We have learned the fun way that you don’t need a ton of time to explore new territory! My sister, my two little boys, and I drove from Dallas to Hill Country, through Austin, and back, within just 3 days and two nights, giving us 48 hours to experience as much as possible. If you aren’t travelling with two children under the age of five, the possibilities of what you could add to this 48 hour trip are endless: you could double time this itinerary, or add another adventure, or maybe even sleep or sit down to eat somewhere! and if you do have little kids with you on your journey- this one’s for you!
Tuesday morning, we packed up, picked up a rental car (because we trust my car about as far as we can throw it), and hit the road about 10:00 am. We had the luxury of being able to take this trip mid-week (T-Th), and in the off-season (March), so we were lucky enough to avoid crowds and traffic! I mean… avoid as much traffic as possible…nobody avoids traffic in Austin!
Our first stop was Colorado Bend State Park. It was just over a 4 hour drive from Dallas and somehow someway by some miracle we only had to stop once on the drive there! (I’ll make a road trip hacks post soon and link it here.) Why did we choose Colorado Bend State Park? To hike to Gorman Falls! This place has been on my bucket list since moving to Texas a few years ago! We finally made it happen and it did not disappoint!
1- Gorman Falls at Colorado Bend State Park
The hike to Gorman Falls is basically the first trail head once you enter the park. There are signs that are easy to follow. When we got to the trail head, we broke out our picnic, ate, changed my kids out of their pajamas and into their hiking clothes, made everyone go potty, unloaded water from the cooler to our packs, and started on the hike. Excuse me if I made it sound like that preparation process took less than 2 hours. 2 little guys in tow, remember?
The distance from the trail head to the water fall is about 1.5 miles. My 4 year old (Owen) realized the novelty of drinking water from a backpack, so the first quarter mile we were taking water breaks every 20 yards. There was hardly any shade on the trail, so even though it was a fairly flat and easy hike, it was hot! Owen is still at the point in life where temperature doesn’t phase him, so after the water novelty wore off, he basically ran the whole way to the waterfall.
Like I said, it is a fairly flat hike, until the very end, and you have to hike down some slick rocks to get to the falls. There is a cable along the trail you can, (and should!) hold on to for balance and safety. I was getting concerned looks and comments from fellow hikers, due to me hiking down these rocks with a baby on my back, but I promise I was totally fine. Would my grandma in high heels have been able to manage it? No. But I was 28 and wearing Chacos so it was easily doable.
Even though you can’t touch or play in this waterfall due to the delicate ecosystem, we still spent quite a bit of time admiring the falls and walking along the river. When it was time to leave, Owen sprinted back to the car with my sister, and my baby fell asleep on my back as I hiked back at my own pace.
Tip: Buy your park permit online beforehand. Not only does it guarantee your entrance into the park, but it saves you from hassling with the self-pay station.
I don’t remember where we stayed that night but I remember wishing we had stayed in Marble Falls. That city seemed to have a better, cleaner selection of places to sleep and eat… if you’re into those things… unlike my children.
The next morning, we grabbed a quick continental breakfast, put on our swimsuits, and drove to Krause Springs!
2- Krause Springs
This was my favorite stop of the trip! I loved everything about this place and I am dying to go back! We almost didn’t make it because when we originally put Krause Springs in our GPS, we were taken to a private farm that looked nothing like a peaceful place to take a dip. I think your best bet here is to use Google Maps. If you end up at a random farm gate, keep going another 10 miles or so down that road where you have no service no map and no directions. It’s not as sketchy as it sounds, I promise.
We played at Krause Springs from about 10 am to 2 pm. We would have stayed longer but we thought we had a reservation at Hamilton Pool to get to (I’ll elaborate in a second haha). Krause Springs has a garden, a man-made pool, a swimming hole with a rope swing and waterfalls, clean bathrooms, picnic tables, campsites, and even areas of the stream that were shallow enough for my 9 month old to play in. I can’t speak for the weekends, but on this Wednesday morning in March, there were maybe 7 other people there besides us. It. Was. A. DREAM! The water was a little chilly but once we got swimming in it, we weren’t cold at all.
