Great hike for a cool day
User: Lou.Catozzi@att.net - 11/8/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.80 Miles Duration: N/A

I parked at the top of the side trail (Fern Hollow?) and hiked down to junction at Panther Hollow and then down to the pond and back up along the utility trail to the junction in Panther Hollow and then north up to the trailhead at the north end then south along River Place Blvd back to the Jeep so that is how I got my miles without any retracing of steps.

This is THE BEST neighborhood greenbelt trail I have seen in Austin. Such terrain, such scenery! It was neat to see the pools of water along sections of the trail, no doubt caused by run off from the golf course above the hollow. This will be an outstanding hike after we finally get some real rain here in Central Texas.

Best elevation change hike in Central Texas
User: GUnit - 9/4/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.30 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
If you are looking for a challenging hike for Texas, then this is your hike. This is the hike you do to train for the Grand Canyon when living in Austin. River Place is 6.3 miles when you hike all the way to Lake Austin, just 6 if you go to the fountain at the bottom and back up. It was dry except for the fern wall, but I could tell this place is awesome when we are not in this serious drought.

As tough as ever
User: jtkatie - 6/25/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 32 minutes

My wife and I had been working out for weeks prior to an international trip - for which we wanted to be in excellent shape. So, we packed up our backpacks (about 15 lbs each, but getting lighter as we drank water) and headed out for the toughest trail we have been on here in Austin. We pushed ourselves through the heat and made it through it in a respectable time.

Challenging and beautiful hike for Austin area... DO IT!!
User: Titian77 - 5/16/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Finished in 2.5 hours.

A couple of my friends and I are training for a bigger climb coming up in a few months.. I did my research for hikes in and around the Austin area to break in my hiking boots before I can go hike some larger mountains in the country.. Came across this one and the reviews were quite unbelievable and too good to be true for the Austin area.. Especially since none of my hiker friends ever mentioned this particular hike, I really didnt know what to expect. However, loved this hike! It has very well marked trail signs, directions, mile markers and some gorgeous views of the golf courses down below and some million dollar houses in the area.. There are tons of steps made from tree barks but very well grounded which make the trail a good mix of trail ground plus uphill steps for that stairmaster cardio workout.. We saw a little bitty frog, a red bird and not a lot of people on the trail which was good as it let us go at our own pace without holding up too much traffic. The trail one way, to the other side is 2.5 miles which makes it 5 miles round trip. It is a good mix of uphill and downhill either way (one way slightly more than the other though). Since Austin has no water in the area right now, the creek area was absolutely dry but am sure it is a pretty sight when there is water flowing down it.. In short, I would highly recommend this trail if you are looking for a great Sunday morning workout and a beautiful, shaded hike not away from the city (which is the most important part)! We entered at the pond on  Big View Drive which is the south end of the trial..

It kicked my ass
User: Riff Raff - 4/24/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 5.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Wow.  The stairs on this trail really are a killer.  This was one of the most difficult hikes I've been on in the central Texas region, and it's all of nine miles from my house!  I had planned to go the entire length of the trail (starting from the pond at the South end), but I had to turn back about three quarters of a mile early when it became evident that I was going to have trouble making it back to the car if I kept going.  I'm actually going to have to work up towards completing this trail in its entirety.

Strenuousness aside, this is really a gem of a trail.  It's well marked, extremely well maintained, is lightly traveled (only two groups passed me while I stopped to eat lunch), very scenic, has a variety of wildlife, and is nonetheless smack in the middle of Austin.  You can't ask for more on an urban area trail, I don't think.

Do note that numerous areas of this trail are not wide enough to really accomodate two people.  Be very careful when passing groups going the other direction, and find a spot to step aside off the trail where possible.

I'll have to try this trail again after we've had some rains.  The photos posted here from when the streams were actually running make the area look even nicer.

Little Fern Trail to Lower Panther Trail to The Boardwalk and Pond
User: AustinWhitewater - 3/12/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Great afternoon hike!
User: LVX - 2/19/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A

I will say I was a little skeptical after reading about this trail.  So close to Austin and I had never been there before.  Only moderately difficult so it was pleasant afternoon.

I am not sure why it says elevation gain 1800 ft.  I did not record anything like that...

Pretty, quiet hike
User: gypsydawn - 1/12/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A
I started out at the Lake, and am so glad. I wasn't expecting the climb to the canyon, and I was really thankful to be going downhill on my way back. The trail was well marked and maintained. I didn't see a single piece of trash. I went on a Wednesday and it was 31 degrees - cold for this area - so there were only 2 other people on the trail that I ran into. I took my dog with me, and he seemed to really enjoy the climbing, but on the way down, it would get a little sketchy on the more narrow paths. My only complaint about the entire day was my fault. I didn't look at the topography well enough so I didn't expect how steep it was and thought this trail would be a good opportunity to start breaking in some new boots. Terrible mistake. Other than that, it was perfect.

Stairway to Heaven
User: csm101 - 11/7/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours
I'm man enough to admit I was nearly whipped by this out and back again hike. This is easily one of the better maintained trails I have seen and it's construction probably ranks right up there as one of the great wonders of the hiking world. Lots... Of... Stairs.... Seriously. Forget about doing this hike unless you are feeling pretty stout. Even though it is largely shaded, think again if it is blazin' hot unless you plan on taking a lot of water up all those stairs with you. Although signs of the city poke through now and then, this hike is relatively serene and the verticality and variety of trail make it quite memorable. Highlight: Realizing I made it to the top. Lowlight: Realizing I needed to go back down.

User: ToddK - 10/5/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Yesterday was a great day for hiking, with sunny skies and temp about 80 F. The trees along this trail provide plenty of shade.  The clear-running creek and a few birds were the only sounds I heard for most of the hike.  Only encountered 1 other human the entire hike.

This hike was much easier than I expected, based on comments I'd read on this website.  I'm 57 years old and I barely broke a sweat while hiking this trail.  Someone needs to re-check the estimated 1800 foot elevation gain because it seems to be way off the mark.  The highest point of the nearby Jolleyville plateau is roughly 1100 feet above sea level and the Lake Austin shoreline is at about 492 feet above sea level.  Even if you count the undulations along the River Place trail, it does not come close to 1800 feet, which would make it the trail with the largest gain of any in this database.  Regardless, I enjoyed the hike a lot and will return with my altimeter/watch to get more info on this discrepancy.  Will re-post if I find anything contrary to my initial thoughts.

User: maddiereyes01 - 9/25/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A

AWESOME
User: texaskdog - 8/14/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 3.50 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Wound up being a great hike...though I would advise doing this when it is NOT 100 degrees, and would be more fun when the creeks are flowing in the spring.  It is shaded, but I've never seen so many stairs (in the northern half).  We parked at the southern entrance on River Place to the junction.  Took a right turn and decided to tough it out to the end.  Just when you think there can't be any more stairs there are more.  Only saw one other person on the trail.  Nice thing is when you come out on the north entrance, its 300 feet higher up so if you walk back down to your car it is all downhill.  My friend Desi was making benches with his Boy Scouts 2 months ago  for their troop project so they are almost brand new.  We didn't do the part south of the junction but plan to do that as a loop later, and return to this path in cooler weather.  This path was clearly created by someone on top of an old path, so the stairs make the hills a bit easier.  Becca held up better than I did.