Bask bare under a blazing sun

Tatjana Long relaxes and blows bubbles on the edge of the water while her friends swim in Lake Travis at Hippie Hollow on Saturday afternoon. This was Long’s first time at the Travis County park and she said that once she moves to Austin, she will return to the area.

About $4 in gas, a $12 entrance fee and a 30-minute drive that offers a spectacular view of some incredible lakeside houses are all it takes to get to Hippie Hollow, a 109-acre public park tucked away on the eastern shores of Lake Travis. You don’t even need a swimsuit.

Hippie Hollow, formerly known as McGregor County Park, is the only official clothing-optional park in Texas. It is situated on steep limestone slopes and offers swimming, hiking and lots of warm rocks to lounge on.

“It’s great for getting some good sun,” park visitor Ken Elliot said. “It’s a good chance to get naked and get sun. Isn’t this one of the only places in Texas that you can do that? It’s just one of those things that makes Austin special.”

Visitors descend into the park via stone steps that lead away from the parking lot. Once out of the lot, which features signs warning the modest and the unaware of imminent nudity, it’s clothes off for those who want to hang out while they hang out. There are little alcoves to strip down in along the wooded path that connects to the half-mile road separating the shore from the forested hills. Along this road are several bathrooms and access trails leading visitors down the remaining 20 feet or so to the lake.

“On a normal weekend day, it’s a social thing,” Hippie Hollow regular Bill Scales said. “When the water is real low it’s kind of a drag, but it’s perfect right now. This is what we do for our social life. We come out here every Saturday and Sunday. We know 30 or 40 people that come out right to this area here.”

Scales, who has been coming to the park since 1989, received his 15 minutes of fame when he was married there in 1993 and an Austin American-Statesman reporter wrote a story about the naked nuptials.

The park has been around since the ‘60s and has undergone some changes, most notably in 1983, when the land was leased by the Lower Colorado River Authority to Travis County under the provision that it remain clothing-optional, and in 1995, when the county passed an ordinance that restricted park access to people over 18.“They used to bring kids out here,” Scales said. “I really didn’t like that. I mean, look at this place — the rocks are jagged. It’s just dangerous. Children got outlawed in the mid ‘90s and dogs did, too. They’ve really cleaned the park up. To me it’s more pleasurable. There used to be a lot of broken glass down here.”

The prices have changed, too. Scales has a year-round pass that cost him $100 plus a $2 surcharge each time he comes to the park. When he first started relaxing at Hippie Hollow, the pass cost $25 and there wasn’t an extra fee. Last year, the price of a pass was $75.

“They say they’re not making enough money, so they jack the prices up,” Scales complained good-naturedly. “And now, no one can afford to come, so they jack them up again. It’s not just this park, though. It’s all of them. This park has a $2 surcharge for reasons unknown. They said it’s for added security, but if you look at the actual need for security, Pace Bend far exceeds this place. Also, this is the only park that has to have a ranger in the booth all day long.”

The park’s security consists of rangers who come around once in a while to make sure people aren’t drinking alcohol — unless it’s in a can and tucked away in a koozie, according to Hippie Hollow’s website — or acting lewd.

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LOCATION: 7000 Comanche Trail
DIRECTIONS: From MoPac Boulevard, the Capital of Texas Highway or Interstate Highway 35, take FM 2222 West to Highway 620. Turn left on 620 and continue for 1.3 miles. Turn right at the first traffic light onto Comanche Trail and drive for two miles. The park entrance will be on your left.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE: 18.2 miles
HOURS: 9 a.m. to twilight
COST: Day permit: $12 per vehicle; Pedestrian/bicyclist: $5
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Hippie Hollow is an 18+ park

By Aaron West, Daily Texan Staff
Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Daily Texan

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