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The beauty of the San Antonio River Walk Hike & Bike Path is matched only by its utility. The 28.5-mile trail winds along both sides of the river, connecting parks, schools, workplaces, shopping, restaurants, and everything a resident or visitor needs.
About the Route
From its northern end, the trail runs south from Brackenridge Park (which houses the San Antonio Zoo) on the north end of town to Mission Park on San Antonio’s southern end. South of Brackenridge, past I-35, trail users can reach the San Antonio Museum of Art, as well as the Tobin Center for Performing Arts.
Farther south, past downtown and I-10, the pathway continues through Concepcion Park. This is where city dwellers come out to play. There are athletic fields, a playground, fitness stations, and a pool here. Restrooms, drinking fountains, and picnic tables are also available in the park.
A highlight of the journey can be found at its southern end, as the trail winds through San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. This unique attraction provides the opportunity to learn about several Spanish frontier missions, including Mission Espada, the oldest mission in Texas dating back to 1690.
Connections
At its southern end, the San Antonio River Walk Hike & Bike Path seamlessly connects to the Medina River Greenway. If not for the trail information kiosk, you might not even realize the River Walk ended and it's the Greenway that continues south.
The trail runs between Brackenridge Park (San Antonio), where parking is available, and the Medina River Greenway (San Antonio).
Parking is also available at:
There are numerous parking options along the route, please visit the TrailLink map for all parking options and detailed directions.
We started our trip at Concepcion Park and traveled south to Mission Espada then turned back north. We were experiencing a heat wave all over the country during our stay in San Antonio so needless to say the temps were above 100 degrees and very little to none of this stretch of the trail is shaded. It was a little difficult to navigate as you can see by the trail map there are areas where you connect to small trails that either make a big circle back to the Riverwalk or abruptly end! My favorite stop was at the Tree of Life. We didn't even attempt to ride through downtown. We took a separate trip to walk the downtown section which was beautiful and as we were walking we found the northern part of the trail which was less populated by walkers making biking a bit easier. We hope to go back again, maybe when the temps are a little lower!
The south end toward the missions is wide. The downtown path starting from Lexington to Josephine is very narrow. Pedestrians have to step off the sidewalk in many places to let you by. Many were justifiably annoyed. There is zero trail signage. So you have to know the area well to know where to get off. Beautiful riverwalk, and though bikes are permitted it was wishful thinking. You cannot ride there without very slowing to a walk behind a string of pedestrians.
An out-of-town visitor who found the Riverwalk Trail delightful. As others note, the downtown section is narrow and can be crowded. Recommend starting a ride a mile south of town at the Blue Star complex (parking is available). The 9 miles south from there are on pristine concrete, wide enough to easily pass walkers and runners. The trail follows the San Antonio River, occasionally crossing it. Gentle ups and downs. Signage and maps are frequent, as are historical signs. Fun seeing cormorants, geese and ducks on the river.
San Antonio has four missions close to the path going south. Unlike the California missions, these are within a few miles of each other. The National Park Service maintains the grounds. The missions still hold church services and are different from each other. Highly recommend detouring to at least one if you have time.
Bring hydration. There is no shade on the trail itself going south, and convenience stores are few and far. There are frequent picnic tables and shelters, and a few bathrooms.
After riding the Salado Creek trail (at least the portion that was open-haven’t been back since the Boardwalk was closed at Lady Bird Johnson), I started riding the San Antonio. For starters, finding parking is easy in Brakenridge Park. Sunday mornings are great. Between the families cooking out, the custom cars and motorcycles hanging out and overall fun atmosphere, it’s a great place to start your ride. It parallels Broadway running south and it’s a nice 2+ mile ride down to the Pearl-you WANT to go there and enjoy the vendors behind Hotel Emma. From there, you can continue your ride south to the Riverwalk, but things get tight for cyclists and pedestrians. By the time you get to the stone crossover bridge, it’s impossible to ride. TIP: do not cross over the bridge and try to ride back going north-it’s tight and there are several spots where there are stair steps up and down. You have to get off your bike to navigate. Turn around and ride back. Otherwise, it’s a nice easy ride, especially in and around Brakenridge Park.
I roller skate this trail religiously!! it’s gorgeous!!..although I would love to find other trails to skate just for a little switch up.. This one always seems to be the best one ¿¿ The workers are so nice and everything is so beautifully kept! Everyone is very friendly on the trails as well.
This was absolutely a gorgeous urban trail. I rented the bikes and did the whole thing. It’s a great workout. Small waterfalls, thousands of sunflowers and plenty of water stops. This is a must Do. It’s extremely hot though. Go prepared
Our first time on this trail and boy was I impressed! Wide paved surfaces, beautiful parks along the way, several with bathrooms. We stayed at the Inn on the Riverwalk and the trail was right at our back door. Roland the owner let us keep our bikes in our room as I was nervous about leaving them on the bike rack in a strange city. We went south for about 12 miles and then back. You can’t ride north thru the Riverwalk where turista are as it gets narrow and crowdedand take one of the streets thru down town past the Alamo that have bike lanes.but you can go to the steet
Nice paved trail. Parked at San Juan Mission, rode south to Mission De la Espada and started ride up north. Rode all the way to Downtown San Antonio and turned back where option was only street. Got a about 24 miles round trip. Nice ride along River.
Fantastic ride south. Went 15 miles south including part of Medina River Greenway. Can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!
The Riverwalk in San Antonio is not only the most adventurous trail, but it also takes you through several different areas of society and provides education. The Riverwalk works in a fascinating way, unlike any other in the nation. You will see different types of wildlife, bikers, paddlers and some great views of downtown. Even the Missions along the Riverwalk are dog friendly. We have been to those as well - https://placesforpups.com/i-hiked-the-15-mile-san-antonio-riverwalk-with-my-dog/
Hike (or bike) the San Antonio Riverwalk, you will not be disappointed.
We rode on Jan 6, 2020, starting at Blue Star Arts Complex, riding south for six miles. There are some gentle hills as the trail alternates from street to river level. Was uncrowded, but we were on a cool Jan Monday.
We did not see any of the homeless that other reviewers have commented on, and did not feel unsafe.
Stopped to visit one of the Missions on the ride. We wanted to go to Mission San Jose, but missed the sign, ended up visiting Mission Concepcion.
Note - need to park on street starting at Blue Star, not in the parking lot reserved for the Arts complex.
I rode this trail a week ago from the mission trail with goal of looping around OLLU and back to add mileage to the mission trail. It was empty except homeless people under bridges, some covered with sheets, giving the experience a bit of the macabre. I turned around and won't go back until usage is up.
We start at Rosevelt Park. It is 18 miles of rolling hills along listening to the river and seeing wildlife. A new shoot have been added - Apache Creek way to the Mission trails. It is out and back but I wouldn't ride it by myself because surrounding area it goes through. I have seen trail stewards riding it but not park police
We biked the trail this morning. Started at Conception Park and rode south. The park was a little sketchy. Several stray/loose dogs running around but they didn't bother us. Sad to see though. The trail itself was awesome! Beautiful scenery! At the end of the trail, where it loops around and comes back up the other side of the river, was a little confusing. This part was gravel and we got off on the wrong trail and had to turn around. We ended up crossing back over to the other side of the river and riding the same side we rode down on but that was only because we didn't have time to explore. It seemed as though it's well patrolled and used by many. There are some rolling hills but nothing too strenuous. Definitely looking forward to coming back this fall and exploring more of the trail. Absolutely recommend it.
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