National Parks & Preserves Near Austin

There’s so much to love about living in Austin that it’s hard to imagine ever leaving this vibrant city! What with all the music, art, museums, food, drinks, history, scenery, activities, recreation…. you know, so on and so forth.

But, if you do ever look outside the city limits to what is beyond, there are plenty of amazing sites and destinations run by the National Park Service that are open year ‘round to eager visitors!

Here are a few National Park sites within 4 hours of our Austin apartments that are sure to make for a fun day or weekend out of town!

National Park Service lands to visit near Austin

El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail

The El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail is a massive trail system that weaves over 2,580 miles through southern and eastern Texas into Louisiana. 

The historic trail connects visitors to historical sites and routes of significance to Texas’ early colonial history, back when Texas was still a part of Spanish-controlled Mexico. Along the paths are old homesteads, battle sites, archeological digs and so much more that are all connected to 18th-century Spanish colonial Texas. 

The trail follows the original historic trail that once ran from Mexico City through Laredo, San Antonio and Nacogdoches to the Sabine River in Louisiana — a route used by Spanish officials in Mexico City to check in on and keep track of their missions in then-Spanish-controlled Texas. When Mexico gained independence from Spain in the early 19th century, the same route was used by American colonists who were invited into Texas to settle and establish homesteads. 

Though the web-like trail stretches all over southeastern Texas, there are portions of it that run nearly directly through Austin. It’s a great opportunity to not only walk the routes of people long ago, but also to explore some of the historical sites around the area that we may have never thought to visit before!

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Distance: 1 hour, 30 minutes

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is not just one of the most rich areas of Texas Colonial history you could step foot on, but it's also the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in the entire state!

This historical complex preserves four of the five Spanish frontier missions in the San Antonio area, all of which were part of the Spanish colonization effort that occupied much of the Spanish-controlled territories in the 17th century through the 19th century.  They were established by Spanish Catholics aiming to convert local indigenous peoples, and they remained long after Mexico gained independence from Spanish rule.

Today, these missions are glimpses into the complex past that came into conflict with and shaped much of the customs, traditions and languages that are common in Texas today.

Waco Mammoth National Monument

Distance: 1 hour, 45 minutes

One of the last things we’d expect to see in a town like Waco are the remains of giant Columbian mammoths who once called Texas home, just as we do today.

Back in 1978, surrounded by Groves of Oak, Cedar and mesquite trees, two young men discovered a large bone in an eroded ravine along the Bosque River. They took the bone to Baylor University's Strecker Museum, which is known today as the Mayborn Museum complex, where it was identified as a femur bone from a Columbian mammoth.  These giants roamed North America during the last ice age around 20,000 years ago and have been known to have lived from the U.S.-Canadian border to as far south as Costa Rica.

Once the femur bone was identified, the area was quickly turned into an archaeological site that slowly revealed more and more hidden treasures. By 1996, the remains of around 22 different mammoths were found in this area alone, as well as the remains of a saber-toothed cat, a giant tortoise, a Western camel and an American alligator. Researchers determined that the presence of so many remains in one small area is a result of flash floods that quickly drowned and buried the animals in the muddy soils.

Amistad National Recreation Area

Distance: 4 hours

The Amistad National Recreation Area surrounds the U.S. portion of the Amistad Reservoir, the confluence of the Rio Grande, Devils and Pecos Rivers near the city of Del Rio. 

Amistad is the Spanish word for “friendship” and was used to symbolize the friendship between the border cities of Ciudad Acuña and Del Rio, both of which share common history and traditions. The Amistad Reservoir, then, is a representation of how these cities not only share in history, but they also share the same beautiful landscape and recreation opportunities.

And there are certainly plenty of recreation opportunities here at the Amistad National Recreation Area. The scenic reservoir offers plenty of boating and water recreation activities on its near-65,000 acres of surface area, not to mention scuba diving, swimming, water skiing and fishing. The surrounding natural landscape is home to a vibrant ecosystem of plant and animal life that makes for ideal hiking, birdwatching, camping and hunting trips. 

The recreation area is also famous for hosting the millions of Monarch butterflies that migrate to the Southern United States and Mexico each year. 

Big Thicket National Preserve

Distance: 4 hours

Big Thicket National Preserve is a unique piece of Texas's natural landscape that features an intricate web of different ecosystems and habitats converging together in harmony.

This region is incredibly dense with wildlife and plant diversity, and researchers have found up to 11 ecosystems in this heavily forested area of Southeast Texas. From pine-covered uplands to sand ridge savannahs to black gum wetlands, magnolia slopes, oak gum floodplain, bogs, palmetto hardwood flats, swamps and so much more, this diverse area is home to an enormous variety of life. There are over 500 vertebrate species here, as well as 160 species of trees, 800 herbs and vines, 1000 flowering plant species and 340 types of grasses that have been identified — so far, at least. 

There is also significant historical value to this area, as it was home to nomadic Native Americans who used this area as temporary settlements along their paths.

Next time you’re planning a historical holiday or are looking for a trip into the Texas landscape, give these national parks, preserves, recreation areas and monuments a visit and see how you like them! 

Enjoy!

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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/Goodfreephotos_com