One of my favorite things about Austin is you get the perks of living in a city, alongside access to so many natural spaces–so close by that some are within city limits. Not all city dwellers are so fortunate!

As our city grows, many more people are getting to enjoy the benefits of this dynamic. Larger populations enjoying Austin’s city parks, however, means more crowds and scarcer parking. I’m a big advocate of getting outdoors, so by no means do I think this should stop anyone from spending time at your local park. But for those who are interested in getting farther outside city limits, there’s a wealth of relatively untapped natural space waiting to be discovered.

This list focuses on a few parks in Marble Falls and the surrounding area, roughly an hour away from Austin in Texas Hill Country.