Upper Greenbelt, near the MoPac (Loop 1) bridge
Right now · Jul 14, 1:53 AM CT
🟡 Twin Falls is rated Low for swimming — an estimated 1.5 cfs is flowing through this reach, with a modeled mean depth of about 0.1 ft and a current of 0.4 ft/s. Comfortable at 10–40 cfs; crowded when flowing well.
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.
Shallow, sunny ledges and a shaded pool beneath a short double cascade. Because it sits close to the MoPac gauge, the live discharge reading here is among the most reliable on the creek — what the gauge says is very nearly what you’ll find.
Like Sculpture Falls upstream, Twin Falls needs real flow for the cascades to run. Below about 5 cfs expect standing pools rather than falls, and more people than water on a hot weekend.
The easiest swim access on the Greenbelt: park at the Twin Falls / Gaines trailhead off MoPac (Loop 1) and it’s a short hike down to the water. That convenience makes it the busiest spot on the creek on summer weekends.
| 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 Twin 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.
Comfortable at 10–40 cfs; crowded when flowing well. Like Sculpture Falls upstream, Twin Falls needs real flow for the cascades to run. Below about 5 cfs expect standing pools rather than falls, and more people than water on a hot weekend.
The easiest swim access on the Greenbelt: park at the Twin Falls / Gaines trailhead off MoPac (Loop 1) and it’s a short hike down to the water. That convenience makes it the busiest spot on the creek on summer weekends.
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.
