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Mckinney Falls State
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Mckinney Falls State Park
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5808 McKinney Falls Parkway
Austin, TX 78744
512/243-1643
History: McKinney Falls State Park in Travis County, in south Austin, is a
744.4-acre park acquired in 1970 from private donation and opened to the public
in 1976. The headquarters of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are near
this location.
The park is named for Thomas F. McKinney, who came to Texas in the early 1820s
as one of Stephen F. Austin's first 300 colonists. Sometime between 1850 and
1852, McKinney moved to Travis County and his property on Onion Creek, where he
became a prominent breeder of race horses with his own stable and private track.
He built his large two-story home, stone fences, and the first flour mill in the
area with slave labor.
Activities: Preserved in the park are the ruins of his trainer's cabin and the
stabilized ruins of his own homestead. Information on Thomas F. McKinney and the
history of the park's land use is interpreted in the Smith Visitor Center.
Camping, hiking, mountain biking, road biking, picnicking, fishing, and wildlife
observation are other activities. Swimming is now allowed in Onion Creek; call
512/243-1643 for current creek conditions. |
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