conquer – Texans Travel Life

We first discovered McKinney Falls State Park several summers ago when The Man and I took The Manling and Kinder Frau on a “Tour of Texas Waterholes.” It held fond memories for us, especially the wet trek down Williamson Creek while holding an impromptu rock skipping contest. We swam in the Lower Falls, and the guys fished a bit that visit, but we didn’t explore the park properly that first trip because we were on a schedule and had to get to the next waterhole.

Pay attention to this photo out of yesteryear. It will be important later during the test-taking portion of this post.

The water felt so good on that hot, hot Texas summer day. Soon we were skipping rocks and talking big and having a grand ole time until we decided to change into our swimsuits and submerge ourselves in the Lower Falls.

The second time we visited MFSP was in mid-June 2018. The weather was threatening a pretty big thunderstorm, so we weren’t sure exactly how long we’d have to explore the park before we had to take shelter. As we arrived, people were exiting because of the aforementioned thunderstorms headed our way. Exactly like Superheroes, we headed the opposite direction from the fleeing masses. Toward the danger. Into the unknown.

Okay, in reality, some people left and they may have just been tired. I can’t know everything. What I do know is that when we took this entry selfie –

Test-taking portion of the post. Find ten things that are different in this entry photo than the one out of yesteryear. (Answer at the bottom, but don’t cheat and scroll down without first really trying. That’s no way to go about life.)

– the sky behind us was blue and the sky in front of us looked pretty scary. Like, I-think-we-might-be-in-Kansas kind of scary. But we headed in anyway because, honestly, we’d bothered to drive all this way and it was not going to be for nothing. Because we’d already done some of the things in this park previously and because it was Father’s Day Weekend and The Man loves to hike, we focused primarily on hiking. Well, that and fishing because The Manling had just turned the big 1-8 and life is colorless for him unless he can drop a line in the water.

After constructing a good attack pattern with the Park Staff in the HQ (and buying a cute window sticker for the Tiny Toyota Tardis – because the Yaris in bigger on the inside), we pointed the Jeep toward the Lower Falls. Even though the park sometimes has to close due to capacity, we found a great parking spot recently vacated by a park evacuee. We headed on foot to the rock flats. We hunted for the famed “ruts” in the rock caused by wagon wheels in the days of the Old West. We stared at the people swimming in the Lower Falls. And then we began hiking the pleasant (and mostly shaded) Rock Shelter Interpretive Trail.

The vast rock flats aren’t far from the parking area and lie between that and the water of the Lower Falls. Notice the blue skies on the left, and the heavy dark clouds on the right.

We “think” this is the Rock Shelter (#4 on the Trails Map), but it was a neat spot overlooking the water even if it wasn’t.

Heading toward the Rock Shelter Interpretive Trail from the rock flats for a quickie hike.

A stop along the Rock Shelter Interpretive Trail to enjoy the view of the creek below.

A view of the creek they are enjoying in the above pic.

The Manling, longing for his rod & reel.

I love this pic because it’s not even staged! The Manling took the narrower path that followed the creek more closely while The Man led his ladies down the wider path.

At this point, I haven’t the faintest idea where we are. The trail seemed to close ahead, so we turned back after admiring the view in the next photo.

We divided and conquered after that first hike. Kinder Frau and I opted for the air conditioned Jeep while The Man and The Manling went fishing. This translated into us rating all the campsites (see below under Must Do’s) as we explored every single road in the park from the comfort of our car while the guys headed back to the Lower Falls area to do their thing.

When we met back up, we decided to explore the other side of Lower Falls in search of both the Gristmill (#9 on the Trails Map) and the McKinney Homestead (#8 on the Trails Map, and for which the park is named). Both were packed with lush foliage, and cool breezes because of the thunderstorm rolling into the area.

This was a pretty, green, well-maintained path through tall trees with lush undergrowth – and plenty of places for snakes to hide. But I was motivated. I’m a sucker for the historical stuff.

The Man admitted that once the trail narrowed this much with the lush greenery thick all around, he walked faster and kept well ahead so that I couldn’t easily engender his sympathies with my rapid breathing and force us to head back to safer grounds where rattlers weren’t waiting to wound us, thereby missing the focal point of our hike – the McKinney Homestead. I’m so thankful for him because I loved this hike and stepping back into history at the homestead.

The remains of the McKinney homestead. Well worth the panic I paid to get there.

We enjoyed a few hours pleasantly spent rediscovering a history-rich, water-filled state park located in the state’s capital with exactly no run-ins with my arch-nemesis the rattlesnake. Or a Texas summer thunderstorm. #winning

Oh, and about the test-taking portion of the post. There isn’t one. I just thought it was cool that the three of them were almost identical to the photo from years ago…before selfies were a thing and I was always behind the camera instead of in front of it. Don’t hate me. I thought it would be funny.

