McKinney Roughs Nature Park

Great place to hike – hardly ever anyone else around. They also offer community programs like guided kayaking, rafting, stargazing and challenge course. See those programs and register online at
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So many Austin folk head west for a hike. That’s why all those places out west are so crowded. We head east – to McKinney Roughs, just a handful of miles down 71 past the airport, and immediately past Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. Managed by LCRA, the nature park flanks the Colorado River and is well managed and well taken care of.
For a casual hike for people with average hiking skills, this place is perfect. There are two entrance points, both off of 71 (we recommend using the one slightly farther east, about a mile past main entrance). Otherwise:
— Suggested entry fee of a few bucks (little metal box if you choose to oblige)
— Never crowded — in the four-​ish times I’ve been (always on a weekend/​holiday), we rarely see other people
— Also a fairly popular place to ride horses, so keep alert and aware (of the horses and their poop on the trails)
— Dozens of combinations of trail options featuring various distances, elevations, scenery, difficulty, and the like – there are four separate eco-​systems in this one park – so you’ll experience a lot in a small area
— Beautiful vistas from the top of a few of the trails, tons of shade on certain trails, and excellent access to the Colorado River
— You’ll be mad at yourself if you wear good shoes and expect to leave with them clean
— Apparently there are Bald Eagles nesting in the area — so you may get lucky and see them!
— Easy parking
— Great for families
Check conditions and get trail maps here:

This park is wonderful. It is simple, beautiful and a great spot for hikers and riders to explore and be with nature.

Probably wasn’t the best idea to come right after thunderstorm, muddy trail, humidity and plenty spider webs, but saw some giant red flying bees, wild hare and plenty butterflies, good morning hike.
Bring bug spray, you will need it.
$ 5 for adult.

This is one of my most favorite hiking spots in the area (i drive over from south Austin). I have been out there many times over the past couple years including going this past weekend. The facilities are always super clean, the staff are always nice, there is always parking and the trails for the most part are always tended too and marked. (the only trail issue I ever had was a tree was down blocking the path one time last year but it was RIGHT after a storm so they may haven’t had time to clear it off yet).
I like the variety of trails from some that are easy and some a tad harder or more on an incline. There is a fee to get in the park but compared to many of the other state parks I have hiked, I feel that their fee is very reasonable and the park is very maintained. My suggestion is to go EARLY… like 9:30 or 10:00 to hike because there starts to be a lot more people later in the morning and early afternoon. You can also get down by the water and lots of folks take their dogs and the dogs love getting in the water. :)
Pack a lunch and pick a nice day to go and you won’t regret it! I will be out there several more times this year.

My wife and I got married at McKinney Roughs. After looking at many wedding venues in Austin and Dripping Springs, it didn’t take long to know after walking along the beautiful trails and new facilities that McKinney Roughs was where we wanted to spend our wedding day. We held the ceremony at their outdoor ampitheater set in a clearing among the oaks and cedar– a perfect informal natural setting. The dining hall was perfect for our reception– well stocked and beautiful. But it was the staff that really made us happy about our choice.
Stephanie was our main contact for the venue and she couldn’t have worked harder to accommodate us. From the tour she first gave us until the last guests left the wedding and the following days’ cleanup– Stephanie was incredibly organized, helpful and cheerful. The rest of the staff and volunteers there made us feel like welcome guests and were ready to help with every request big and small.
We’re so happy to have chosen McKinney Roughs to host our special day.

I have yet to be disappointed by parks in Texas. McKinney Roughs Nature Park is yet another fantastic gem for hikers, horseback riders, and nature-​goers in general.
When you pull in and park, signs direct park-​goers to drop in the visitor center. (There is a nominal park entry fee.) Highly recommend that you grab a map, too. The visitor center houses a nifty (tiny) little nature museum, clean bathrooms, various small conference rooms, and great outdoor landscapes that provide a very family-​friendly and fun environment. Definitely charming and pleasant to walk around before you get on to the trails.
As mentioned by another reviewer, most of the trails are unshaded.
The fascinating thing about this park is that it is home to four ecosystems. You can actually see the change in ecosystems depending where you are on the trail. There are stunning vistas when you come out on some ridges. If you’re out hiking with your dogs, the Park is a LEASHED area. So please, no off-​leash dogs, especially since there are also many horseback riders. Since the Texas Colorado River winds through, it’s a great place to let your dogs cool off (while on a lead).
Friendly staffers!

We love taking our horses here for a trail ride. The trails are challenging, up and down, lots of hills, trees, shade and a beautiful river! It is a fun place to ride, and not very expensive either. Not to mention easy parking!

Some of the best trails near Austin! Numerous paths intervening paths provide you options to determine the length and difficulty of your hike. The trails are well maintained, and there were few hikers, so we were able to enjoy the majority of the hike to ourselves. Take a map provided by the office with you, I can guarantee that it will come in handy.
One tip (and a very important one), despite what the woman in the front office might tell you, the majority of the trails are NOT shaded. I would say a generous assessment would be that only 20% of the trails are shaded. So wear sunscreen and pack water!

