If you want an RV park in Austin, TX, but you still want to feel like you are RV camping in nature, you can’t beat McKinney Falls State Park. (If you want to be in Austin but closer to the city, you can take a look at our Review of Austin Lone Star Carefree RV Park here.)
When we are looking for an RV park in Austin, McKinney Falls State Park is definitely one of the RV parks on the top of our list.
General RV Park Information: McKinney Falls State Park
- GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 30.18058 Longitude: -97.722127
- Physical Address: 5808 McKinney Falls Parkway Austin, TX 78744
- Phone Number for Reservations: (512) 389-8900
- Phone Number for Ranger Station: (512) 243-1643
- Rate as of March 1, 2014: $20 per night for 30AMP service, $24 per night for 50AMP service
- Weekly Rate: None
- Monthly Rate: None
- Military Discounts: For Disabled Veterans with 60% or more disability rating, “Day Pass” fee of $6 is waived.
- Other Discounts: Texas State residents who are over age 65 are afforded a 50% discount off the “Day Pass.” Any permanently disabled individual receives 50% off the “Day Pass” rate. Kids 12 and under are always exempt from the “Day Pass.”
- Additional Information: There is a $6 “Day Pass” fee per person/per day in addition to the campsite rate. However, a Texas State Park Pass will allow visitors and guests to enjoy unlimited visits for one year, at more than 90 Texas State Parks, without paying the daily entrance fee. The Texas State Park Pass has additional benefits as well.
RV Site Details: McKinney Falls State Park
- Site Pad Material: Gravel
- Water: Yes, included with daily rate
- Electricity: Yes, included with daily rate
- Sewer: Not on individual sites
- Laundry: No
- Cable TV: No
- Wi-fi: Supposedly (see below)
- Dump Station: Yes
- Propane: No
- Pull Throughs: Yes
- Back In: Yes
- Big Rig Friendly: Yes
- Pet Friendly: Yes
Particulars of Our Stay
- Dates of our Stay: January 5-7 and February 21-22 2014
- Site Number: #14 on January 5-7 and #19 on February 21-22
- Cellular Coverage: We received strong Verizon and AT&T signals in the park
- Most Memorable Moment: When a hawk landed on our passenger side view mirror. Brittany crawled across the floor to grab the camera and we were able to snap a couple of pictures before it flew off!
A hawk landed on our side view mirror and kept us company
- Other Awesome Moments: Hanging out with epic travel bloggers around a campfire, deer meandering all over our site throughout the time we were there, and our “open house” that we had with Austin-area friends.
- Least Fun Moment: Doing the dump station thing without disposable gloves, which we forgot to buy.
- Fun People We Met: Jill Sessa of Vespa and a Laptop, Brian and Maria of The Roaming Pint, Shaun and Erica of Over Yonderlust, and John and Laura of The Democratic Travelers. (Note: John is a total slacker when it comes to reading blogs. Haha John, I know you aren’t reading this! Don’t you dare tell him, Laura!)
From L-R and Top-Bottom: Maria and Brian of The Roaming Pint, Erica and Shaun of Over Yonderlust, John and Laura of The Democratic Travelers and Eric and Brittany of RV Wanderlust
Personal Reflections On Our Stay
This place is great! If only they had sewer hookups and cable, we might never leave.
Austin is our home away from the road, so we’re incredibly biased. McKinney Falls State Park is roughly 15-20 minutes SE of downtown Austin, depending on traffic, and honestly you feel like you are in another world away from the city. So you have access to one of the greatest cities in this country, and yet the tranquility of the park is your home.
The sites are not terribly level, but they are really spacious. There is plenty of distance between you and your neighbor. Each site boasts a camping square if you want to throw down a tent, a picnic table, and a fire pit. But you can’t gather wood in the park, so bring your own firewood. Oh, and if you are going to be drinking beverages of the adult persuasion, do it inside your RV. Texas State Parks do not allow for the public consumption of alcoholic beverages.
There are clean restroom facilities, though they are dated. The facilities have a limited number of showers and a common changing area, but the water pressure is good.
Supposedly the campground has Wi-Fi. We never found it, and neither did any of our friends. So not sure what the story is there.
Though we went in the late winter, they have some awesome swimming holes at McKinney Falls State Park. If you happen to go during the warmer months, don’t miss out on this! They also have over six miles of hiking and biking trails, and some old ruins to explore.
McKinney Falls in Austin (Photo credit: Jim Nix of Nomadic Pursuits Travel Photography)
Lastly, if you are into fishing, they have a “Tackle Loaner” program where you can borrow everything you need to go fishing for free! And, if you are within the boundaries of the State Park, you don’t even need a fishing license!
Things To Do in the Austin Area
The Austinot blog, a blog all about the city of Austin
There are so many things to do in Austin that we created an entire website dedicated to everything Austin. It’s called The Austinot and it has over 500 unique articles. Check that out for sure if you stay at McKinney.
Final Thoughts on McKinney Falls State Park for RVers
Like any RV park, McKinney has its pros and cons, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons here. If you are willing to live without direct sewer connections, laundry, and cable while you are camping, but still want to be close to the Live Music Capital of the World, I know of no better spot within the Austin city limits.
Do you have anything to add? Any other thoughts on McKinney Falls State Park? Maybe you have a question. We love comments, so please don’t hesitate!
