Austin with Kids: Two Days of Springs, Shade & Short Walks

Day 1 of 2

McKinney Falls, Barking Springs & Mount Bonnell

Start early at McKinney Falls State Park, about 20 minutes southeast of downtown. With small children the thing to know is that the Upper and Lower Falls are worth seeing and not worth scrambling on: the limestone is polished, uneven and genuinely slick, which is a bad surface for a two-year-old. Look at the falls from the bank, then spend the morning on the Onion Creek Hike and Bike Trail, a paved loop of roughly 2.8 miles that is flat, firm and takes a stroller the whole way round. The Smith Visitor Center end of the park has shade, water, toilets and a short interpretive walk, which is the right base with a toddler.

6 stopsDay one

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

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   Start in where are you driving from?Everything today is inside the city · Drive

   Nothing on day one is more than about 25 minutes from downtown, so there is no long drive to get out of the way. In summer the only thing that matters is the clock: aim to be walking at McKinney Falls by around 8am, because the difference between 8am and 11am in Austin in September is the difference between a pleasant morning and a miserable one.

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   McKinney Falls: paved Onion Creek loop~2.8 mi paved · stroller-friendly · Hike

   About 20 minutes southeast of downtown, and with small children the paved loop is the whole visit. The Onion Creek Hike and Bike Trail runs roughly 2.8 miles, flat and firm enough for a stroller the whole way. See the Upper and Lower Falls from the bank rather than walking out on them: that limestone is water-polished and slippery even when it looks dry. Base yourself at the Smith Visitor Center end for shade, water and toilets, and reserve a day pass before you come.

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   Barking Springs & the splash padShallow, warmer, outside the main gate · Viewpoint

   Barton Springs Pool holds around 68°F all year because it is fed by the Edwards Aquifer rather than the weather. That is glorious for an adult in August and a real shock to a two-year-old, so with small children use the splash pad, or walk out of the main gate to Barking Springs, the shallow spillway below the dam. The water there is warmer, ankle to knee deep, and a six-year-old can wade in it while the toddler sits down in it. Put this in the hottest hour of the day.

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   Mount Bonnell at sunset102 stone steps · a carry for a toddler · Viewpoint

   About 102 stone steps up to a bluff above Lake Austin, and the best sunset in the city. It takes minutes rather than hours and it is free. A six-year-old will race up it; anyone under about four is a carry, so do it at sunset or before breakfast rather than in the middle of a 100-degree afternoon. There is no shade at the top, and it is popular, so park carefully on the road below.

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   Lake Austin boat cruiseAn hour on the water · nobody walks · Viewpoint

   An hour on a pontoon instead of an hour on a trail. It gets both children onto the water safely, with life jackets provided and the boat doing all the moving, and it fills the slot in the afternoon when the Hill Country is genuinely too hot to walk in. Book it on your dates rather than turning up: summer weekends go.

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   Night in AustinOne base for the whole trip · lodge

   Stay in Austin for both nights. Everything on this route is a day trip, so there is no reason to move. South Austin keeps you closest to Barton Springs and McKinney Falls, and shortens tomorrow morning slightly. Dripping Springs, further west, is the alternative if you would rather wake up nearer the Hill Country.

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Day 2 of 2

Pedernales Falls: the sandy river beach

Drive about 45 minutes west to Pedernales Falls State Park. The famous view here is the river running down a staircase of tilted limestone, and with young children it is a view rather than a destination: the ledges are big, the drops are real, and holding a two-year-old still on them is a stressful way to spend a morning. Look at the falls from the fenced overlook, take the photograph, and move on. The Twin Falls Nature Trail is short but rugged and steep in places, so treat it as optional and only with a carrier.

5 stopsDay two

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Drive west to Pedernales Falls~45 min from Austin · Drive

   About 45 minutes west of Austin through Dripping Springs. Stock water and food before you go, because the park has no shop and the nearest supplies are back in town. Reserve the day pass the night before rather than in the car, since phone signal thins out as you head west.

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   Pedernales Falls overlookLook from the fence · not a playground · Viewpoint

   A short walk from the north parking area gives you the whole scene: the Pedernales River running down a long staircase of tilted limestone slabs. With small children this is a photograph from the fenced overlook and nothing more. The ledges are large, the drops are real, and swimming and wading are banned here anyway, because the river can rise several feet within minutes from rain falling upstream.

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   Sandy river swimming areaGradual sandy entry · calm and shallow · Viewpoint

   The designated swimming stretch sits downstream of the falls, and it is the reason this day works with a two-year-old: a gradual sandy entry into calm, shallow water, room to sit down in it, and nothing to climb. It is also the only place in the park where swimming is permitted. Watch the water rather than the sky. A rise in level or a change in colour means rain upstream, and the answer is to get out and move to higher ground.

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   Twin Falls Nature Trail (optional)~0.5 mi · rugged in places · carrier only · Hike

   A half-mile loop that is short but not smooth: it has steep, rugged sections that are awkward with a toddler on foot, so treat it as an optional extra to be done in a carrier. If everyone still has legs, the Wolf Mountain Trail runs about 5 miles from the same side of the park, but it is exposed for most of its length and belongs to a cool early morning rather than a Texas afternoon.

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   Getting home: Austin or AUSAustin ~45 min · AUS ~1 hr · Drive

   Austin is about 45 minutes back east and Austin-Bergstrom (AUS) roughly an hour, so there is no need to cut the afternoon short. If you would rather stretch the day, Dripping Springs and Fredericksburg both sit on plausible routes home, and Hamilton Pool is close by for anyone who booked a reservation in advance.

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