Top 10 Favorite Hikes around Austin

One of my New Years Resolutions is to go on more hikes. The kids love them (collecting sticks! throwing rocks in creeks! climbing over boulders!) – and this time of year (January – April) is one of the most pleasant seasons to be outside in Austin (if you’re not in a body of water).

And besides enjoying the trails, visiting these spots doubles as location scouting since all of them make great settings for family photo sessions. Things I keep in mind when picking a place to go as a family – we want easy parking, bathrooms if possible, not too crowded and trails around 1-3 miles long (your own criteria may vary).

If you’re looking for kid-friendly hiking spots in and around Austin (or want ideas for where you next family photos should be), here are my Top 10 favorites:

1. Bull Creek District Trail

Bull Creek – Our favorite and most visited park. There are boulders you can climb (near the small parking lot). There’s about a mile hiking trail that goes along the water. Bull Creek is also a favorite location I use for family photo sessions. (We’ve had our own family photos taken here twice)

Address: 6701 Lakewood Dr., Austin, TX 78731

Parking: two lots

Bathroom: yes

2. Balcones District Park

Balcones District Park – Another kid-friendly park with a small playground and pool (only open in Summer). It’s also where I take 75% of my wildflower portraits each Spring.

Address: 12017 Amherst Dr, Austin, TX 78759

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes

3. St. Edwards Park

St. Edwards Park – This 80-acre park has criss-crossing trails that can take you by the water or not. Keep an eye out for their small waterfall.

Address: 7301 Spicewood Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78759

Parking: yes (small lot)

Bathroom: no

4. Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve – Wild Basin is part of the Balcones Canyonland Preserve, and it’s 227 acres of Hill Country woodland. Did you know you could apply to be an Artist in Residence there? (which led me down a rabbit hole of researching other Texas artist residency programs – see some options here).

Address: 805 North Capital of Texas Highway

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes

5. River Place Fern Trail

River Place Fern Trail – We’ve only made one trip out to this trail so far, but have plans to definitely head back soon. There’s a lovely playground across the street we ended up at as well.

Address: 8820 Big View Dr, Austin, TX 78730

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes (at playground across the street)

6. Common Ford Ranch Park

Common Ford Ranch Park – Large open field, boathouse and dock on Lake Austin – never crowded. You can also rent the ranch house/pool there.

Address: 614 N Commons Ford Rd, Austin, TX 78733

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes (port-a-potty)

7. Lady Bird Lake – Hike and Bike Trail

Lady Bird Lake – Hike and Bike Trail – Honestly it stresses me out a little to take the kids hiking here since it’s always so crowded – so we’re more likely to rent canoes and enjoy the lake from the water or just hit the patches of wildflowers by the baseball fields instead.

Address: multiple entry points

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes

8. Circle C Ranch Park

Circle C Ranch Park – A bit south for us to go regularly, but still a nice walk and does get lovely wildflowers some years.

Address: 6301 W Slaughter Ln, Austin, TX 78739

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes

9. McKinney Falls State Park

McKinney Falls State Park – Roughly 20-30 minutes from Austin, and it has an admission charge. But enjoy nine miles of trails to explore around Onion Creek. Good for bluebonnets as well.

Address: 5808 McKinney Falls Pkwy, Austin, TX 78744

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes

10. Pedernales Falls State Park

Pedernales Falls State Park – Roughly an hour drive outside of Austin, also has an admission charge – but such a beautiful spot! I can’t get over the stunning color of the water. Swim, hike, climb over the limestone rocks – and then hop over to the Hill Country Science Mill in Johnson City to make a full day of it (a winning combo we’ve done at least three other times).

Address: 2585 Park Rd 6026, Johnson City, TX 78636

Parking: yes

Bathroom: yes

Those are our Top 10 favorite hikes in and around Austin.

Other spots we’ve enjoyed that I recommend visiting with kids are Inks Lake State Park and Enchanted Rock State Park.

 

And finally, five more Parks near Austin on my list to explore this year include:

1. Pace Bend State Park – Better save with one for the summer when we can go swim as well.
2. Bastrop State Park– We could also visit Bastrop’s Dinosaur Park since we’ve never been there either.
3. Palmetto State Park – We could all take portraits by the dwarf palmettos. It’d also be fun to rent a paddling boat or canoe for the paddling tour
4. Lockhart State Park – Need to add a stop for BBQ in town as well
5. Westcave Preserve – Heart eyes seeing pics of that grotto, need to see it in person – they only offer guided tours.

Have a spot to recommend or want to book your own family photos in one of these locations? Contact me.