Like everything else in the super-sized state of Texas, the city of Austin is big, bold and ready for adventure. Its east-meets-west combination of entrepreneurial drive and laid-back living is forged from a long immigrant history. It’s known as one of the fittest cities in the country, with year-round mild temperatures, sunny climate and the rolling hills, verdant forests and Gulf beaches close by.
Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, Austin is your outdoor hub for weekend hiking, biking, swimming and camping adventures. Go caving at Colorado Bend, hike the forests around Lake Somerville and enjoy the white sand beaches of Galveston Island, all within an easy weekend’s drive from Austin.
Plan your next camping adventure at one of these state parks outside Austin, Texas.
1. Lake Somerville State Park (1 hour, 30 minutes)
What to Do: Three creeks and over 11,000 acres of open water make swimming and boating the top activities at Lake Somerville. Launch your canoe, kayak or motorboat from park boat ramps, or fish for bass, crappie and catfish from the jetty. Bike and hike up to 26 miles on the Lake Somerville Trailway, where you’re likely to see alligators, river otters, wood storks, white pelicans and cormorants.
Where to Camp: Hike from your lakefront RV or tent campsite down to the shoreline or backpack in to primitive sites on Flag Pond. A group campsite comes with a central dining hall. Book now.
2. Kickapoo Cavern State Park (3 hours, 45 minutes)
What to Do: Hike and bike through this sparsely developed park for a true backcountry experience at the transitional zone between the grasslands of the Edwards Plateau and the arid Chihuahuan Desert. Oaks and cacti dot the landscape, and rare plants and animals like the papershell pinyon, mottled rock rattlesnake, barking frog and Texas alligator lizard call Kickapoo Cavern home. Take a guided tour to explore the network of caves carved by acidic groundwater channels beneath the park. Find signs of prehistoric Native American life in the 1,400-foot-long Kickapoo Cavern, and watch thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats take flight at the mouth of Stuart Bat Cave during spring, summer and fall.
Where to Camp: Trails from the RV and tent campground in the middle of Kickapoo Cavern State Park lead to Armadillo Lookout and a birding blind with some of the best bird-watching and panoramic views in the park. From Armadillo Lookout, you can hike to Bee Cave, a steep sinkhole that provides shelter for cave swallows, racoons, porcupines and bees. Book now.
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3. Colorado Bend State Park (2 hours)
What to Do: Hike and mountain bike on over 35 miles of singletrack trails through forest and rocky river gorge to 70-foot-high Gorman Falls and an idyllic swimming hole at Spicewood Springs. Go kayaking on a six-mile stretch of the Colorado River or book your spot on a guided tour in the underground maze of over 400 caves that lie beneath the park.
Where to Camp: RV and tent camp on the Colorado River, or backpack in to primitive campsites on the river and in the hills off Lemons Ridge. Three large group sites have space for groups of 16. Book now.
4. Galveston Island State Park (3 hours, 45 minutes)
What to Do: Enjoy a relaxing beach weekend on the wind and wave-swept shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Hike the sand dunes and marsh boardwalks, or go beachcombing and swimming in the warm ocean waves. There are three bayside water trails for up to five miles of flatwater paddling. Cast your fishing line for trout, redfish, black drum, croaker and flounder.
Where to Camp: Choose from three campgrounds along the beach and on the bay side of the park. Groups of up to eight people can rent a lodge overlooking Como Lake. Book now.
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5. Pedernales Falls State Park (1 hour, 5 minutes)
What to Do: A 50-foot cascade tumbling over slabs of limestone rock is the centerpiece of this park in the middle of Texas Hill Country. Hike through oak and juniper woodlands to waterfalls and swimming holes, or climb the canyon trail to the top of Wolf Mountain. Bike 10 miles of singletrack trail along Juniper Ridge, or tube and kayak on the Pedernales River.
Where to Camp: Tent and RV camp by the river where trails lead to the park beach. Primitive hike-in campsites are perched on a bluff above the river at the base of Wolf Mountain. Book now.
Are you ready for an outdoor adventure? Plan your camping trip!