Lake Lewisville Guide: Swimming, Camping and Alligators
Lake Lewisville is a big Corps of Engineers reservoir in Denton County. Here is where to swim, camp and launch, what we found on alligators, and the fishing limits.
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Lake Lewisville is a Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River in Denton County, Texas. The Corps says its job is flood-risk management for the Dallas metro area, water storage for the City of Dallas, and managing recreation around the lake. That mix explains the layout: a few Corps parks, and a lot of city-leased parks, each with its own fees, hours and rules.
This guide covers what the Corps, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) and the cities that lease shoreline publish about swimming, camping, boat ramps, alligators, zebra mussels and fishing limits. We did not visit, and we flag the things we could not confirm. Fees and closures change, so check the operating agency before you go.
Lake Lewisville at a glance#
The size depends on who is counting. TPWD lists 29,592 acres of surface area. The Corps separately reports a 23,280-acre conservation pool and a 28,980-acre flood-control pool, with 233 miles of shoreline at conservation pool. They are different measurements, not a contradiction.
Swimming at Lake Lewisville#
The Corps says there are currently no designated swimming areas in any Corps-operated parks, and that many of the city-leased parks do have them. That one sentence decides where you go.
- Lewisville Lake Park. The city leases 350 acres of lakefront from the Corps. Its facility listing includes a swimming beach, boat ramps and a courtesy dock, along with overnight and day camping, picnic areas, playgrounds and a disc golf course.
- Copperas Branch Park. Highland Village leases about 75 acres on the shoreline. The park is open year round, charges an admission fee, and lists a boat ramp, a beach and swim area, picnic tables, restrooms and parking.
The Corps’ advice applies wherever you swim: swim with a buddy, learn to swim, look before you leap and wear a life jacket. We did not find an official Lewisville notice about E. coli or algae, so check the park or city before you go and read our guide to whether a lake is safe to swim in. For other options near Dallas, see the best lakes in Dallas for swimming and lake beaches near Dallas.
Camping at Lake Lewisville#
- Hickory Creek Park (Corps). The Corps says it operates one campground on Lewisville Lake. Sites have water and electric hookups, picnic tables, grills and fire rings at $30 per night. The park also lists a boat ramp for campers only, restrooms with showers, a dump station, shoreline fishing access and a walking and biking trail.
- Pilot Knoll Park (Highland Village). The city lists camping at $35 per night for residents and $45 for non-residents. The improved area has 55 RV and tent sites with 50-amp electric and a non-potable water faucet, a grey water dump station and a restroom with showers. The park also has primitive camping.
- Lewisville Lake Park. The city lists overnight and day camping, but the pages we read gave no rates.
Our lake camping reservation guide explains how to time your booking.
Day-use parks and boat ramps#
- Westlake (Corps). Day-use fee of $5 per vehicle, shoreline fishing access and a boat ramp with loading docks.
- Doe Branch (Corps). A free day-use park with a one-lane boat ramp and shoreline fishing. No camping.
- Big Sandy (Corps). A free access point with a two-lane ramp and shoreline fishing. No camping.
Check the Corps park page for closures before you tow a boat, and run through our boat ramp checklist for first-time boaters. Texas law requires a wearable, Coast Guard approved life jacket for each person on board, plus a throwable Type IV device on boats 16 feet or longer.
Alligators at Lake Lewisville#
This is the part people ask about most, and the honest answer is that we found no official confirmation either way for Lewisville itself. TPWD says the American alligator is common in swamps, rivers, bayous and marshes of the southern US, including the eastern third of Texas. It does not name Lake Lewisville.
The statewide advice is useful anywhere in Texas water:
- Keep 30 feet away from alligators at all times, and back away slowly if you get too close.
- If you see a large alligator in a swimming hole or pond, do not swim with it.
- Do not throw fish scraps in the water or leave them on shore. TPWD says that is not intentional feeding but the end result can be the same.
