Slaughter Creek Greenbelt

Trail
N/A
N/A
Free
2point5stars (2.50)5
1point5stars (1.90)
2point5stars (2.80)
N/A
Yes
Yes
No
Austin
Travis
More Info
Photos
Gulf Fritillary
One of the clouds of butterflies that I saw at the park. (Photo by plectrudis)
Rock wall
The park includes this nice old rock wall. (Photo by plectrudis)
More typical Hill Country Vegetation further in
When you get further in, the vegetation looks more like a typical Hill Country landscape (Photo by plectrudis)
Overgrown
There's a bench back in there among the weeds. This was typical of the neglected, weedy look near the Alsatia/Currin trailhead. (Photo by plectrudis)
Trail View
Almost all of the paths are old jeep trails that had probably been in use when the land was part of a working ranch. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
A hill or two
Most of the trail is relatively flat, but a couple of small hills lead up to entrances to the greenbelt. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
We found Puck!
Shortly before finding this cache we saw an owner looking for a lost dog. After finding the cache we found a dog too! We tracked down the owner and reunited everyone. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
How sad
It's a shame that the world has people who get a kick out of destroying things, like this old ranch building that was burned to the ground. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
No good tree goes unclimbed
Several old oaks line the trail, some that must be climbed. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Headed home
After a couple of hours of caching and dog finding, it was time to head home. (Photo by Austin Explorer)
Log Entries
Felt a bit neglected, but saw some wildlife
By plectrudis on 10/31/2016
Rating: 2point5stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 2.60 Miles Duration: N/A

I parked at the intersection of Alsatia & Currin, and the entrance to the trail system had the sort of weedy, desolate look of a vacant lot, rather than the look of a park or nature preserve--lots of Johnsongrass-looking gangly weeds and an overgrown trail. It was Halloween, so maybe my imagination was running away with me, but it felt like the sort of place where people dump bodies.

However, if you push on through, it starts looking more like a typical HIll Country landscape (little bluestem, mesquite, and juniper) and less like a derelict lot. There's a nice creekbed, and a modest bluff climbs up over it.  And the animals are clearly thriving there--I saw a roadrunner, three deer, and a flood of butterflies.  There's some shade, but not a ton.

Despite being surrounded by suburbia, the trail was eerily quiet--I only ever saw 2 other people, which probably contributed to my general feeling of unease.

Bottom line: I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit this park again, though if I were a local, I'd use it in cool weather/evenings, preferably with a walking buddy or a dog.

Brushy, dry
By texaskdog on 7/10/2010
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

This is the 3rd major South Austin trail we've hiked where we've gotten lost and come out on a street (along with Searight & Stephenson).  We saw 2 major signs about 100 feet apart but that was it, and the trails were hard to follow.  Luckily the internal compass kicked in.  There were quite a few people on the trail unlike most of our hikes.  I think the new maps on this site are more difficult to follow than the old ones as this didn't seem to match unless you are being sent down streets.  Very brushy so wear jeans if its not too hot.

By kathyhearn on 11/4/2009
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A

A frequent favorite of mine. I call it "the back forty"

Beautiful flowers right now....even a "strawberry fields" bachelor button growing wild.

Wandering around while caching
By Austin Explorer on 12/28/2007
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Spent a few hours here tracking down about 6 geocaches in the greenbelt.  Only saw a few people on the trail.  Found a lost dog while we were at it.

By lancescape on 12/9/2007
Rating: 1star Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 1star
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Recommended Item
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