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Listen to Onion Creek flowing over limestone ledges and splashing into pools. Follow trails winding through the Hill Country woods. Explore the remains of an early Texas homestead and a very old rock shelter. All of this lies within Austin’s city limits at McKinney Falls State Park - what are you waiting for?
Think of the park as Austin’s backyard; we’re just 13 miles from the state capitol. Here you can camp, hike, mountain or road bike, geocache, go bouldering, and picnic. You can also fish and swim in Onion Creek.
Onion Creek can flood after rainfall. Beware of the creek’s flow; contact the park for current creek conditions. Read through our swimming safety tips before you visit.
Stay at one of 81 campsites (all with water and electric hookups). Or rent one of our six newly remodeled cabins. We also have a primitive youth camping area, for use by nonprofit-sponsored youth groups
The park is located 13 miles southeast of the state capitol in Austin off of U.S. Highway 183. Take McKinney Falls Parkway from U.S. 183 South straight to the park entrance.
For campers arriving after 4:30pm you must call the park at 512-243-1643 before 4:30pm to receive the entrance gate code. The gate code is only given out to registered customers and customers calling the day of their confirmed reservation. Complete instructions for customers arriving late are located at the Late Arrival Station at the park headquarters. Late arrivals must contact the park on the first day of the reservation or the following morning no later than noon. Any reservation holders who have not contacted the park by this deadline will forfeit the rest of their reservation. .
Walk-up reservations may be available but must be confirmed with park staff by 4:30pm. There are usually no campsites available without reservations on most weekends and around major holidays. If the 'NO VACANCY' sign is posted then no campsites are available without a confirmed reservation..
This is a nice park close to almost everything in Austin. The campgrounds are nice and almost all well leveled. Very few have 50 amp so those are hard to book. Almost every weekend is totally full so make plans with plenty time to be there. Nice trails. I would suggest to add gazebos to the picnic tables on the camping sites.
Not to be missed during bluebonnet season but full of amazing scenery any time of year. The incredible rock formations and surfaces might make you think you've been transported to the surface of the moon. I've not camped here myself, but the grounds appear inviting and well maintained. A short drive from downtown Austin and Austin Bergstrom International. Most areas of the park are easily walkable.
We love taking a quick day trip to just decompress and reset anytime of the week! The park is always well kept and has great views with easy hikes. Honestly my opinion is the best visits are fall and winter when it’s not as crowded. The big crowds usually show up to swim the falls which is always a great time especially in the summer time. I would definitely recommend this park for those looking to start easy adventures into nature!
First time here. Came to see the falls, do some hiking, and have some lunch. Visited on a Tuesday, so park was pretty empty. Interpretive center was closed (only open Fri-Sun). Park is very well kept, hiking trails well marked, and map kiosks well placed. There were plenty of restrooms and they were clean and maintained. There are several picnic areas, so we chose one down from the upper falls and cooked some steaks and corn which we enjoyed before heading home. I highly recommend this park!
Overall enjoyed this park. The camping was good with nice bathrooms (minus the showers basically being communal & not having a private dry space to get dressed.
Didn’t feel like we could enjoy the trails as this place was always crowded & especially on weekends. 1 time we tried to ride our bikes & walking people will not move out of the way when the trails are for both. This took away from our experience.
