakefront district. City-operated. 10-15 minutes.
- Cottonwood – 900 Lobo Ln, Little Elm, beside the marina. City. 10-15 minutes.
- Crescent Oaks – Oak Point. City. 10-15 minutes.
- Doe Branch – north end. Corps of Engineers, no launch fee. 10-20 minutes.
- Westlake – west side. Corps Annual Pass accepted. 25-30 minutes.
One warning that matters more here than on most lakes: lake level moves through the year and ramps close when it drops. A ramp that exists on a map is not the same as a ramp you can launch from this week. Check the Corps of Engineers lake page for the current level, or call the ramp’s own park, before you hitch up.
Which marinas are on Lake Lewisville?
Five on the lake. The nearest, for fuel, slips, rentals and in some cases a burger:
- Cottonwood Creek – 900 Lobo Lane, Little Elm 75068. (972) 292-1100. Closest to the ranch, ramp adjacent.
- Pier 121 – 1481 E Hill Park Rd, Lewisville 75056. (972) 625-2233. South end, restaurant, beach next door.
- Eagle Point – 1 Eagle Point Rd, Lewisville 75077. (972) 436-6561. West side.
- Lakeview – 300 Marina Dr, Lake Dallas 75065. (940) 321-2675. North-west end.
Several rent pontoons, ski boats and personal watercraft by the day. Rental fleets and hours change seasonally, so call ahead rather than turning up hopefully on a Saturday morning in July.
Can you paddle straight off the ranch?
Yes, and it is the shortest carry you will ever do. From a site here you walk the kayak down the grass and put it straight in, with no ramp and no fee.
We keep kayaks that guests are welcome to take out, so you do not have to haul your own across Texas to use one. Bring your own paddleboard, canoe or inflatable if you have it – there is nothing to launch off, you just walk it in.
The north end is the quieter end. Take a kayak out between about six and eight in the morning, before the powerboats are up, and it is flat water, herons and egrets, and almost nobody. If you want the loud version of Lake Lewisville, it is twenty minutes south and it will be waiting for you.
What is the lake used for?
Lewisville is one of the busiest recreational lakes in Texas, and on a summer Saturday it shows: powerboats, pontoons, wakeboarding and wakesurfing, several sailing clubs, jet skis out of every marina, and Party Cove near Westlake Park doing what Party Cove does.
Hydrous Wake Park in Little Elm is worth knowing about even if you have never been up on a board – it is a cable wake park, so you get pulled by an overhead cable rather than a boat. No boat, no fuel, no driver, and Towers Tap House is right there. Ten to fifteen minutes from the gate.
What are the rules the Corps and the state care about?
Clean, drain and dry
Zebra mussels are established in Lewisville. Draining every drop of water from a boat or kayak before leaving a lake is required by law in Texas, and it is the only thing that slows the spread. This applies to paddle craft, not just trailered boats.
A wearable PFD for every person aboard
Texas requires one per person on any vessel, kayaks and paddleboards included. Children under 13 must wear theirs while under way. A life jacket in the hatch is not a life jacket.
Watch for obstructions
The Corps advisory is standing and specific: lake level varies, and standing timber and stumps that were deep last month may not be this month. Boaters are responsible for what they hit. On a lake with as much flooded wood as this one, that is not boilerplate.
The ranch waiver
Every guest 18 or over signs it before using the water or our kayaks – it takes a minute, and you can sign it online before you arrive.
Bringing a boat and staying here?
Most sites have room beside them for a boat or work trailer, and our Premium Gold and Premium Platinum sites take rigs to fifty feet. The gate is code-controlled around the clock, which matters when you are launching at first light. If you are towing something long, call the office before you book so we put you on a site that fits the whole outfit rather than just the rig.
Push off from your own bank
Kayaks for guests, straight in off six hundred feet of private shoreline.