Lake LBJ was made in 1950, when Granite Shoals Dam closed the Colorado River above Marble Falls. It is one of the Highland Lakes that stays near full while Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis rise and fall with the weather, and that steady shoreline is why people have been building on it ever since. What they built varies widely: resort golf communities, estates on private peninsulas, older subdivisions and a few tracts of open country that were never divided.

What Towns Are on Lake LBJ?

Five towns share the shoreline: Horseshoe Bay, Kingsland, Granite Shoals, Highland Haven and Sunrise Beach. The line between Burnet and Llano counties runs down the middle of the water, so the side you buy on decides which county appraises your land and often which school district serves it.

Horseshoe Bay is the best known. Horseshoe Bay Resort's golf courses and marinas are here, along with a private jet center. Kingsland sits upriver where the Llano River comes in to meet the Colorado, and because it is unincorporated, county rules and deed restrictions rather than a city govern what can be built. Granite Shoals, Highland Haven and Sunrise Beach are smaller and mostly residential. Marble Falls is where most Lake LBJ owners do their shopping, but it sits just below Wirtz Dam on Lake Marble Falls, a separate and smaller lake.

Where Can You Buy Acreage in a Gated Community on Lake LBJ?

Most gated communities on the lake were laid out around a golf course, a marina or a stretch of waterfront divided into lots, and acreage inside a gate is harder to find. The Trails of Horseshoe Bay was planned around it. Its master plan, by land planner Roy Bechtol, wraps homesites around a 300-acre wildlife preserve crossed by hiking and riding trails. Current lots run from about two-thirds of an acre to just over five, and many back onto pasture, greenbelt or the equestrian center.

Owners reach the lake through a private marina with covered slips for annual lease and more than 500 feet of shoreline held in common for residents. Builders and developers looking for larger ground can turn to Phase 4, where select tracts are sold with a deeded boat slip. Because the preserve is managed for native wildlife, land at The Trails may also qualify for Texas wildlife valuation, which keeps the part of a tract outside the homesite taxed at agricultural rather than market value.

Homesites for sale at The Trails · Phase 4 tracts for developers and builders

The Gated Communities of Horseshoe Bay, TX

Horseshoe Bay holds most of the lake's gated communities, and each was planned around something different. Summit Rock is organized around the Jack Nicklaus Signature course at Horseshoe Bay Resort, with resort amenities available by membership. Escondido is a private golf and lake club with a course by Tom Fazio; its lakefront enclave, Lago Escondido, holds about thirty homesites on a private peninsula. Applehead Island is an enclave of custom estate homesites on an island in the lake. Pecan Creek has smaller lots with a clubhouse, fitness center, lap pool and walking trails. The Trails, described above, is organized around acreage, the preserve and the equestrian center.

How to Choose a Lake LBJ Community

Start with water access. Lakefront lots typically command a premium, while a private marina can offer access without the cost of waterfront property. Owners in a marina community lease or own a slip, and any private dock on Lake LBJ has to meet LCRA's rules on size and distance from shore.

Golf is the next question. Summit Rock and Escondido put their courses at the center of the plan; if room to spread out matters more than a course, look at communities sold by the acre and ask how many lots over an acre they actually have. Then ask for the deed restrictions and design guidelines before making an offer. They set what the house must look like and what else can go on the lot, from guest houses to barns, and they are the part of a community you live with longest.

Comparing the Towns and the Lakes

If the town is still an open question, our comparison of Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls and Kingsland for land buyers covers zoning, utilities and what land looks like in each. If the lake is, how Lake LBJ compares with Lake Travis on water level and distance from Austin covers that decision.

The Land Office can show you the current homesites at The Trails, including the five-acre lot on Overlook Parkway: 512-470-5517.

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