A complete guide to camping in Austin

Austin sits at 784 feet on the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country, where spring-fed creeks, limestone bluffs, and live-oak woodlands create a greener landscape than most of Texas. The city draws camping traffic from both residents escaping to nearby state parks and travelers using Austin as a base for the surrounding hill country.
Austin Lone Star and Austin East KOA Holiday provide the most established campground options within the metro area. Oak Forest RV Resort and Austin RV Park serve the RV crowd with full hookups. Riverbend RV Park on Lake Austin adds waterfront access. Evergreen RV Park rounds out the in-city options.
The real camping draws sit within 30 to 45 minutes of downtown. McKinney Falls State Park on the south side of Austin puts tent and RV campers on Onion Creek with swimming holes, waterfalls, and hiking trails accessible from camp. Pace Bend Park on Lake Travis west of town provides lakefront camping on a limestone peninsula popular for cliff jumping, swimming, and boating. Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City (45 minutes west) has the most dramatic terrain, with a stepped river cascade through layered limestone. The Hill Country surrounding Austin supports a different camping character than the Gulf Coast or West Texas desert, with live-oak shade, reliable swimming water, and proximity to small towns like Dripping Springs and Wimberley.
Best months: March through May and October through November
Spring is the prime camping window with wildflower season peaking in April along Hill Country back roads. Summer is hot, with July and August exceeding 100 degrees regularly. Fall brings relief by October with comfortable 70s and 80s. Winter is mild with January highs in the 60s and occasional cold fronts dropping temperatures for a few days. Rain is distributed year-round with spring and fall seeing slightly more.
| Season |
|---|
| Months |
|---|
| Avg High |
|---|
| Avg Low |
|---|
| Conditions |
|---|
| Spring | Mar-May | 74°F | 62°F | Spring is the prime camping window with wildflower season peaking in April along Hill Country back roads. |
| Summer | Jun-Aug | 89°F | 77°F | Summer is hot, with July and August exceeding 100 degrees regularly. |
| Fall | Sep-Nov | 74°F | 62°F | Fall brings relief by October with comfortable 70s and 80s. |
| Winter | Dec-Feb | 58°F | 46°F | Winter is mild with January highs in the 60s and occasional cold fronts dropping temperatures for a few days. |
Source: NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals

McKinney Falls for a quick overnight within Austin city limits, with swimming holes on Onion Creek and short hiking trails. Pedernales Falls for more dramatic terrain with a stepped river cascade (45 minutes west). Pace Bend for lakefront camping on Lake Travis with cliff jumping and boating (40 minutes west). Each serves a different experience.
Bluebonnets and other wildflowers peak from late March through mid-April. The Hill Country west of Austin (Highway 290, Willow City Loop near Fredericksburg, Muleshoe Bend) provides the best displays. Timing varies by a week or two depending on winter rainfall. Check the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center reports.
June through August regularly exceeds 100 degrees. Camping is possible but requires heat awareness. Choose sites with water access for cooling (McKinney Falls swimming holes, Lake Travis, Barton Springs nearby). Camp under tree cover when possible. Start all activities before 10 AM. Drink aggressively.
Oak Forest RV Resort and Austin RV Park offer full-hookup sites within the metro. Austin East KOA Holiday has pull-through sites with resort amenities. Riverbend RV Park on Lake Austin adds waterfront location. McKinney Falls State Park accommodates RVs with electric hookups at some sites.
Pace Bend Park on a peninsula in Lake Travis allows primitive lakefront camping. No hookups but direct lake access with swimming, cliff jumping, and boat launching. The park gets crowded on summer weekends. Several other Travis County parks along the lake provide additional camping access.