Business Hours
ClosedMonday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 – 5:00 PM
Zilker Nature Preserve
About
301 Nature Center Dr, Austin, TX 78746, USA Get directions
Zilker Nature Preserve sits on a wooded hillside above the Colorado River, a quieter counterpart to the busy parkland nearby, with about two miles of unpaved trails winding through cliffs, woodlands, and a small pond. Wear sturdy shoes for the uneven terrain, leave the bikes and dogs at home, and note that it's open only on limited weekday hours, so it's worth checking before you go.
Nature PreserveHistoric LandmarkPark
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Barton Springs Pool
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Barton Springs Pool is a three-acre spring-fed swimming hole in Zilker Park, where water bubbles up from the Edwards Aquifer to hold a steady 68–70°F year-round, cold enough to take your breath in summer and oddly tolerable in winter. Watch for the Barton Springs salamander, an endangered species found nowhere else, which is part of why the limestone-lined pool is managed as carefully as it is.
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Zilker Metropolitan Park sprawls across more than 300 acres along the Colorado River just southwest of downtown Austin, and it's the gateway to Barton Springs Pool, a spring-fed swimming hole that hovers around 68 degrees year-round. You'll find people picnicking on the Great Lawn, paddling Lady Bird Lake, and walking the trails here, and it's also home to the Zilker Botanical Garden and the annual Austin City Limits festival.
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McKinney Falls sits where Onion Creek spills over wide limestone ledges on the southeast edge of Austin, forming the upper and lower falls that give the park its name and its swimming holes. Beyond the water, you'll find hike-and-bike trails through Hill Country woods, the ruins of an early stone homestead, and a bald cypress estimated to be centuries old—all within about a 15-minute drive of downtown.
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