Mayfield Park - Lake

Getting there: The Mayfield Nature Preserve sits next to the Laguna Gloria Museum in Tarrytown. To get there, take the 35th street exit off of MoPac and head west. After passing Balcones Drive prepare to veer to the left at a Y in the road. At this point 35th Street turns into Old Bull Creek Road. Look closely for an entrance to the nature preserve on the left soon after the Y.

The Hike: The Lake hike at Mayfield starts on the edge of the parking area opposite from the ridge hike parking lot and the Mayfield house. The trail starts off heading in a southerly direction towards the lake inlet that marks the southern border of the preserve. The Mayfield preserve for this section is called the Lake Trail, which you can see on the map sign at the entrance to the preserve.

When the trail comes to a T section with some of the lake visible through the trees, marked by the waypoint "Lake View", we took a right and headed west. This section of trail ends at the property line for the Laguna Gloria museum. Unfortunately a fence prevents proceeding further. If the grounds of Laguna Gloria were open it would provide an opportunity to hike all the way to the shores of Lake Austin.

A better lake view is still to come on this hike. We turned back at the Laguna Gloria fence and doubled back to the T section and continued east. A short distance away is a short side trail that leads down to the lake shore. The steps that lead down to the shore are quite steep, so be careful. At the waypoint "Deck" you'll find a pleasant wooden deck that runs a short distance along the inlet shore. There is ample tree coverage here so the spot is ideal for a bit of a rest to soak up the atmosphere.

The trail continues to the east until encounters a creek that runs through the preserve and then turns to the north. Here you'll encounter an interesting creek valley with rock ridges on either side. Mayfield refers to this section as the Creek Trail. To the left the Mayfield house sits atop the rock bluff. From the trail below one can make out the stone wall that surrounds the house and its gardens. A little further up the trail to the left a series of steps leads to the top of the ridge. A gate leads into the Mayfield house grounds. Stop for moment to enjoy the ponds and peacocks before proceeding to the other side of the grounds that borders the parking area.

The hikes in Mayfield Park are short, taking up about one half to three quarters of a mile. The scenery is beautiful and the hiking terrain interesting which prompts us to recommend this park to those who want a quick hike close into town. A single loop through the park can take as little as 30 minutes.