The 55-foot Horseshoe Bay Lighthouse stands at the end of a narrow peninsula stretching into Lake LBJ Credit: Gerald McLeod

Horseshoe Bay Lighthouse stands at the end of a peninsula stretching into the eastern end of Lake LBJ outside of Marble Falls. The square rock tower looks like a misshapen rocket more than a classic lighthouse. 

It’s considered a “faux” lighthouse because it never had an official navigation function, although the red light on top of the 55-foot structure has helped orient many sailors. Wirtz Dam and Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant are also visible landmarks in this corner of the reservoir. 

Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, originally called Granite Shoals, is the middle of the six Highland Lakes. Completed on the Colorado River in 1951 and owned by the Lower Colorado River Authority, Alvin J. Wirtz Dam was built 4 miles upstream from Marble Falls. The 6,200-acre constant-level lake fluctuates slightly during flooding and power generation. Most of the 270 miles of shoreline is private property.

The lighthouse built in 1972 is a 10-minute scenic walk from the parking lot Credit: Gerald McLeod

Horseshoe Bay began as a resort community in 1970 on the south shore of the lake. It was previously known as the Coke Ranch when it was owned by a Fort Worth Coca-Cola bottler. Incorporated in 2005, the area has an estimated population of 4,500 and five golf courses totaling 99 holes. Astronaut Jim Lovell had a vacation home there. 

The lighthouse was built in 1972 at the end of a 200-foot dike lined with palm trees. It’s a 10-minute scenic walk from the parking lot. Unfortunately, the tower’s observation deck is closed.  

Scenic roads lace the area around Marble Falls. Cottonwood Shores, another lakeside community from the early 1970s, has Bay View Restaurant on a ridge overlooking the lake and facing the sunset. A short distance away is LeStourgeon Seafood Company and next door is Julie’s Cocina, any of which make excellent meal choices on a Sunday drive. 

The Horseshoe Bay Lighthouse can be found off FM 2147 on Ferguson Road to Gideon Trail to Lighthouse Drive.

From the patio of the Bay View Restaurant in Cottonwood Shores, the lighthouse is barely visible on the tree-covered peninsula Credit: Gerald McLeod

1,780th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in November 14 • 2025.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.