More for family biking, playgrounds, BBQs & history
Richard Moya Park
- 12/22/2014
[View Log Page]
Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 2.00 Miles
Duration: 1 hour
This is a lovely county park. It is more of a veloway than a hiking trail, but the birdwatching was worthwhile. Also, there are multiple nice playgrounds and a ton of grilling areas, including some more quiet picnic tables. The old Congress Avenue Bridge was interesting.
Not for everyone but we enjoyed it!
Hornsby Bend
- 12/20/2014
[View Log Page]
Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 3.00 Miles
Duration: 2 hours
We were looking for hiking options in East Austin when we stumbled across this place. I wish I had planned better because there are apparently regular bird counts and guided tours listed on the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory website calendar. Admittedly, there is some odor, which is not surpising as it is a biosolids treatment plant. But this is such a nice space for wildlife, and it is very gracious that the city permits the public to enjoy birding here. The gentleman at the front gate was extremely helpful and provided us with a map which came in handy. We saw only four people in two hours. Ironically, we would have stayed longer but for the lack of restrooms--there are some in the administration building, but that is not always open during hiking hours.
Couch-to-5K training program
Quail Creek Park
- 4/23/2013
[View Log Page]
Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 3.00 Miles
Duration: 30 minutes
We did an eight week couch-2-5k program here via the local YMCA (right down the street). Although very small, this little park has lots of amenities for kiddos, friendly local dog walkers and a pretty well maintained trail with some interesting elevation changes.
Excellent peacock viewing, plus there is also a trail
Mayfield Park
- 10/27/2012
[View Log Page]
Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 1.50 Miles
Duration: 1 hour
We primarily walked this trail as an excuse to check out the peacocks. However, there is more to this trail than just the main house. The trailhead begins at the large house, then branches out to the right and the left of the house.
It's a fairly easy trail with some interesting vistas. If you take the left fork, you also get a good view of the house on the hill, which is interesting.
Decent hike with lots of trails (lots of the same trails)
Walnut Creek Park
- 8/21/2012
[View Log Page]
Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 2.00 Miles
Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
NOTE: comments only refer to the small section of Walnut Creek that we traversed.
We hiked this with a six year old and a medium-sized dog on a Tuesday afternoon. The trailhead is located in the middle of the Walnut Creek Metropolitan park, so it is in a fairly busy area to start off with.
On the positive side: there are many, many different small trails running throughout Walnut Creek, with excellent signage and a trail map posted at strategic positions throughout the park.
On the negative side: the trails are a bit on the repetitive side and very easy (this could easily be a positive); also, we experienced a garbage-like smell in various areas.
Overall, we would say that Walnut Creek is a good choice for people who want quantity, since there are supposed to be 17 miles of trails wound up within Walnut Creek proper.