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Barton Creek Greenbelt is one of Austin's most popular trails, which runs for 7.6 miles through Barton Creek Wilderness Park southwest of the city. The dirt trail, best suited for mountain bikes, is flanked in places with rock walls and follows the course of its namesake creek through lush greenery. At the east end, Zilker Park features dinosaurs hiding among the botanical gardens.
From the Barton Creek Greenbelt, hikers can also access footpaths that stray away from the main path into the hills but cyclists must remain on the main Greenbelt corridor. The trail is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
About the Route
Leaving off from the trail's eastern endpoint in Zilker Park, which is considered Mile Marker 0, the trail heads west, entirely following Barton Creek. This trail end is also home to Barton Springs Pool, a natural spring water pool filled with cold water from the local springs, making it a perfect start, end, or return point for any trail users.
Although the trail is a narrow dirt track for nearly the entire route, there are several sections where the greenbelt is divided into individual hiking and mountain biking trails, including between mile markers 1.5-1.75, 2.5-3, and 3.75-4.
Other than Barton Springs Pool, other swimming holes along the trail include Campbell's Hole (MM .75) and Gus Fruh (MM 2.25).
Notable falls along the route, most prominent in the spring, include the Flats (MM .75), Twin Falls (MM 5), and Sculpture Falls (MM 6.25).
Climbing walls along the route include New Wall (MM 1.5), Gus Fruh (MM 2), Urban Assault Wall (MM 2.5), Kirk and Allvin's Wall (MM 3), Maggy's Wall (MM 3.5), and Beehive Wall (MM 4.25).
The westernmost endpoint of the trail is located at Camp Craft Rd., which offers limited on-street parking (paid).
Connections
At the eastern end of the trail, the Barton Creek Greenbelt connects to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail.
Near the Sculpture Falls Parking Lot, the trail connects with the MOPAC Mobility Bridges.
The Barton Creek Greenbelt runs between 2201 Barton Springs Rd. (Austin), where parking is available, and 1710 Camp Craft Rd. (Austin).
Parking is also available at:
See TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
Be prepared to carry your bike a lot. Lots of large boulders so not very practical for a road bike. Great for an accomplished dirt biker.
We tried taking this trail to Zilker but it is not bikable unless with a mountain bike.
did it so many times as a child ,now i only get to get there once a year . still is the best trail in the world . or maybe its just taking me back to beautiful time in memory i hope everyone visiting there would have the feelings i go through when just smelling the seance of this area.i love it, diffenetly one of the "must-see" places in the world at least once before you go ;)
www.SportForAction.com
We love this trail, and there are so many sections and access points with great diversity. This is one of 39 Greenbelt areas managed by Austin Parks and Recreation [Greenbelt is defined as parkland along a creek or canyon]. Our friends call it the “crown jewel” of Austin, and now that we've explored it, we heartily agree. The full greenbelt area is 1,937 acres and if you walk the full trail, it is a 7.9 mile trek. All along the trail in this amazing nature reserve you'll find wild energy, yet it is so easily accessible and near the heart of the city. We wandered along on a spring weekday and felt the wonderful sense of isolation. Views include sheer limestone cliffs, dense, lush and mostly untamed vegetation plus dozens of natural swimming holes and waterfalls [when the water is flowing]. Most of the upper trail section from Zilker Park to the Hwy 360 access point was hard packed dirt or rock-studded. Easy to moderate for hikers, yet there are some challenges for bicyclists through some intense rock garden areas. In addition to the main trail, there are numerous "back trails" that have been built over the years -- mainly for mountain bikers. It is primarily gently sloping cutback trails, and most of it is wooded so it stays cooler Following the recommendation of locals, we remembered to pack in all the water/ liquids we'd need. There are no sources of potable water until you reach Zilker Park at the north end of this upper trail segment. You can enter at several access points, hike upstream or down, go for as long as you feel like and discover for yourself which part you love the best.
We hiked the entire length of the Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail--and back--on July 4, 2008. Two in our party were completing their requirements for the BSA hiking merit badge and Eagle rank, which calls for a 20-mile hike in one day. Point to point, the Barton Creek Trail is about 15 miles, but with some added walking in Zilker Park, and a sidetrail we managed to log 20. (Except for the Zilker park mileage, none of the trail is paved.) The weather was better than expected, with the high reaching only into the mid-90s (could be worse!) and a bit of a breeze. We started at 8:15 a.m and ended at about 6:30 p.m., with a long break for lunch. Most of the trail is well shaded by the canopy near the creek, and remained 10-15 degrees cooler than if we had been in the sun. Still, remember to pack all the water/Gatorade you will need as we saw no sources of potable water until we reached Zilker. Very little water was running in the creek: mostly none at all, but at a couple of places the springs created enough of a pool to attract swimmers. Many trail bikers and other hikers (almost all with their dogs!) were out on this holiday weekend, including families with young children. We saw three groups of rock climbers on the cliffs beside the trail. Our route began at the northernmost access point, in a neighborhood off Loop 360/Capital of Texas Hwy. There is no designated parking at this access point, only street parking in the neighborhood--bless those patient homeowners! The path down to the creek from the access road is fairly steep and rocky, which we found a challenge to climb on the return leg. Our halfway point was in Zilker Park, at the Barton Springs Pool. There are restroom facilities there and it made a good lunch spot. (We had left a car there with a cooler for lunch). All in all, a very good hike. Only when you are directly under the 360 bridge or the MoPac/Hwy 1 bridge do you have any sense that you are in the city. It is quite remote and the closets and best wilderness getaway in Central Texas.
"We visited Texas in September 2001 and joined the trail at Barton Creek in Zilker Park. It is a beautiful area. The ride is linked to the City Lake Bike/Hike Trail and it seemed the trail was long, crossing over the river under road bridges and overpasses offering parking to those who know the area. The trail was marked with mile markers. The surface for the most part is paved. We enjoyed it and also the dip in Barton Spring to cool down. I highly recommend it."
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