Best Trails near Austin, Texas

Nice hike. Easy - Moderate. Limited markings. Not worth a long drive, but great if you’re in the area.

Pretty bluebonnets out right now.

Kids walk to barton creek and swimming

This is the second time I've done this...only did half with my old man dogs...it was beautiful as ever. The Hike to the serenity pool and back is perfect for a quick afternoon, or those with older, struggling fur babies.

Wowza! Switchbacks, parallel trails, and rocky wild trail is a fun labyrinth to navigate. 4 main trails to keep track of: green, blue, orange, and white. White: bike trail, ignore if you are walking. Green: a small 1/4 mile loop off the SW side of blue trail. Blue: this trail leads out to the longer trek and to vertical traverses up and down the valley. It eventually intersects with Orange trail which takes you to furthest reaches of this expansive park system. Make sure to take a photo of the map at the start or have AllTrails handy in your pocket, it gets confusing! Don't go near sunset as it can be easy to get lost. A solid moderate difficulty, and a good calorie burner.

Mostly shade the whole way. Fairly narrow. Rocky in some areas, though mostly flat-ish. This time of year there little green caterpillars hanging down on silk threads everywhere and me and everyone else kept walking into them. Labeled the Violet Crown Trail when in the shade. Maybe they share this section?

Very nice weather today and no crowds

Very technical trail. Many of the climbs and step ups are near impossible without a motor and a lot of the drops can catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention. Very fun challenging trail.

First half was pretty and scenic. the middle was all side walk next to road. The way back looked promising through woods but as of 3/31/20 parts of the trail were closed off and redirected you back to the road. Half good half ehh.

really fun trail! had a blast running it and exploring, though it’s quite easy to get trails confused if you’re not paying attention. there was also a lot of bugs (especially silkworms) in the less transversed areas, but that’s to be expected; i believe i ran through all of them anyways! it’s an extremely popular trail, and for good reason, just don’t go expecting it to be empty! overall i highly recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing run.

This used to be a great trail about 8 years ago. It was free and not busy or very well known at all and then they closed half of it due to endangered owls I believe. I haven’t been back since I lived in Austin in 2016 but it seems they are now charging fees and it is overcrowded. Too bad people can ruin a very nice location as it used to be a perfect cardio hike with the many steps and elevation changes.

One of my favorite loops. Go early in the morning and you won’t be disappointed.

Went on a Sunday afternoon, not very crowded. The area around the lake is very easy to walk. The Jeep trail area is more difficult, with small inclines and declines and uneven rocks. Doesn't have any spot with a breath taking view but overall is nice.

My all time favorite trail in Austin. On the easy side of moderate difficulty. At 2.8 miles it is a perfect family hike. Off leash for dogs perfect for the pets and in Spring (or after showers) a flowing creek throughout offers crossing challenges and dog ponds. It has elevation change at end of loop that transitions from lower mossy creek to upper plateau with a dynamic scenery change of open meadow area that offers variety and a welcome rest. The back of loop is the payoff and worth reaching, in the Summer-Fall the lower moss overhang enjoys a 10 deg drop in temperature. The upper plateau offers blue bonnets in the Spring and seasonal blooms in the Fall.

Kim's ankle kept hurting and she kept complaining about it. But overall the hike was fun.