McKinney Roughs Colorado River Rafting Near Austin, Texas: A Homeschool Family Adventure

visitor center

Looking for an outdoor adventure near Austin? One summer we joined our local 4-H group for a guided rafting trip along the Colorado River at McKinney Roughs Nature Park. It turned into one of our favorite family outings, combining beautiful scenery, wildlife, and just enough splashing to cool off during a hot Texas summer.

About McKinney Roughs

McKinney Roughs Nature Park, located east of Austin near Bastrop, is known for its hiking trails, educational programs, wildlife, and guided outdoor adventures. The Colorado River provides opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, and rafting while the surrounding preserve offers excellent birdwatching and nature study opportunities.

What to Bring on a River Rafting Trip

Swimsuit or quick-drying clothing
Water shoes or old tennis shoes
Sunscreen
Hat
Sunglasses with a strap
Plenty of drinking water
Waterproof camera or phone case
Dry change of clothes
Small towel

Tips for First-Time Rafters

If you've never been rafting before, don't worry. Guided trips are designed for beginners and families. Listen carefully during the safety briefing, wear your life jacket correctly, and don't be afraid to get a little wet. On a hot Texas day, you'll probably welcome the splash!

Why We Loved Outdoor Adventures

One of the reasons we enjoyed trips like this was that they encouraged our family to spend time outdoors together. Whether hiking, paddling, camping, or exploring Texas State Parks, these experiences helped us appreciate nature while building confidence and practical outdoor skills.

Today, Pamela and I headed for McKinney Roughs Park to go river rafting. We met up with some of our 4-H group. The park is about 30-something miles away. I left my house at 8:30 am and arrived at the park at 9:20 am --- not bad for Austin rush-hour traffic!

aquarium at Mc Kinney Roughs visitor center

With time to kill, we went into the visitor center and looked at their aquariums.

fish local to the Colorado River

gigantic river turtle

catching the bus

A bus arrived to transport us to the river. It was a nice bumpy ride.

Bus ride to the river

a bumpy bus ride

Several river guides explained to us water safety, how to wear our lifejackets properly and to talk a little about the Colorado river. My first question was in reference to the drought we had been experiencing, as the river didn't look like it had dropped any.

It was explained that due to dams, the river maintained a steady height and the energy (from the dams) is what kept Austin's power going.

If there was flooding, the water would rise as high as 3/4th the height of the trees we were standing under. This made me think of the flooding that is happening right now in other parts of the country. Makes me very thankful for the dams in the area.

The route we would be rafting, would be past the dams--- so it was a straight shot from there to Matagorda to where the Colorado feeds into the gulf of Mexico. (Matagorda is an interesting small fishing town with shrimp boats lining the Colorado river. The last time we were there, people were fishing and catching sharks.)

We rafted for 5.5 miles and the bus met us at the end of our trip.

I went ahead and uploaded all the pictures I had. I used a water-proof disposable camera and took the film to 1-hour photo after we completed the rafting. I'm sharing these photo's with some 4-H families who didn't bring a camera and needed these for their record books --- so, I'm adding all I have.

We sure had fun, didn't we?!

rafts at the Colorado River

paddling at the river

rafting

a lot of splashing on the river

We goofed off quite a bit, splashed one another, and played bumper boats. Several times the kids slipped off the raft. Pamela fell in twice. Our river guides were easy going (since the parents tagged along) and allowed the kids to swim and drift down stream.

A beautiful day to river raft

We took turns paddling the raft

It was a breezy 99 degrees. What a beautiful cloudy day!

climbing back into the raft

Some swam to cool off

goofing off

swimming and paddling

A fun group

I didn't swim, but I was comfortably soaking wet - due to all the fun and splashing! I'm just thankful I didn't get whopped in the head with somebody's paddle.

Wrapping up after a full morning! I was shocked to see it was only noon. Talk about a FULL DAY!

Heading back home

As usual (my family's tradition) Pamela and I spied the famous pecan store up ahead. They have one of the largest neon signs I've ever seen - advertising - CHOCOLATES - PECANS - PEACHES - etc.

Yum, yum... Pamela and I picked out the combo package of white chocolate pecans, milk chocolate pecans and cinnamon sugar pecans! (In fact, I hear somebody munching on them right now.) Save me some!

Afterwards, we spied a McDonalds up ahead and had our breakfast and lunch!