Upper Greenbelt, between the Lost Creek and MoPac gauges
Right now · Jul 14, 1:53 AM CT
🟡 Sculpture Falls is rated Low for swimming — an estimated 2.6 cfs is flowing through this reach, with a modeled mean depth of about 0.1 ft and a current of 0.5 ft/s. Best at 15–50 cfs, when the ledges run and the pool is fresh.
Estimated from live USGS readings at Barton Creek at Lost Creek (3.7 cfs) and Barton Creek at MoPac Bridge (0.0 cfs), the two gauges bracketing this spot. Refreshes every few minutes — see the full Greenbelt dashboard.
A series of limestone ledges with a wide swimming pool below the falls, and one of the most popular destinations on the entire Greenbelt. The ledges are the draw: when the creek is running, water sheets over them into the pool; in a dry spell the pool persists but the cascade slows to a trickle.
Sculpture Falls sits on the upper Greenbelt, which dries out first. Below roughly 5 cfs the falls stop running and the pool shrinks and warms — check the live reading before making the steep hike down.
Most swimmers come down the Hill of Life trail from the Camp Craft Road trailhead — a short but steep, rocky descent (remember you climb it on the way out). A longer, flatter approach follows the main Greenbelt trail upstream from the Twin Falls / Gaines trailhead off MoPac.
| Condition | Discharge (cfs) | What it means here |
|---|---|---|
| 🟤 Dry | 0 | No measurable flow — expect stagnant pools at best. |
| 🟡 Low | 0–5 | Only the deeper pools hold water; falls are quiet. |
| 🟢 Fair | 5–15 | Swimmable pools, gentle current; falls just starting to run. |
| 🟢 Good | 15–50 | The sweet spot — fresh, flowing water at the swimming holes. |
| 🟠 Strong | 50–120 | Strong current; confident swimmers only, watch children closely. |
| 🔴 Dangerous | 120+ | Swift-water conditions — stay out of the creek. |
This page shows a live estimate for Sculpture Falls, interpolated from the two USGS Barton Creek gauges that bracket it (Barton Creek at Lost Creek and Barton Creek at MoPac Bridge) and refreshed every few minutes. As a rule of thumb: below about 5 cfs only the deeper pools hold water, 15–50 cfs is ideal flowing water, and above roughly 120 cfs the creek is dangerous.
Best at 15–50 cfs, when the ledges run and the pool is fresh. Sculpture Falls sits on the upper Greenbelt, which dries out first. Below roughly 5 cfs the falls stop running and the pool shrinks and warms — check the live reading before making the steep hike down.
Most swimmers come down the Hill of Life trail from the Camp Craft Road trailhead — a short but steep, rocky descent (remember you climb it on the way out). A longer, flatter approach follows the main Greenbelt trail upstream from the Twin Falls / Gaines trailhead off MoPac.
Be careful. Barton Creek is a flash-flood-prone watershed and discharge can spike from a few cfs to several hundred within hours of heavy rain upstream. Fast, turbid water also carries bacteria and debris. Wait for levels to drop back into the 15–50 cfs range and for the water to clear, and heed National Weather Service flash-flood warnings and City of Austin Watershed Protection advisories.
Planning a Greenbelt day? Check the live Barton Creek dashboard for every gauge and swimming hole at once, read our local playbook for Twin and Sculpture Falls, or see what changed with Barton Springs Pool's 2026 reopening.
