DeCordova Bend Park Fee: How the Kiosk Works and Which Parks Stay Free

The Brazos River Authority runs five public use areas around Lake Granbury. Four of them have boat ramps, three have fishing piers and three allow overnight camping. Only one has a designated swimming area: DeCordova Bend Park at 7620 Rainey Court, below the dam.

That's also the park where the BRA is about to start charging.

On October 26, the authority posted a Fall 2026 newsletter update saying that a $5 per-car, per-day entry fee at DeCordova Bend Park "will begin soon." The roads inside the park have already been changed to a one-way drive that runs past a new kiosk near the entrance. Thorp Spring, Hunter and Rough Creek, the BRA's other Lake Granbury parks with ramps, are still listed as free and open year-round.

For anyone on the DeCordova Bend side of the lake, that sorts things out. Launching a boat, casting from a pier or grilling at a picnic table can still be free at another BRA park. A day at a BRA swim beach can't.

What $5 Buys at the Dam

The fee covers a lot of park. According to the BRA, DeCordova Bend Park has a boat ramp, a courtesy dock, an accessible fishing pier, 21 picnic tables with eight under awnings, 22 cooking grills, restrooms, a designated swimming area and a view of the dam. The authority's park listing adds 14 dedicated boat trailer parking spaces and overnight camping.

For comparison, Hunter Park has 18 picnic tables and 17 grills, and Thorp Spring has two tables with grills. Rough Creek comes closest on picnic space with 23 tables and grills, but it's day-use only. DeCordova Bend is the only BRA park on the lake where you can swim, grill, fish and camp at one site. Those are the visits the fee is designed to manage.

Paying at a Kiosk With No Gate

The new setup works more like a self-serve parking lot than a staffed park gate. The BRA describes a visit in a few steps:

Follow the one-way park road past the kiosk near the entrance off Rainey Court.
Pay $5 per car with a credit card, a debit card or a prepaid debit card. The kiosk is cashless. The BRA notes that prepaid cards are sold at most grocery and convenience stores.
Put the printed receipt on the dashboard. Lake rangers check receipts as they patrol.
Keep the receipt if you plan to leave and come back. The pass is good from entry until 11:59 p.m. that day, with same-day reentry.

There is no gate arm. The BRA says the kiosk is a standalone unit with no gates that lift and close. The fee is per car, so a carload of visiting family pays the same $5 as one angler. Overnight campers buy a second day pass the next morning.

The Fee Is Mostly a Traffic Tool

The BRA is open that the fee is meant to reduce car traffic first. "This new fee will really help reduce the amount of traffic that comes through the park, particularly on busy holidays or weekends," Lake Granbury reservoir manager Dylan Mayfield said in the BRA's update.

The BRA lists three problems behind it:

Parking. In some years, about 300 vehicles were parked haphazardly around the park, which made it hard for emergency responders to get through, Mayfield said.
The walk to the restrooms. Swimmers have to cross a road to reach them. Mayfield said the money will go back into the park for new amenities, and he hopes it can eventually pay for better parking.
Dumping. The park dumpsters get emptied before a busy weekend and then filled right away with household and construction waste brought in from outside, he said.

The fee also gives the BRA a way to track camping stays. Visitors can camp at BRA parks for up to ten days in any 30-consecutive-day period. After that, they have to wait another 30 days before camping again at any Lake Granbury park.

There's a budget reason too. The BRA is a political subdivision of the state, but it doesn't levy taxes and gets no state or county subsidies for park upkeep. Apart from occasional project grants, it runs on water sales and water and wastewater services. Hood County News covered the same point in its report on the change.

The plan wasn't a surprise. The BRA announced the proposal on June 8, 2026 and took public comments from June 9 through July 8.

Where the Lake Is Still Free

If your plan doesn't need the swim area, the BRA's other parks are listed as free with no reservations.

Rough Creek Park, 2209 S. Morgan St. It has the most trailer parking on the BRA's list at 35 spaces, plus a courtesy dock, an accessible fishing pier, and 23 picnic tables with grills. It's day-use only, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Hunter Park, 2800 Weatherford Highway. It has a boat ramp, 12 trailer spaces, a courtesy dock, an accessible fishing pier, 18 picnic tables with some under awnings, 17 grills and overnight camping.
Thorp Spring Park, 2300 Lipan Highway, reached by Business 377 and then north on FM 4. It has a boat ramp, seven trailer spaces, a courtesy dock, two picnic tables with grills and overnight camping.
Observation Point, 4552 Mambrino Highway, at the BRA project office. It has a scenic overlook and three picnic tables with grills. There's no ramp.

The BRA's update also points to the City of Granbury. The city operates free boat ramps on the reservoir and runs City Beach near the historic square. A city parks facilities document describes a ramp facility on the north side of Pearl Street/Business 377 with three accessible ramps, two docks, lit parking, a fish-cleaning station and restrooms. Texas Parks and Wildlife lists Granbury City Park, off Business 377, as a free, year-round access point with a boat ramp and a swimming area.

If you need somewhere free to swim, City Beach Park at 505 E. Pearl St. is the city-run option. Hood County News listed it as one of the free alternatives the BRA pointed visitors to. Its Visit Granbury listing includes public restrooms, a spray park, first-come picnic pavilions, boardwalk access and a life-jacket loan station. The kayak rentals there are a summer service. It's a different kind of day than DeCordova Bend. You're downtown, near the square, rather than looking up at the dam.

What Could Change Next

The BRA hasn't committed to an annual pass. Its update says that "future consideration" will be given to an annual pass for DeCordova Bend Park and to discounts for veterans and senior citizens. For now, anyone who uses the park every week pays $5 a visit once the kiosk is running.

The same BRA newsletter, posted October 28, includes a study of DeCordova Bend Dam itself. BRA staff are looking at the nearly 60-year-old structure to find the best ways to extend its life. Both items come from the BRA, which owns both the park and the reservoir.

The BRA's posted hours for DeCordova Bend Park are 24/7, with the day pass running from entry until 11:59 p.m. If you're taking guests down to the dam once the kiosk is running, bring a card and leave the receipt on the dash.

At VYBE with Eric, we follow changes along the DeCordova Bend shoreline because they shape what lake living looks like day to day, from where you launch to where you take your guests swimming. If you'd like to talk about how access to Lake Granbury fits into your next move on this side of the lake, Schedule a Consultation and we'll go through it with you.