I’m on a mission to discover all the outdoor adventures tucked away in the 41 Central Texas State Parks; each one offering a unique view of this great state. In order to find the top hill country destinations, I have compiled a ranking of every Texas State Park within a 3-hour drive of Austin.
Texas Parks and Wildlife requires reservations for day and overnight use, so be sure to plan ahead.
Rating Central Texas State Parks
You’ll likely see the same few parks on every site when you google “best places to hike in Austin”. I’ve been to those – a lot, and I’m bored. I’ve set out to find the most beautiful and underrated state parks in central Texas and have not been disappointed. I started this project to discover lesser-known state parks to explore near me, so I haven’t been to all of these (yet), but places I had never heard of now sit at the top of my list for places to visit
To uncover what each park has to offer, I searched Google images, user-submitted Yelp images, the park websites, and various blogs then compiled the information into one location to make finding the best central states parks easy to research. I rated the parks based on how many attractions they have that interest me; here’s what I was looking for:
- Mountain/landscape views
- wildlife/birding
- Challenging Hikes
- Wildflowers
- Unique Attractions
The more the park has or the more unique, the higher the rating.
Texas State Parks Near the Austin Area
Texas state Park
Rating
Best For
Not Great For
Distance From Austin
Mckinney Falls State Park
Birding, waterfall, camping, walking trails
Challenging hikes
30 minutes
Bastrop State Pare
Camping, fishing
Challenging hikes, views
1 hour
Buescher State Park
Lake, picnic, walking trails, views, fishing
Challenging hikes, wildlife, swimming
1 hour
Inks Lake State Park
Birding, lake, swimming, camping, kayaking, swimming, scuba diving, wildflowers
History, unique attractions
1 hour
Lockhart State Park
Walking trails, picnics
Challenging hikes, views
1 hour
Longhorn Cavern State Park
Caverns, history, walking trails, beginner and experienced cavers
Wildlife, challenging hikes, pets not allowed in caverns, camping
1 hour
Pedernales Falls State Park
Waterfalls, swimming, birding
Long or challenging hikes
1 hour
Blanco Falls State Park
Swimming, tubing, fishing, camping, birding
Hiking, wildflowers, views
1.25 hours
Lake, vegetation, walking trails, history, swimming, tubing
wildflowers, views, wildlife
1.25 hours
Waterfalls, views
Shade, many parts of the trails are in an open field making summer hikes tough
1.5 hours
Birds, beach, wildflowers, challenging hikes
Views, fishing
1.5 hours
History, wildlife, wildflowers, creeks, Christmas Decor
Camping
1.5 hours
Mother Neff State Park
Walking trails, camping, watering hole, limestone wall
Views, challenging hike
1.5 hours
Weekend Camping Trips
Texas state Park
Rating
Best For
Not Great For
Distance From Austin
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Stars, views, picnics, camping
Birding
1 Hr 45 Min
Old Tunnel State Park
Views, bats
Hiking, camping
1 Hr 45 Min
Fort Parker State Park
Lake, birding, fishing, hiking trails
Challenging hikes, views, wildflowers
2 hours
Government Canyon State Natural Area
Hiking, dinosaur tracks, views, wildlife conservation
Dogs are not allowed on most trails, fishing, boating
2 hours
Guadalupe River State Park
Lake, river, views, swimming, birding, camping
Challenging Hikes
2 hours
Lake Whitney State Park
Lake, fishing, swimming, camping
Hiking, wildlife
2 hours
Meridian State Park
Wildflowers, camping, hiking trails, birding (home to the endangered golden-cheeked warblers)
Challenging Hikes
2 hours
Stephen F. Austin State Park
Birding, wildlife, hiking trails, history
Challenging hikes, wildflowers, views
2 hours
Honey Creek Natural Area
Creeks and streams, wildlife, wildflowers, educational guides
Hiking, camping, spontaneous trips (only available through reserved guided tours)
2 hours
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Swimming, lake, dinosaur tracks, watering hole
Challenging hikes, views, birding, wildlife
2.5 hours
Goliad State Park and Historic Site
Mission Rosario and Zaragoza Birthplace Historic Sites, weddings, fishing, kayaking, birding
Hiking, views, wildlife, wildflowers
2.5 hours
Hill Country State Natural Area
Horseback riding, hiking, wildlife, birding, stargazing
Swimming, fishing, boating, camping (very few campsites available)
2.5 hours
Lake Brownwood State Park
Camping, fishing, boating
Hiking
2.5 hours
Fort Boggy State Park
Lake, fishing, boating, water sports, camping, cabins
Hiking, wildlife, wildflowers
2 hr 45 min
South Llano River State Park
Birding, wildlife, tubing, camping, stargazing, hiking
Wildflowers, history, education
2 hr 45 min
Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site
Battleship, history
Currently closed for an undetermined time frame for repairs, hiking, swimming, wildlife
3 Hours
Brazos Bend State Park
Hiking, fishing, horseback riding, wildlife, birding
Stargazing
3 Hours
Cedar Hill State Park
History, hiking, fishing
Views, camping (crowded sites)
3 Hours
Choke Canyon State Park
Calliham and South Shore Units, lake, birding
Hiking, views
3 Hours
Cleburne State Park
Waterfall, lake
Challenging hikes
3 Hours
Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area
Bats, birding
Hiking, camping, views, lake
3 Hours
Garner State Park
Views, tubing, hiking, camping, lake
wildlife, wildflowers
3 Hours
Huntsville State Park
hiking trails, lake, picnic, alligators, birding, hiking, weddings
Views
3 Hours
Lake Corpus Christi State Park
Birding, fishing, camping
Views, hiking
3 Hours
Lake Mineral Wells State Park
Rock climbing, lake, views, hollow (similar to slot canyon), camping, hike, swim, fish, beginner and challenging hikes, birding
Wildlife
3 Hours
Fall foliage, moderately challenging hikes, views
camping (there are sites, but they are limited and book a year out), wildlife
3 Hours
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park (currently under development)
Views, fishing, hiking, camping stargazing.
Boating
3 Hours
Possum Kingdom State Park
Fishing, camping
Wildlife, birding, hiking
3 Hours
Sheldon Lake State Park
Fishing, camping
Wildlife, birding, hiking
3 Hours
San Angelo State Park
Birding, wildlife (bison and longhorns), fishing, challenging hikes, horseback riding
Views
3.5 Hours
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