Tip: Bring towels, food (no glass), cash, and a map! Krause Springs was $7/person, cash only, and well worth it!
We ate a picnic here before taking off and heading to Hamilton Pool Preserve.
3- Hamilton Pool
Hamilton Pool was actually pretty close to Krause Springs. We planned this little loop perfectly! Well, I thought I planned perfectly until we arrived at Hamilton Pool and were so kindly told by the ranger that our permits were actually FOR THE DAY BEFORE! Oh, and it’s a cash only entrance and I didn’t have cash because we used it to get into Krause Springs. I can’t be trusted to make arrangements like this, apparently. Anyways, the kind ranger directed us to the nearest ATM (about 8 miles away!) and told us we were OK to come back and he would let us in. Thank you thank you thank you. I’m sure if it was a busier day, this wouldn’t have been the case. Another perk to road-tripping in the off-season. But don’t worry, it get’s better. And by better I mean worse. The worse, the better. At least that’s what I say while watching the Bachelor.
So, we come back from getting cash, park, do the whole potty/sunscreen/pack our bags ordeal that takes way too long with kids, and start the easy, 1/2 mile hike down to the pool. We get to the water and I realized that my baby had pooped while in the baby carrier. That’s fine, I was going to change him and put him in a swim diaper anyways.
Tip: I always carry a disposable bag with me for dirty diapers, so that I can pack them out to the nearest trash can, without contaminating my whole bag.
So, I put him in a his swim diaper. The four of us hiked through the cave, and swam to the waterfall, which is BEAUTIFUL! I highly recommend it! When we got back to the beach, my sister and Owen started swimming and playing with the fish! My baby pooped again. That’s fine, I whip out my little changing station and realize I only brought one swim diaper! But whatever, he just pooped twice, he’s not going to poop again, we’ll just swim commando for 30 minutes before the pool closes and I’ll put a regular diaper back on him. So my little baby is swimming commando, HE POOPS AGAIN!!! You guys. My sister grabs one of our towels, we wrap my baby in the towel, strip his clothes, everything is covered in poop, we just throw it all away. Yup. Trash. Not worth it.
I was tempted to yell at everyone to clear the pool but you know what? There is a ton of water there with gallons of water flowing in and out every minute, the pool was about to close anyways, and the rangers test the water every single morning to make sure it is clean enough to swim in. So I didn’t feel too bad. There may have been a few dead fish in the pool the next morning but you know what? Sh** happens. Especially when you’re travelling with kids.
We packed up, hiked out, and drove to downtown Austin to stay the night.
You’ll want to snag permits for Hamilton Pool about 2 months in advance! They almost always sell out! Get your permits here.
The next day, we only had time for one excursion before heading back to Dallas. We chose well when we decided to visit the Austin Nature and Science Center at Zilker Park!
4- Austin Nature and Science Center at Zilker Park
You could easily spend a full day or more exploring Zilker Park! But because we needed to go straight from Zilker Park back to Dallas, we avoided doing any swimming, kayaking, or paddle boarding. We did actually ride the train at Zilker park a few months ago when we were in Austin for Thanksgiving. We didn’t do the train ride this trip, but if you have time, I would do that again as well!
The Nature and Science Center is a pretty little garden and learning center geared towards kids. We did unfortunately run into a school field trip there, but I don’t think that hindered our experience too much. My kiddos LOVED digging in the Dino Pit! We all enjoyed walking around, admiring the greenery, observing the animals, and learning from the exhibits.
Let me know if you head to any of these suggestions, how you liked them, or if you have any questions about them. I say this at the end of almost every trip, but I can’t wait to go back!
I love this – the adventure, the pictures, the narration, etc!