McKinney Falls State Park is one of the prettiest swimming holes in Austin, Texas and I have the pictures to prove it!
Since we’re experiencing a bit of a drought right now in Central Texas, the waterfalls weren’t nearly as spectacular as the pictures I’ve seen on Instagram. However, even with the lower water levels, McKinney Falls was still one of the most gorgeous swimming holes we’ve ever seen.
McKinney Falls State Park
It blows my mind that this park and these beautiful swimming spots are located in the Austin city limits! This popular state park was nearly empty on a Tuesday. It felt like we pretty much had the park to ourselves. (Well, to ourselves and the turtles – we saw plenty of those!)
Onion Creek flows over limestone ledges and falls into the calm pools below. While we were there, the creek was flowing pretty slow which made it perfect for the kids. I didn’t have to worry about the current whisking them away.
My only regret was not bringing some floats with us!
We waded down the creek a little ways, just enjoying the scenery and looking for cool rocks (which my kids are obsessed with).
We didn’t do any hiking since it was extremely hot. However, there are several trails and I’m sure the rest of the park is just as beautiful as the creek area!
There are so many awesome places to beat the notorious Texas heat in Austin, but McKinney Falls is my favorite so far!
If you can’t get enough of gorgeous Texas waterfalls, check out Gorman Falls at Colorado Bend State Park or Chalk Ridge Falls in Belton.
