US lakes & ponds
Texas › Bell County › Temple › Belton Lake

Belton Lake

Temple · Morgan's Point Resort · Belton, Texas — Bell County.

Share:TextEmailFacebookX
12,426Surface acres
124 ftMax depth
1954Impounded
13Public access sites
2.6 miShoreline trails

Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 102537364, 2 mapped parts); max depth from TPWD; TPWD lists 12,385 surface acres.

Location & fast facts

Where Belton Lake is in Texas

The red circle marks Belton Lake.

Fast facts

About Belton Lake

  • County: Bell
  • Cities & towns on the shore: Temple, Morgan's Point Resort, Belton
  • Location (TPWD): On the Leon River in Bell and Coryell counties, 5 miles northwest of the City of Belton off FM 317
  • Impounded: 1954 (TPWD)
  • Controlling authority: US Army Corps of Engineers · (254) 742-3050
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 32 mi from Waco and 66 mi from Austin, straight-line (not driving distance)

Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline (Texas: incorporated places touching the lake, otherwise the nearest one).

Fishing in Texas

Official TPWD pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.

Lake map

Belton Lake shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Cedar Ridge Park (campground)Live Oak Ridge Park (campground)Westcliff Park (campground)White Flint Park (campground)Winkler Park (campground)Cottage RV Park (campground)Journey’s Rv Park (campground)Broxton's Belton Lake RV Park (campground)Boat ramp (Boat launch)1Boat ramp (Boat launch)2Boat ramp (Boat launch)3Boat ramp (Boat launch)4Boat ramp (Boat launch)5Boat ramp (Boat launch)6Boat ramp (Boat launch)7Boat ramp (Boat launch)8Boat ramp (Boat launch)9Boat ramp (Boat launch)10Boat ramp (Boat launch)11Boat ramp (Boat launch)12Rogers Park Boat Ramp (Boat launch)131 mileN

Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.

Boat launchShoreline trail Campground
  1. 1Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Temple
  2. 2Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  3. 3Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  4. 4Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  5. 5Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  6. 6Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  7. 7Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  8. 8Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Temple
  9. 9Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  10. 10Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  11. 11Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Temple
  12. 12Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Temple
  13. 13Rogers Park Boat Ramp
    Boat launch

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 102537364, plus 1 more mapped parts), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: OpenStreetMap boat ramps (TPWD publishes ramp names per lake, not coordinates). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

2.6 miTrail within 100 m of shore
Under 5%Of the shoreline
NoLoops the whole lake
East and south shoresWhere

OpenStreetMap shows about 2.6 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Belton Lake shoreline, mostly along the east and south shores.

Trails along the shore

Getting to the trails

No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Rogers Park Boat Ramp, 500 ft from a shoreline trail (OpenStreetMap boat ramp data).

The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 8, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

Campgrounds near Belton Lake

We found 19 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Belton Lake, 8 of them within 5 miles. 5 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

13 more within 15 miles

All campgrounds & RV parks in Texas

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: Recreation.gov (RIDB) · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Air temperature & conditions (nearest NWS station)Loading…
Fetching the latest National Weather Service observation…

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (31.1971, -97.5079). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Belton Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Sun & moon at Belton Lake

Best fishing times

Major periodMinor periodDaylight

    Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in CT (America/Chicago), and accurate to within a few minutes.

    Fish you can catch

    Largemouth bassSmallmouth bass ★Channel & flathead catfishWhite & hybrid striped bassSunfishSunshine bass ★Lone Star bass ★Palmetto bass ★

    ★ = stocked recently (see Stocking). Predominant species from the TPWD Lake Finder.

    TPWD Lake Finder: Belton Lake

    Fishing outlook & regulations

    SpeciesTPWD rating
    Largemouth BassGood
    Smallmouth BassExcellent
    CatfishGood
    CrappieFair
    White BassGood
    Hybrid Striped BassExcellent
    SunfishGood

    Regulations (TPWD): All game fishes are currently managed under statewide regulations.

    Aquatic vegetation (TPWD): Very sparse buttonbush and cattail

    Conservation pool: 594 ft. msl

    Water-level fluctuation: 3-5 feet

    Normal clarity: Moderate

    TPWD Lake Finder page · Current fishing report · Lake records · Latest survey report

    Ratings are TPWD's own Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent scale. Statewide rules: TPWD Outdoor Annual, fishing. As of Oct 10, 2026.

    Stocking history

    TPWD has 78 stocking records for Belton Lake from 1967 to 2026. The table shows 2022–2026.

    YearSpeciesFishSize
    2026Bass, Sunshine123,284Fingerling
    2025Bass, Lone Star157,697Fingerling
    2025Bass, Sunshine1,324,340Fry
    2024Bass, Lone Star100,676Fingerling
    2024Bass, Palmetto824,800Fry
    2024Bass, Smallmouth115,211Fingerling
    2024Bass, Sunshine81,449Fingerling
    2023Bass, Palmetto400,812Fry
    2023Bass, Sunshine687,307Fry
    2022Bass, Sunshine2,204,492Fry

    TPWD stocking history for Belton Lake

    Boat launches & access sites

    13 public access sites listed, 13 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

    SiteTownOwnerTypeParkingFeeUsesMap
    Boat rampTemple—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1384, -97.4896
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1385, -97.5458
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1372, -97.5440
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.2262, -97.4743
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.2202, -97.4674
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.2810, -97.4722
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1669, -97.4538
    Boat rampTemple—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1651, -97.4411
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.2117, -97.4819
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1210, -97.5180
    Boat rampTemple—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp—No feeBoating31.1382, -97.4965
    Boat rampTemple—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating31.1279, -97.4960
    Rogers Park Boat Ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp—No feeBoating31.1609, -97.4805

    OpenStreetMap boat ramps (TPWD publishes ramp names per lake, not coordinates)

    Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

    Invasive species

    Reported on or near Belton Lake

    Clean, Drain, Dry. In Texas the law requires draining water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh water, and possessing or moving zebra mussels is illegal. TPWD rules.

    USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

    USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

    Contact & official info

    Lakes & ponds nearby

    Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Texas lakes & ponds · All waters in Temple