Why We Love McKinney Falls State Park

Water. This is an essential ingredient to enjoying any summertime activity in Texas. Wade down a creek. Swim at one of the falls. Float down the creek. Fish in the water. Trust me.
Trails. The foliage even in the heat of an oppressive Texas summer is so lush and beautiful! It’s like MFSP didn’t get the memo that it’s time for everything growing to turn brown under the summer sun. It’s beautiful with lots of shade. There’s no downside to that winning combo.
History. Pick up a Trails Map from the HQ. Pick a trail. Follow it, reading the bits about certain spots you pass along your walk. Read the signs. The place is rich with Texas history!

Must Do’s

Hike. The trails are well-maintained, marked and easily traveled. In fact, I would say the trails are more like paths than most of the hiking trails we’ve traveled at other parks. We even came across an elderly couple with their yippie dogs coming from the homestead and gristmill trails and they said it was an enjoyable walk when we asked them.
Swim. Both times we have visited MFSP, the water levels were low. But that didn’t keep anyone from enjoying either of the falls. I’m telling you, opportunities for wet fun in Texas in the summer is what you want and MFSP has it.
Camp. We were hard-pressed to find a bad camping spot. All of them were shaded and spacious and completely delightful for a weekend visit or a week-long trip. We look forward to returning and taking our own advice!
Explore. One of our fondest memories continues to be the time we explored Williamson Creek and had a rock-skipping contest. Bring your sense of adventure and have fun exploring the capital’s own State Park.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at McKinney Falls State Park! Please share your thoughts on this Texas State Capital gem in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned in passing about the “Tour of Texas Waterholes” that the fam did several summers ago. One of the waterholes we visited on that trip was the Devil’s Waterhole, which happens to be located inside Inks Lake State Park. During said trip, the fam focused exclusively on the waterhole all. day. long. At one point, we even rented a canoe to see the spectacle up close before we ventured a try ourselves.

I guess at this point I should confess that I am using the royal “we” here because I let my fear keep me from experiencing this particular Texas water hole with the fam on that particular visit. You see, there are two options for reaching the Devil’s Waterhole – by trail system or by free swimming across a tiny section of the lake. Years ago, hiking on the trails was not a thing that was going to happen because I love my dear family. Nope. God had given me a brain and I was going to use it – because snakes. What about the other route, you may be asking? Well, dear reader, the other route may not be as perilous as the one on dry ground – because snakes –, but it was an equal no-no to me at the time – because catfish. While The Manling is up for anything involving fish (including noodling!), I most assuredly am not. And neither is Kinder Frau. So the two of us staked claim on a rock in the water directly across from the Devil’s Waterhole and watched The Man and The Manling have all the fun. Until Kinder Frau decided to man up and swim across (at an Olympian’s pace, mind you, because of the fish sharing the water) and join the menfolk having all the fun. I admit that I felt embarrassed to be shown up by my baby, but hand-to-God, every single time I put my feet in the water to try to cool off, a dang catfish came up like I was feeding them my toes!! (Seriously, ILSP should host a fish fry or something because that lake is teeming with catfish!) So, I tried to buoy my self esteem the rest of the day with the fact that I was serving the family by taking photos of their adventure. It didn’t work, but I kept telling myself that anyway. And here are a few proofs –

God bless poor little Kinder Frau. She is making the most of that smile with the sun full in her sweet little face.

The Manling was fearless! He took full advantage of the underdeveloped part of the brain in youngun’s that seem to make the males feel invincible. He jumped from ALL the heights. Multiple times. On purpose.

Sweet Kinder Frau showed her Mama up like a courageous conquerer! Note that The Man is treading water, waiting for her to jump in so that she could basically boulder on him back out of the water. Catfish.

Long story short…I was photographer and chief cheerleader on our first trip to Inks Lake State Park. Missing out on participating at the Devil’s Waterhole on that trip is my biggest regret from that whole vacation.

Fast forward to early June 2018 and you can almost share my excitement to redeem that lost opportunity! For starters, I was a bona fide hiker now. On trails, man! Also, I don’t want to brag, but I had even hiked with a back pack once, so (at least in my eyes) I was was a recent inductee to the elite sub-category of a backpacker! With The Manling’s help, the plan was to conquer those aforementioned trails at Inks Lake State Park, face the trifecta of my fears at the Devil’s Waterhole (heights, fish, & snakes!), and then enjoy some relaxation while we basked in the glory of the day’s accomplishments by fishing in the lake. Like I said, that was the plan.

