Lower Barton Greenbelt

Lower Barton Greenbelt

This out-and-back hike travels up the canyon of Barton Creek from Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park to the MoPac Bridge near Twin Falls. Along the way, you will see rock bluffs overlooking a clear blue stream bordered by riparian hardwood forests as well as drier woods of cedar. The crystalline stream not only has scenic shoals but also deep pools for swimming and stone bluffs popular with rock climbers. This is, in my humble opinion, one of the best urban hikes in America. The Barton Creek Greenbelt is an oasis of nature in the middle of central Austin. While you’re here, you can enjoy a clear stream that has cut a canyon over time, showing off its geologic history in the sheer walls that accompany the stream most of the way. Nature has provided rich vegetation to accompany the rocks and stream, in the form of streamside trees such as sycamore and elm. In other places live oak and cedar grow. The entire picture adds up to a wilderness feel, about as wild as you are going to get with skyscrapers and interstates nearby. You will hear the sounds of civilization in the distance, but in other places, you’ll hear nothing but flowing water cascading over rocks, continuing to carve and shape this preserve.

See all Hiking in Texas