- If you decide an alligator is a nuisance, contact the TPWD law enforcement communications center in Austin at 512-389-4848.
Our guides on alligator safety at lakes and how to check for alligators in a lake go further.
Fishing limits#
TPWD lists largemouth, spotted and white and hybrid striped bass, white crappie, and blue and channel catfish as predominant species. It says white crappie and white bass provide the most angling activity, that largemouth is also popular, that hybrid striped bass have been stocked, and that blue and channel catfish fisheries are excellent.
These are the limits TPWD’s regulations page listed when we checked. Rules change, so confirm before you fish.
- Black bass: largemouth and smallmouth minimum 14 inches, no minimum for Alabama, Guadalupe or spotted bass, and five black bass daily in any combination.
- Crappie: minimum 10 inches, 25 daily in any combination.
- Blue and channel catfish: no minimum length, 25 daily and in possession. In that bag, no more than 5 can be 20 inches or longer, and no more than 1 of those can be 30 inches or longer.
- Flathead catfish: minimum 18 inches, five daily.
For tactics, see the best fishing lakes in Texas.
Zebra mussels#
TPWD’s regulations note says zebra mussels have been found in this reservoir. To slow their spread, the law requires draining water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Drain the livewell, the bilge and the bait bucket before you leave.
Planning the trip#
Pick a park for what you want, not the lake as a whole: a city park for a swim beach, Hickory Creek for a Corps campsite, and Doe Branch or Big Sandy for a free ramp. Lewisville is one of several big lakes in the region, and our guide to how many lakes are in Texas puts it in context. Grapevine Lake is also in the Dallas and Fort Worth area and has a different mix of parks. See the Grapevine Lake guide. For a very different kind of Texas water, a cypress swamp on the Louisiana border, see the Caddo Lake guide.
Frequently asked questions#
Are there alligators in Lake Lewisville?
We did not find an official source confirming alligators in Lake Lewisville. Texas Parks and Wildlife describes the American alligator as common in the eastern third of Texas and gives statewide safety advice, including keeping 30 feet away. For the wider picture, see what North Texas lakes have alligators.
Can you swim in Lake Lewisville?
Yes, at designated beaches. The Corps of Engineers says no Corps-operated park has a designated swimming area, and that many city-leased parks do. Lewisville Lake Park lists a swimming beach and Copperas Branch Park in Highland Village lists a beach and swim area. Read how to know if a lake is safe to swim in first.
Where can you camp at Lake Lewisville?
The Corps runs one campground, Hickory Creek Park, listed at $30 per night with water and electric hookups. Highland Village’s Pilot Knoll Park offers improved and primitive camping at $35 per night for residents and $45 for non-residents, and Lewisville Lake Park lists overnight camping. Confirm rates with each operator.
Are there zebra mussels in Lake Lewisville?
Yes. Texas Parks and Wildlife notes that zebra mussels have been found in this reservoir, and says the law requires draining water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters.
What fish can you catch in Lake Lewisville?
Texas Parks and Wildlife lists largemouth bass, spotted bass, white and hybrid striped bass, white crappie and blue and channel catfish as the predominant species. It says white crappie and white bass provide the most angling activity. See crappie fishing in lakes and catfish fishing in lakes.
Sources#
- Lewisville Lake fishing and lake characteristics, Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Lewisville Lake fishing regulations, Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Lewisville Lake, US Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District
- Lake information, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Swimming, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Camping, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Corps parks, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Lewisville Lake Park, City of Lewisville
- Copperas Branch Park, Town of Highland Village
- Pilot Knoll Park campground, Town of Highland Village
- Alligator safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Alligator safety at state parks, Texas Parks and Wildlife
- American alligator, Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Fishing with a boat, Texas Outdoor Annual
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We started this blog as a place to go to when we had questions about buying our first home on the lake. There was a lot of information on the internet, but we always spent hours...
