Grab your hiking boots and get ready to enjoy the great outdoors around Austin on these 10 amazing hikes! Since March, 2020, hiking has gained in popularity and more and more people are learning the wonderful health benefits and calming, restorative powers of a hike out in nature! While there are plenty of great hikes, here are 10 of our favorites!
If you’re not from Austin, but want to plan a long weekend with great hiking, this is your list, as it also takes you to some of the best places to really experience all that Austin has to offer! Be sure to take plenty of water on hikes, especially during the Summer.
1. Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Marble Falls There are over 8 miles of trails in the refuge for great hiking. The Rimrock Trail at Doeskin Ranch offers a strenuous hike with amazing views.
2. Hurst Hollow Preserve, Lakeway A great hike in the Spring or Fall, especially when it’s been raining and the creeks are flowing. Leashed dogs are allowed.
3. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail at Ladybird Lake, Austin A 10-mile loop trail along Ladybird Lake and the Boardwalk, which passes under Congress Ave Bridge, past dog parks, and Auditorium Shores.
4. McKinney Falls State Park, Austin Several hikes in the State Park, including the Rock Shelter Trail, where prehistoric people used as shelter as far back as 8,000 years.
5. Mount Bonnell, Austin Take the short hike up to the top of Mount Bonnell, once the highest point in Austin, where General Custer would take his wife on picnics while in Texas for the amazing view of the Colorado River below!
6. Pedernales Falls State Park, Johnson City The 6-mile Wolf Mountain Trail is a popular trail for hiking enthusiast, especially since you can then cool off in the river!
7. River Place Nature Trail, Austin A popular 5-mile trail with lots and lots and lots of stairs! Leashed dogs are allowed. There is a per person fee on weekends and holidays.
8. Turkey Creek Trail, Emma Long Metropolitan Park, Austin One of our favorite hikes in Austin, this is an incredibly scenic 2.8-mile out and back trail that runs along Turkey Creek! Well behaved dogs are allowed off=leash, so you may come home with some muddy paws and happy pups!
9. Upper Barton Creek Greenbelt, Austin An exhausting but beautiful out and back hiking trail along Barton Creek, with several swimming holes to stop and cool off!
10. Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, Austin An outdoor learning classroom at St. Edwards University, due to Covid-19, Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve will reopen after Labor Day with an online reservations system.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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