This park has it all!
‘Twas the night before my birthday, and all through the park
Not a trail was missed, not even the unmarked.
Onion Creek flowed so strong and so cool,
That the falls roared with life and crashed into the pool.
We walked nearly 10 miles of trails all throughout the day,
And I slipped into the water, thus on my butt did I lay.
McKinney Falls State Park had so much to do;
It rose to our top rankings spot, yee haw and woo hoo!
On the last day of June, Kaylee and I went to a park long awaited. We had tried on three separate occasions to book admission into this park when finally on the fourth attempt we were successful. McKinney Falls State Park is a top dog when it comes to Texas State Parks. One of the most visited in the state, Kaylee and I soon figured out why. This park had everything that a park could offer in one 750 acre lot. You want water to swim in? McKinney Falls has it. You want water to fish? McKinney Falls has got it covered. Water features? McKinney Falls checks it off. History? You betcha. Scenic overlooks? Yessir. Good hiking trails with a bit of length? Got it. Beautiful nature to behold like impressive trees, rock climbing limestone cliffs, and much more? McKinney Falls is the whole package (much like Kaylee is the whole package)!
Our story begins as the poem did, with trails galore. Of course the biggest attraction in the park is the 2 sets of waterfalls in the limestone shelves on Onion Creek, so we had to go check out the Upper Falls first. A short walk down the creek and we were there. It was so much better than we were anticipating, too. Over millions of years, the water had carved many grooves in the rock and fell with a thunderous roar into the onwaiting pool below. Recent rains in the Austin area aided the creek’s flow and in return gave us a wonderful spectacle in a full blown waterfall. The drop from the top of the shelf down into the creek was probably a little less than 10 feet depending on where you were standing, but it didn’t matter what angle you were at when staring at the falls, it was a masterpiece. We would actually come back to the Upper Falls to take some pictures of our Aggie Rings. On this first go round, Kaylee took as many pictures of the falls as she could and I took one of her on the falls.
Even though we could’ve stayed and marveled in this area for a while longer, we had to move on and see the rest of the park. The one thing that stumped us about McKinney Falls was that it has a few trails that are blocked off for whatever reason along Onion Creek near the Upper Falls. It just rerouted us around further away from the creek, but it did not take away from the beauty of this park. There is an interesting collaboration that goes on in this park. It’s a mixture of the prairies and lakes region that dominates the east side of the I-35 corridor and the Texas Hill Country immediately west of the Austin area. The limestone bluffs and cedar trees mingled with post oaks and prairie grasses throughout the parks.
On our walk down the trail from the Upper Falls, we got to a huge rock shelf that extended barren for 100 yards to where Williamson Creek fed into Onion Creek. This made for a good wide open view of where the creeks flowed. There were also some cool rocks in the water that Kaylee was able to get a picture of. We retreated back to the car so we could go hit up the northern side of the park (which is actually downstream on Onion Creek) and see the Lower Falls area.
But before we made it back to the car, there were some ‘Points of Interest’ for us to see. A massive cypress tree deemed “Old Baldy” which started its life right around the time Leonardo di Vinci was painting the Mona Lisa, a rock sheltered cave that was used by the Native Americans in the area over 8,000 years ago and is on the National Register of Historic Places, and of course the limestone bluffs that are used for free climbing rock walls.
At the Lower Falls area, we found more people. A little more popular for the crowds due to the larger beach and pool, the Lower Falls is a lot like the Upper Falls. The main difference is that the Lower Falls is in a more open area with less tree coverage. The Lower Falls also has a more widespread stream flowing over the top of the rock. This makes for a less thunderous collision when the water drops into the creek below, but it also gives more waterfall surface area. Kaylee took pictures from all angles, some from down below the falls and some from the top of the oncoming stream. We needed to get to the nice, long hiking trails that McKinney Falls State Park boasts, and the only way to do so was to cross the creek at the Lower Falls. Carefully, we waded through the water, skidding on the slick limestone. Once we got across the river it was time to make an almost 6 mile hike on the north side of Onion Creek.
These trails are where the park had the more prairies and lakes feel with the grasses and denser hardwood trees. The land was also flatter. This side of the park is where a lot of the history in McKinney Falls is as well. In the late 1840s, Thomas McKinney and his family packed up from their home in Illinois and made the move down to Texas. They settled on the land that is now the park and there are still remnants of their presence there today. The old McKinney homestead half stands with one side of the outer wall still intact. Most of it has crumbled down. There is also an old grist mill that was powered by the redirected waters of Onion Creek, the first grist mill in the area at that time.
The trails have a different type of beauty to them than that of the falls. The silent appreciation of nature is all I need to take in its beauty. The trails wind their way through the trees and spit you out on Williamson Creek. The trail follows Williamson Creek for a ways then connects back to the entry trail just before Williamson Creek spills into Onion Creek near the limestone ledge and the Lower Falls. At one point on the Williamson Creek Overlook Trail, there is a stunning overlook cliff around a bend in the creek. It is a straight vertical drop around 40-60 feet from the top of the trail to the water below depending on where you are standing. This was an incredible spot to be. We got tons of pictures to capture the wonders of nature here at this spot not indicated on the trails map.
The rest of the trail was following the same paths we took on our way in through the trees for the most part. With one way in and one way out of the north side trails, we came upon the crossing at the Lower Falls once more. The daunting task of getting across the creek on bare feet once again challenged us. Thinking I am invincible since I grew up in the country, I tried to take the water too fast. I stumbled a couple of steps before a full blown wipeout. My feet went flailing and I crash landed on my rear end in the shallows of Onion Creek. A little defeated, I got back up quickly to try to play it off as best as I could. The damage had been done as I heard laughing coming from behind me; I turned around to witness none other than Kaylee clutching her sides for breathe since she was cracking up. She wanted to ensure her camera was okay before she checked on me. I then realized where I rested on the totem pole, not at the top but pretty close.
We wanted to take a dip in the water to wash off the dirt and sweat before leaving. We had attended many parks before and not got in the water, so we decided this one was the one to do it. Unlucky for us, we couldn’t find a good place to change since all of the bathrooms were locked, so we called it a day and drove back to Smithville.
Like the poem in the beginning reads, McKinney Falls climbed up the ranks to our top spot in the rankings. We loved this park and highly recommend it for anyone to go and check it out for themselves!
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