Editing Austin, Texas (section)

===Swimming holes===

Austin is home to more than 50 public pools and [[swimming hole]]s. These include [[Deep Eddy Pool]], Texas' oldest human-made swimming pool, and [[Barton Springs Pool]], the nation's largest natural swimming pool in an urban area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 5, 2005 |title=Friends celebrate and help Deep Eddy |url=http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=138758 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207194348/http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=138758 |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |access-date=October 14, 2008 |publisher=[[News 8 Austin]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 23, 2006 |title=Texas Natural Areas At Risk |url=https://www.environmenttexas.org/uploads/yo/8d/yo8dd25vILBEwL-9ntbrPg/ET-Risk-Report-Print.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028224016/https://www.environmenttexas.org/uploads/yo/8d/yo8dd25vILBEwL-9ntbrPg/ET-Risk-Report-Print.pdf |archive-date=October 28, 2008 |access-date=October 14, 2008 |publisher=Environment Texas |page=5}}</ref> Barton Springs Pool is spring-fed while Deep Eddy is well-fed. Both range in temperature from about {{convert|68.0|°F|°C}} during the winter to about {{convert|71.6|°F|°C}} during the summer.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Temperature, Water, Degrees Celsius Water Year October 2005 to September 2006 |url=http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2006/pdfs/08155500.2006.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909225502/http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2006/pdfs/08155500.2006.pdf |archive-date=September 9, 2008 |access-date=August 19, 2008 |website=Water-Data Report 2006, 08155500 Barton Springs at Austin, Texas |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey |pages=13–15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=Temperature, Water, Degrees Celsius Water Year October 2006 to September 2007 |url=http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2007/pdfs/08155500.2007.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909225512/http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2007/pdfs/08155500.2007.pdf |archive-date=September 9, 2008 |access-date=August 19, 2008 |website=Water-Data Report 2007, 08155500 Barton Springs at Austin, Texas |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey |pages=11–13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=Water Quality Records |url=http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2007/pdfs/08155500.2007.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909225512/http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2007/pdfs/08155500.2007.pdf |archive-date=September 9, 2008 |access-date=August 19, 2008 |website=Water-Data Report 2007, 08155500 Barton Springs at Austin, Texas |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey |page=4}}</ref> [[Hippie Hollow Park]], a county park situated along Lake Travis, is the only officially sanctioned [[nude beach|clothing-optional public park]] in Texas. [[Hamilton Pool Preserve]] is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago. The pool, located about {{convert|23|mi|km}} west of Austin, is a popular summer swimming spot for visitors and residents. Hamilton Pool Preserve consists of {{convert|232|acre|km2}} of protected natural habitat featuring a jade green pool into which a {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on}} waterfall flows.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve |url=http://www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/hamilton_pool.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124141108/http://www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/hamilton_pool.asp |archive-date=January 24, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2010 |publisher=Travis County, Texas}}</ref>

====Other parks====

In May 2021, voters in the City of Austin reinstated a public camping ban.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/31/texas-austin-homeless-camping-ban/ |title=Austin voters banned homeless people from camping in public spaces. The city is creating housing for them but not fast enough. |last=Tompkins |first=Lucy |work=The Texas Tribune |date=August 31, 2022 |access-date=March 27, 2023}}</ref> That includes downtown green spaces as well as trails and greenbelts such as along Barton Creek.{{efn|Although Council's attempt to address homelessness and the cost of living had prohibited camping in certain areas of the city, very lax enforcement of that policy frustrated the public and led to reinstatement of the widespread ban.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Findell |first=Elizabeth |title=Camping comes to Austin public spaces — but not at City Hall |url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20190628/camping-comes-to-austin-public-spaces---but-not-at-city-hall |website=Austin American-Statesman |date=June 28, 2019 |access-date=March 27, 2023}}</ref>}}

[[McKinney Falls State Park]] is a [[state park]] administered by the [[Texas Parks and Wildlife Department]], located at the confluence of [[Onion Creek (Texas)|Onion Creek]] and Williamson Creek. The park includes several designated hiking trails and [[campground|campsites]] with water and electric. The namesake features of the park are the scenic upper and lower falls along Onion Creek. The [[Emma Long Metropolitan Park]] is a municipal park along the shores of [[Lake Austin]], originally constructed by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]. The {{convert|284|acre|ha|abbr=}} [[Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center]] is a [[botanical garden]] and [[arboretum]] that features more than 800 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings; the Wildflower Center is located {{convert|10|mi|km|abbr=}} southwest of Downtown in [[Circle C Ranch]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Gould|first=Lewis L. |title=Lady Bird Johnson, Our Environmental First Lady |year=1999 |publisher=University Press of Kansas}}</ref> Roy G. Guerrero Park is located along the Colorado River in [[East Riverside-Oltorf, Austin, Texas|East Riverside]] and contains miles of wooded trails, a sandy beach along the river, and a [[disc golf]] course.

Covert Park, located on the top of [[Mount Bonnell]], is a popular tourist destination overlooking Lake Austin and the Colorado River. The mount provides a vista for viewing the city of Austin, Lake Austin, and the surrounding hills.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 1979 |title=Austin: Outdoors |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ly4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22 |journal=[[Texas Monthly]]  |page=22}}</ref> It was designated a [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] in 1969, bearing Marker number 6473,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Bonnell |url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5453006473&search_term=mormon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707071849/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5453006473&search_term=mormon |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=October 3, 2018 |website=Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow}}</ref> and was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2015.

The [[Louis René Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary]], located on the north shore of Lake Walter E. Long, is a park managed by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department with the goal of restoring the [[Blackland Prairie]]. While not open to the public, it is accessible through guided tours.