This LCRA-​owned park has a wide variety of terrain for hiking and many miles of trails to keep your body burning calories. I’d guess it has at least 20 miles of trails. Not all of them may be open so ask the park office if any trails are closed. The trails have lots of hills with bearable elevation changes. Horseriders also share the trails and the horses may leave a pile of droppings. The trails are well-​maintained and well-​marked. It’s impossible to get lost in the park if you have a trail map with you.
My right ankle turns easily and I found the trails easy enough to walk on. Sometimes you walk on sand, sometimes small rocks on dirt, and sometimes soft dirt. I did not need to use trekking poles in this park.
This huge park has three entrances/​trailheads: Pope Bend, Main Entrance, and Hwy 71. I like the Main Entrance because it is the most central one and has the park headquarters. The park headquarters has a lots of interesting exhibits about the land. There are also drink and snack vending machines nearby. The water in the water fountain tasted horrible. Other than the park headquarters area, there were no other water fountains or bathrooms.
The Main Entrance is closed on Sunday so you’d have to use either of the other two entrances to enter the park. The day use fee is $ 4 and if the entrance is unmanned, there is a paybox with envelopes that you deposit the fee in and tear off the stub to display in your windshield.
There are not many hikers in this park. I often felt very isolated. I prefer to walk on trails with lots of other people so I personally wouldn’t visit McKinney Roughs Nature Park alone. There wasn’t much wildlife other than the birds we heard.
The 199-​year-​old Pecan tree was a nice spot to visit.

I was staying at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and headed out for a hike in this park.
Hiking in this area is much different than hiking in Portland, OR, where I hike several times a week. It is dry and brown in the winter and it felt like I was hiking through a huge tumble week with a tunnel through it. The trails are fairly well maintained but you can see where the trails have been washed out with heavy flooding along the river.
I enjoyed hiking through here but it was very remote and after hiking in for a couple of miles, I turned around and came back. As a solo female traveler my imagination ran a bit too wild with visions of slasher films.
I would love to explore the park further with a companion next time.

I’ll try not to go on too much about how the Hyatt should never have been built, but whatever, what’s done is done at this point. Haven’t hiked any yet, but if you (or in this case someone you know) is staying at the Hyatt, you can do an excursion to the Nature Park to do some fake rock climbing on a Ropes course tower, follwed by zip line rides.
We had a lot of fun and the staff was fun and super helpful. The climb is challenging (for a non-​climber like me) but the staff helps the kids make it up, which is nice.
A fun way to kill a couple of hours and enjoy the non-​Christmasy Austin weather in December.

What a great find thanks to a quick search on Unilocal.We finished a hike at Bastrop State Park and still wanted more, so we found this beautiful spot. It was our first time there and look forward to going back. Very highly recommended for families with younger kids. Our 5 and 6 year old had a blast. Even had a bunch of cool reptiles and fish in the visitor center. Plenty of easy or difficult trail hikes. We spent 2 hours there and our kids even made it to the Colorado River and back with us. Very well maintained and beautiful scenic views.

Went hiking here with the roomies, some friends, and a couple dogs. It had just rained, so some of the trails were closed. The park has a nice mix of walking and horseriding trails. Look out for horse poop in some places! Otherwise, there were lots of animal tracks, bugs, and flowers to look at. The office even lends you a free bird watching or bug collecting or plant identification pack in exchange for lending them your drivers license.
The trails were SUPER well maintained, and extremely well marked. I liked some of the vantage points along the way. It was a great place to go. Very family and children oriented with activities and a little museum and garden, too!

What a great park.
Very nice visitor center with live displays of some of the critters in the park (fish, snakes, lizards, etc.). Trails are nicely marked and the map shows contour lines 50ft) so it’s very easy to navigate.
My husband said they have the cleanest restrooms he’s ever seen. Not sure if I’m taking that personally or not.
We hiked and hiked and only saw one group of equestrian riders. Other than that we had the park to ourselves.
The 199 year old pecan tree is a sight to see. HUGE. but I hear the pecans are quite small.
Great place for the family or a romantic hike with your honey.

Bring ICE and water and all will good with the world.

I went during the night and it was free admission. LCRA had a guided night time hikes on a Friday night and I thought why not. Try something different. Never heard of a park giving guided night time hikes. I was first introduced to the two people who were going to be our guides. They gave an introduction of the park and what to look or hear while we were hiking. They also give a guide to the seeing the stars during the night and that one is free. I need to come back during the day to see this park.

LCRA Park with 4 different ecosystems on beautiful, peaceful land that is adjacent to the Colorado River.
Hiking and horseback riding (BYOH) … not far from the airport, in between Austin and Bastrop on 71. Recreational activities for all ages… pamphlets in the office. $ 3 for adults and kids under 13 free.
Disclaimer: I was the designer/​project manager for an architecture firm when we designed the first 2 buildings and later when I started my own firm, I designed the 3 dormitories and Dining hall with my previous employer.
I have spent a lot of time on this land and it is very peaceful and interesting with the four ecosystems. The LCRA employees are very knowledgeable about the land — both flora and fauna — and the pamphlets that they have put together to take on a hike help to appreciate the birds and flowers and trees and soils.
Mac, one of the LCRA employees who takes care of the buildings and land, told me a story that one day he saw a woman sitting at the end of one of the porches, staring off into the forest and sky, and she had a large hat pulled down over her long, dark hair. He watched her and thought she looked familiar but he did not know for sure. Later he realized it was Yoko Ono.