Best outdoor adventures near DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin: Hiking, paddling and more for gameday
Week 2 | Ohio State at Texas | Saturday, Sept. 12 | DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX | 6:30 PM CT | ABC
Texas fans have seen this movie twice already and don’t love the ending. Ohio State knocked the Longhorns out of the 2024 CFP in the Cotton Bowl semifinal, 28-14, on their way to that season’s national title, then beat them again 14-7 in last year’s season opener.
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Now the preseason No. 1 Buckeyes are coming to Austin to face the No. 5 Longhorns for the latest installment, with “College GameDay” setting up on campus and a primetime kickoff on ABC. Arch Manning gets his shot at the rematch at home this time.
Whether that ends better for Texas or not, you’ll have all day to burn off the nerves beforehand.
Austin’s downtown skyline rises above Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir on the Colorado River, where people enjoy canoes, kayaks and standup paddle boards. (Getty Images)
Austin doesn’t require much of an excuse to get outside, and with a 6:30 kickoff, you’ve got a full day to work with before the stadium lights come on. From paddling downtown to ziplining over Lake Travis, here’s where to go, all within an hour of DKR.
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A word on conditions: mid-September in Austin still runs hot, with highs typically in the low-to-mid 90s. Front-load anything exposed or physical into the morning and stay hydrated.
Lady Bird Lake — Paddleboarding & Kayaking
Under 10 minutes from DKR | ~$20-30/hour rental
About as close to the stadium as it gets. Rent a paddleboard or kayak from an outfitter like The Rowing Dock or Austin Paddle Shack and glide out onto calm, no-motorboats-allowed water with the downtown skyline as your backdrop — including a pass under the Congress Avenue Bridge, home to the city’s famous bat colony.
Barton Springs Pool
About 10 minutes from DKR | Roughly $5-9 entry
The single best way to beat the heat on a 90-plus-degree gameday. This spring-fed pool inside Zilker Park holds a constant 68 degrees year-round, no matter how hot it gets outside. It’s an Austin institution, so you can expect company. But it’s worth the crowd.
Parkgoers swim in Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. (John Anderson/The Austin Chronicle/Getty Images)
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Mount Bonnell (Covert Park)
About 15 minutes from DKR | Free
A steep but short climb — around 100 stairs — leads to a stunning overlook of the Colorado River, Lake Austin and the city skyline. There’s essentially no shade at the top, so this is a morning or evening stop, not a 2 p.m. one.
The view from the top of Mount Bonnell in Austin, Texas. Visitors can climb to the summit, enjoy a picnic, hike the trail and see views of Lake Austin on the Colorado River and the city. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Barton Creek Greenbelt
15-20 minutes from DKR | Free
Austin’s default answer for hiking and mountain biking, cutting through limestone canyon terrain right in the middle of the city. When water levels cooperate, several swimming holes open up along the trail, too.
McKinney Falls State Park
About 20 minutes from DKR | Roughly $6 entry
Somehow this feels like a different state entirely despite being 20 minutes from downtown. Onion Creek’s Upper and Lower Falls offer swimming holes and hiking trails that make you forget 100,000 people are about to pack into a stadium nearby.
Waterfall at McKinney Falls State Park. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
25-35 minutes from DKR | $135/person for the full tour
This is the splurge pick. Five ziplines over roughly three hours, including Texas’s longest line, plus a short hike and a boat ride built into the tour. If your crew wants one big memorable activity (and doesn’t mind shelling out some dough), this is it.
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Every week this season, OutKick OutDoors is finding the best ways to touch grass before you touch down at the tailgate. Got a favorite spot near your campus we should know about? Hit us up on Instagram and TikTok.
