Best Equestrian Camping near Austin, TX

Pedernales is a classic Texas state park with a lot to offer and a short distance from Austin. It is often fully booked and your best chance to book a spot is far in advance or create a notification through the Texas State Parks site if a spot opens up. In the warm weather there's lots of swimming to be had, not in the falls themselves which are prone to flash flooding, but in another part of the park. Occasionally the water is home to poisonous algae which makes the water neither kid or dog friendly. Many of the sites have small shelters over their picnic tables.

Large, spaced out sites with nicely covered picnic tables, lantern hook, and fire pit. It was nice to not easily see your neighbor. This park has it all with very many miles of trails for good hiking, rugged mountain biking, and has the beautiful falls to explore. You can even swim in parts of the river. This place is a gem and is not very far away from Austin! Two downsides: no cell service in the campground and only one dump station for quite a few RVs.

Been here a few times now.  We camp all the way down back next to the creek (which was stagnant).  It's definitely more peaceful and scenic than the other sites, but also places you as far away as you can be from any facilities if you need them.  From the site you can walk to the swimming hole which is cool. The walk over is a bit uneven so if you're not balanced you gotta be a little careful. The swimming hole is cool but gets crowded on hot days, particularly weekends, and when crowded it isn't always super clean due to shitty people.  They don't do reservations so you can just pull up early afternoon and camp for as long as you like. Overall, it's nice for a quick/last-minute escape from Austin, but I wouldn't make it a destination for a roadtrip or anything.

Pace Bend is one of my most favorite places to camp in Texas.

Not far from the old (and new!) Backyard (a great place to see live music in the live oak capital of Texas), Pace Bend is a quick drive away. A perfect spot to pitch a bunch of tents, jump off cliffs, swim and barbeque. Maybe 45 minutes from downtown Austin (without traffic).

I won't lie the cliff diving kinda freaks me out. Be careful is all I'm saying!

There are several primitive campsites throughout the park with picnic tables, grills and toilets. Additionally there are 20 RV hook-up type sites that offer running water, electricity, restrooms and showers.

a crown jewel of the Texas Parks system. Hiking, horse riding, swimming, floating. At one with nature. Bird watching.

great camping areas with the river near by. about 20 miles worth of hiking trails. You can ride bikes or horses here too. Lots of great swimming.

One of my favorites you can do a lot of different activities from horse back riding swimming hiking biking. The facilities are well maintained and the sightseeing is wonderful.

This site has no shade at all but is close to one of the trails to swim

Make sure to visit this place a day or two after a good rain so that the falls are really in action. It will always be beautiful, but it’s even prettier with more water. Pedernales Falls is the perfect respite from the Texas heat—& it’s close enough to Austin to have some fun & a good meal in the city. The waterfall is lovely & we spent a long time exploring & wading around. There are also trails in the park though that are worth hiking. In short, the park offers a good deal of opportunity for adventure.

This park is absolutely beautiful. The river that flows through it has plenty of rocks to scramble on and explore, and the swimming is great. I definitely would recommend taking the time to visit this park, especially since it's so close to Austin.

This is not one of our favorites but we like to hike and the views are great.  They have some drive thru campsites for anyone that’s new to backing an RV.  There is not much shade and they have some repair areas.  The swimming area is good for small children but not really that big.  It’s far from Johnson City or Austin so it’s best to take supplies with you.

As the title suggests, this is a pretty decent little primitive camping site. The camping area is along the top of cliffs, affording a nice view. The sites are decently spread out. The sites seem like they are used on a fairly regular basis, which makes sense as this is outside of Austin. I am hoping that the primitive camping is still open, as it was a little while ago that I camped, but I decided to go ahead with the review and share the pictures. Overall it is recommended, although there are better primitive camping experiences especially if you are willing to drive a few hours, such as lost Maples. Another good thing is that you can go check out the falls which is kind of the thing that most people do you come to this park. Enjoy!

Large sites, friendly wildlife and gorgeous views makes this a favorite! All sites have parking for cars and or campers, water, electricity, picnic table with lantern hook, and fire pit / grill. The lots have plenty of room for a tent and it would be easy to hit the site max of 8 ppl with a camper and tent. Some lots were easily 3/4 of an acre! Trails were beautiful and well maintained. The falls are always spectacular. They had ice and firewood for sale at the park manager site so it was close to where you were staying. (In July at least.) Restrooms were clean and modern. Have to mention that with all the landmarks, wineries, distilleries, antique shops, etc. it would be easy to spend a whole week here... And then Austin is 30 minutes away!

This park, for many people in the hill country of Texas, is the quintessential park to visit. Within an hour’s drive of Austin, it offers a quick escape for a day visit and is also one of the more popular parks for overnight camping. Under Covid-19 conditions entrance permits were given out for a specific time, but with the park’s popularity, the procedure might stay in place after the worst of the pandemic has passed. We lucked out by getting a site due to a cancellation on both Friday and Saturday nights, which meant we had to move sites, but didn't have to book 5 months in advance!

The campground has well-spaced and wooded sites with water and electricity. Each campsite has its own little section of the forest, and makes you feel like you’re one of just a few people in an otherwise full campground. The bathrooms are also very clean, the showers are excellent with good water pressure and plenty of hot water. Note: check out the newer building if you want to see the camping bathroom Taj Mahal -- let's just say it's Texas sized!

The weather in January can be all over the map.  We were in shorts the first two days, then it snowed more than the area had seen in 20 years on our final day.  Come prepared for anything!

Lots of hikes begin right from the camping loop, but it’s a short drive over to the scenic falls which give the park its name as well as other. Less a waterfall and more a series of cascades tumbling over the limestone bedrock of the Pedernales River, the falls area could take a whole day to explore. Walking, crawling, hiking over the myriad of rocks shaped by the river one can escape into their own area and world for a moment or afternoon of poolside reflection. Just know that there are going to be other folks wandering about.   Tip!  The parking lot is very full at the trailhead to the falls...ride your bike from the campground to avoid the bottleneck at the end of the road.  You'll be greeted by armadillos and many birds along the way.

With dozens of other trails, it doesn’t take long to leave the busy sections of the park behind and find your own space out in the forest. We were here for 3 days and didn’t even come close to getting out on all of them. 

Nearby Johnson City has a medium sized grocery store as well as gas and other necessities. If you’re going that way, spend the afternoon at the Lyndon B. Johnson State Historic Park, which is a cool tribute to the settlers of the Texas Hill Country and our nation’s 36th President.

This park is a popular weekend destination for people living in Austin and San Antonio for day use and overnight camping - so it gets busy. During the week the park has much more availability for camping. There are a limited number of reservable developed and primitive campsites. Try to make a reservation as early as possible if you plan to visit on a weekend. The developed campsites have water and electricity with restrooms nearby. The sites have varying coverage of trees and shade. The primitive campsites are located down a trail and are basically a cleared patch of land surrounded by trees. All of the campsites are within walking distance to the Pedernales River. However, the actual Pedernales Falls is about 2.5 miles away from the developed campground. I typically drive to see the falls. The falls is not what one might think of as a traditional waterfall. It is more like a river that has carved out a pathway through limestone rock. While this might not sound all that interesting, it is quite dramatic to actually walk along the riverbed and explore the falls up close. During the dry season or when there limited rain, it is possible to walk along the riverbed and explore the falls and all of its intricacies. During the rainy season or when there is heavy rain, the falls turns into a turbulent raging river and access is restricted. There are a few established hiking trails that wind through the trees and over the hills. There are some hidden water holes that are swimmable for the more adventurous. Be aware of snakes in the spring and summer.

the best park ive been to in central texas