The way the plan actually unfolded was like this…Earlier in the day while we were logging miles in the Tiny Toyota Tardis (because the Yaris is bigger on the inside), I very cooly, very casually, asked The Manling if he was excited to do the Devil’s Waterhole again, to which he replied that he wasn’t going to. I was all, What do you mean, man?! I can’t brave the water or the trail solo! You’ve GOT to do it! and he was all, Nah. Not without Dad. So my much-anticipated shot at redemption flew out the window as we drove those Hill Country back roads toward ILSP.

When we arrived mid-afternoon, we snapped our obligatory entry photos with the State Park sign and then headed into the HQ to hatch our plan of attack with the Park Staff. By this visit, I knew enough to help myself to both the Park Map & the Trails Map while The Manling took care of our entry into the park with his State Park Pass. I was terrifically relieved to see a heron as the chosen clip art for the trails map instead of the dreaded rattlesnake, and did a quick flip of both pages to make sure one wasn’t hiding on the flip sides. Satisfied, I asked the helpful Park Staff if they could recommend a good trail (or two) for The Manling and me to hike. After highlighting a couple of options (Park Staff are famously fond of highlighters!) on our map, I sought verification for my presumption regarding the clip art.

“So, I assume the chances of us coming across critters this time of day on the trails are slim?”

Oh, no! Not at all, I was told. Gulp.

I replied, “Really? Is there a chance we will see snakes? Like rattlesnakes?”

I’d say so, the helpful staffer answered. We have a LOT of rattlesnakes and I’d never tell someone they wouldn’t see one.

I stared, blankly, at the honest staffer before turning to The Manling and cooly commenting, “I’m kind of tired already. This heat. Sheesh! Wanna skip the hiking here?” to which he (thankfully!) replied, “Sure, Mom.” (His passion is fishing, so anything other than that is his generosity toward me. “It’s your trip, too, Mom.” Gotta love The Manling.)

Just to recap: Devil’s Waterhole was scrapped before we drove into the park. Now that we were inside the park, hiking was scrapped, too. That left fishing, reading and being – all of which are fantastic activities to do at ILSP. “We” had already done the Devil’s Waterhole before, and I’m a new backpacker, so fishing could be the new thing we did there that day. Still a win. Don’t judge.

Seriously? That is gorgeous, right? He’s fishing on a rock ledge under the water. Beautiful!

By this time, Mama was tired. The heat beat me and I stayed in the Tiny Toyota Tardis with the a/c blasting while The Manling dropped a line at a different spot.

Why We Love Inks Lake State Park

Devil’s Waterhole. Come on, the name alone intrigues you, doesn’t it? And Texas Waterholes are where it’s at when it’s 100* in the summer in Texas. I still regret never having taken the plunge. (Note: There are underwater hazards, so heed all warning signs regarding the Devil’s Waterhole and proceed with all caution.)
Park Staff. Not only were they honest with us regarding the possibility of coming across snakes, they were helpful in planning our time so that it would be enjoyable to us. This is a priceless service they provide, free of charge!
Fishing. The Park Staff highlighted 3 good fishing spots to try on our visit that day. The South Pier has a fantastic sign detailing what’s in the water, photos of real people who’ve caught certain fish at ILSP and even info on the type of bait they were using when they caught them. Super helpful!
Beautiful. It truly is beautiful at ILSP. Just look at the above photos, all taken either on my iPhone 4 or my iPhone 6 (not on a fancy-pants digital camera), and all of them are beautifully unfiltered.

Must Do’s

Devil’s Waterhole. At least go and watch. It’s quite the spectacle. If you’re braver than I, maybe consider participating. Maybe. (That said, caution is always recommended. We watched for at least an hour before they swam over there. Then they talked to others who’d already taken the plunge, and watched from a perch on the cliffs for an even longer while before venturing off the very lowest spot. Land where others are landing. There are underwater hazards, so proceed at your own risk. Don’t do this lightly.)
Fishing. We didn’t catch anything the day we were there, but we saw a great many under the clear water. They just weren’t eating what we were casting that day. Both piers are suppose to be great for fishing, but probably not during the heat of the day (which is when we were there).
Camping. One of the Park Staff called it “the Village” while we were talking with them in the HQ and that was about as apt a description as could be given. It would seem the whole of the park was for camping. It is a masterfully organized community of camp spots, shelters (with a/c!), and RV spots. And both times we have been, they have been used. At the time of this publication, there was a warning about reaching capacity on the State Park’s website; apparently they are so popular they have to sometimes turn people away!

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Inks Lake State Park! Please share your thoughts on this Texas Waterhole in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.