“Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.” – Gary Snyder. In our Five Parks series, we’re examining some of the wonderful wild places urbanites can easily escape to for clean air, elbow room, and recreation. Our formula is simple: Find five worthy parks to visit within a two-hour drive (or train) of some of America’s most populated places. Today: Austin, TX. Previously: NC Triangle

Austin draws visitors and new residents from across the country with its music, tech jobs, festivals, bars and barbecues.

Anyone who sticks around awhile realizes it has something else to offer: access to Texas Hill Country.

Tucked along the Balcones Escarpment running north to south in Central Texas, Hill Country is a vibrant border area between vastly different terrains. To the east lies the flat, swampy plains and bayous of East Texas. To the West, the undulating near-desert country of West Texas. And to the north, the Llano Estacado, a flat expanse of harsh, near-treeless country stretching to the Great Plains.

Hill Country, in contrast, is full of rivers, shade, and hundreds of small canyons and promontories. It’s a playground packed with climbers, cyclists, birders and hikers. Here are five parks within 2(ish) hours of Austin that are worth a visit when you’re ready to ditch city life for a day:

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Marble Falls, TX

Distance: 38 miles northwest of downtown 

Activities: Birding, hiking, hunting (seasonal), photography

Size: 28,000 acres

Highlights: Texas is a birding mecca, hosting over 678 species of birds. Of that, 245 either live in or migrate through Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). That makes it a great place to spot both common and elusive species, including the black-capped vireo, a small bird which spurred the Canyonlands into existence in the early 90s. Bring a pair of binoculars and set up on one of the park’s many viewing decks or take to the 10 miles of trails to spy the vireo and other wildlife of all sorts. The NWR’s craggy karst terrain also features many streams, caves, and pools that shelter amphibians and fish. Seasonally, the park is open to deer and wild boar hunting. 

Bastrop State Park, Bastrop, TX

Distance: 34 miles southeast of downtown

Activities: Hiking, camping, swimming, cycling, fishing

Size: 2,054 acres

Highlights: In 2011, the most destructive wildfire in Texas history ripped through parts of Bastrop, killing 2 people, injuring 12 more and causing $325 million in losses from property damage. Bastrop State Park was an epicenter for the burn, with its densely packed scrub understory. Today you’ll see a changed forest by foot on the park’s 7 miles of hiking trails or from your bike on its 12-mile park road, which is great for cycling. The park is now a more open savanna, with grasses taking the place of the old understory. It’s also home to loblolly pines, those peculiar conifers with long trunks topped by a Dr. Seuss-esque canopy. Bastrop is part of the “Lost Pines” ecoregion of Texas, which harbors loblollies and other species most typically found in East Texas. The stand in Bastrop State Park is the westernmost home of loblollies in the country. 

Hill Country State Natural Area, Bandera, TX

Distance: 121 miles southwest of downtown

Activities: Camping, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, mountain biking

Size: 5,369 acres

Highlights: Bandera is Texas as old Westerns portrayed it on the silver screen. Deep limestone canyons, hills and plateaus covered in live oak and mountain cedar, red oak, and wide savannas share the landscape. It’s one of the largest relatively untouched slices of Hill Country and a must-visit for any outdoorsy Texans. Some 40 miles of trail loop through the park, and with three backcountry campsites visitors can choose their own adventure and put together a relatively challenging weekend of backpacking with multiple stops. Hikers share portions of the trail with horseback riders. Visit in early spring to check out the dazzling reds of claret cup cactus blooms and of course Texas’ state flower, the bluebonnet. 

Colorado Bend State Park, Bend, TX

Distance: 95 miles northwest of downtown

Activities: Swimming, hiking, cave tours, fishing

Size: 5,328 acres

Highlights: Falling, running, or carving caves, water in all its forms is celebrated at Colorado Bend State Park. The park protects a chunk of the Colorado River (a different Colorado than that one out West) that eventually flows through Austin in the form of Lady Bird (neé Town) Lake. The aptly-named River Trail whisks visitors along the Colorado from swimming hole to swimming hole. Adventurers should try the rocky, steep, 3-mile Gorman Falls Trail, which ends at a 70-foot waterfall that is truly spectacular in spring. Spelunkers, experienced or amateur, can book caving adventures through the park’s rangers and will get a chance to peer into the limestone caverns underlying Hill Country. 

Pedernales Falls State Park, Cypress Mill, TX

Distance: 43 miles west of downtown

Activities: Swimming, mountain biking, hiking

Size: 5,211 acres

Highlights: Pedernales river water flowing down long, flat limestone slabs gives Pedernales Falls State Park its name. While the falls are visually stunning, there’s so much more to do in the park. Swim in the river and play along the limestone islands that stand midstream. Take your mountain bike on the aggressive, technical Juniper Ridge Trail, which is 10 miles long and includes plenty of obstacles for seasoned riders. For a classic bit of Hill Country hiking, take on the six-mile Wolf Mountain Trail, which is a wildflower lover’s dream in the early spring due to a profusion of Indian paintbrush.