Texas Hill Country State Parks You Must Visit This Fall

The fall is the perfect time to visit Texas Hill Country state parks, which offer stunning vistas and even changing leaves. Why not make this fall your time to explore everything the Hill Country has to offer? Pack your bags, grab your tent, find your hiking shoes, and get ready to have your own adventures right here in Texas.

1. Lost Maples State Natural Area

Photo: Facebook/Lost Maples State Natural Area – Texas Parks and Wildlife

Any listing of Texas Hill Country state parks to visit in the fall must include Lost Maples. This state natural area lacks some of the amenities you’d find at a state park, but what it lacks in creature comforts, it makes up for in scenery. From the middle of October throughout the fall, a daily fall foliage report indicates how much of the canopy has changed colors, giving you the chance to know before you visit how splendid a view of the maples you’ll get. Pro tip: Since everyone wants to visit this park in the fall for a rare chance to see leaves changing colors in Texas, visit on a weekday and early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

2. McKinney Falls State Park

Photo: Facebook/McKinney Falls State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife

If you want to take in nature without straying too far from the city, check out McKinney Falls State Park. This getaway is just minutes from Austin, but once you enter the park, it feels miles away from civilization. While here, go rustic without sacrificing comfort by staying in one of the air-conditioned cabins. Camping, hiking, biking, and fishing at the park make this a perfectly located recreation center close to the state capital.

3. Blanco State Park

Photo: Blanco State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife

Though one of the smaller Texas Hill Country state parks, Blanco State Park is one that you don’t want to miss. Situated along a spring-fed river, you can fish, swim, or enjoy the scenery. One of the things that makes this state park unique is the unusual white coloring of the river bottom and banks. This comes from limestone in the area, which is naturally white. If you’d like to see a small state park you can explore in a weekend, add Blanco State Park to your list.

4. Inks Lake State Park

Photo: Inks Lake State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife

Only a handful of Texas Hill Country state parks are located on lakes, and Inks Lake State Park is among those. Things you can do around the park depend on the season and weather conditions when you visit. Since the Texas Hill Country occasionally experiences droughts, Valley Spring Creek may not always have adequate water flow to create waterfalls upstream from the lake, but don’t miss these falls when they are present. The rugged landscape and crystalline waters make this a perfect park for a fall weekend hike or campout.

5. Pedernales Falls State Park

Photo: Pedernales Falls State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife

The wild Pedernales River creates the falls which give the state park its name. Though some Texas Hill Country state parks have rivers at their heart, Pedernales Falls State Park is one of the few that has a standing warning for visitors to watch for flash floods. Even if it’s not raining where you are, rain upstream could cause the river to rapidly rise, but this fast-flowing river also creates beautiful falls that thousands come to see. Don’t miss this Hill Country gem this fall.