McKinney Falls State Park

McKinney Falls State Park is located in Austin, just 13 miles southeast of the Capitol building and provides a great camping place for visitors to the Texas capitol and an attractive nearby getaway for residents of the busy city.

The park preserves 744 acres of oak and cypress trees along Onion Creek with abundant wildlife such as squirrels, armadillos, deer, birds, and fish.  More than seven miles of hiking and biking trails wind through the park for visitors’ exploring pleasure.

The Smith Rock Shelter trail leads hikers by a limestone overhang, once used for shelter by Indians, near the creek.  The trail continues on by the ruins of Thomas F. McKinney’s old rock homestead and the horse trainer’s cabin from the mid 1850’s.  McKinney, for whom the park is named, was one of the original 300 colonists in Stephen F. Austin’s settlement. More information about him can be found at the Smith Visitor Center in the park.

The width of the waterfalls, which tumble down, perhaps eight feet or so, over limestone formations, varies depending on how much rain has filled Onion Creek.  Walking over limestone, toward the falls, visitors may discover that a thump yields a “hollow” sound due to prehistoric volcano ash having been eroded from underneath the limestone formations.

Primitive rental cabins as well as 84 sites for tent or RV camping offer a choice for those wanting to get away from the city and enjoy nature’s birdsongs and fresh air fragrances.  An occasional siren reminds visitors that city opportunities are still easily accessible but the tranquility of the environment seems to push it far into the distance.  

Visitors are warned to watch out for snakes but, although we did see where a shedding snake left his skin hanging in a tree near the bathrooms, we did not see any live snakes when we camped there in May.   

Pets are welcome on leash and we saw quite a few dogs as well as one cat on leash.  Our own dogs loved hiking the trails with all the new and fascinating scents.  Even though it was still May, temperatures climbed in the afternoon so we took drinking water for ourselves and the dogs on the trails. 

Cleaning up and cooling off in the well-kept showers at the end of the day was a welcome refreshment.  That, and gazing up at the stars through the tent screen and listening to the crickets sing lulled us into a relaxed and deep sleep.   

If you would like to visit McKinney Falls State Park, exit off US 183 South onto McKinney Falls Parkway and drive straight to the park entrance.