Barton Creek Greenbelt

Type: Trail	Rating: (4.06)
Difficulty: (2.41)	Solitude: (3.06)
Length: 8.00 Miles	Elevation Gain: N/A
ADAAccessible: N/A	Interpretive Guide: No
Dogs Allowed: Yes	Bikes Allowed: Yes
Cost: Free	More Information: More Info
City: Austin	County: Travis

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Barton Creek

Getting there: From south MoPac, take the Loop 360 exit and head east. The first light includes a left turn lane which leads you into a parking lot for the office building next to the trail entrance. Try to park as far to the left, close to the greenbelt entrance as possible.

The Hike: The Barton Creek greenbelt is the grand daddy of all hiking trails within the city limits of Austin. While the start of the trail begins not too far from downtown, it winds its way for about 8 miles through sometimes rough terrain. At times you will be surprised that you are still in Austin.

Most folks tackle Barton Creek in pieces, so we'll present hikes here in bite-sized chunks. As usual, all of the hikes include a topo map with track and GPS points, commentary on the trail, photos and more.

Logs

Have you visited this location? What did you think of it? Submit your own log entry to let others know of your experiences and to keep track of your adventures.

User: marakristina - 1/27/2010 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: N/A

User: Kim Skotak - 12/21/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Beautiful area in the middle of the city...
User: sitac - 11/18/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 35 minutes

We entered at the Camp Craft Road entrance at 11:30 on a Wednesday and went down the "Hill of Life"...The trail and creek were beautiful and we saw only a few others, mostly with thier dogs, on this part of the trail. Our idea was to try and walk all the way to the Zilker Park entrance, as we had left one car there. Not recommended as once we got to the Gaines Creek entrance off of Mopac, the trail got hard to follow under MoPac and beyond, until we got to the 360 entrance area. We did it but had to make our own trail in some spots and had to cross over the creek twice. It was a nice day so we were okay with that; and we stopped to eat our lunch. Also, we saw a sign that said "Trail Closed" but it was from the direction we had alredy come from, and no sign before that. So, that mile and a half or so between Mopac and 360 is the most difficult. ...Remember also, that this entrance is in a neighborhood area,so there is limited parking, and you probably cannot park there on a busy weekend.

Great Hike
User: goffree - 8/3/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A

great hike with my dogs this evening! Ran into few runners and cyclists. Started at Mopac access road. Went past Sculpture Falls and sign for restrooms. Looped back around on other side. Still bone dry down there.

No water, lots of cyclists, very green
User: jessicab - 5/25/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A

We hiked the east greenbelt today with our dog from 360 down to Fruh Pool thinking there would be some water after the rain we had this weekend. Not a drop. It was a lovely hike though, relatively easy, although there were a ton of cyclists to watch out for.

lots of green, but not a drop of water
User: klyevans - 5/10/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour
I hiked part of the lower greenbelt with my dog today. I thought there might be at least a puddle for him to wade in, but nope. Bone dry. Still a nice hike with all the vegetation and no crowds.

Nice park, bone dry, lots of cyclists
User: christiniprosperity - 1/1/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 1 minute

Was a nice long and bumpy hike. Would have been better if I knew all the no-bike trails. But it was pretty nice. Watch out for bikers everywhere.

Surprising Solitude in Austin!
User: a0628h0427 - 10/25/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 2 minutes

This was a nice hike, surprisingly isolated in Austin. There were a lot of bikers on the trail to watch out for.

User: nhoppens - 7/20/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours

User: tyan - 7/20/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 minute

Best run in town
User: francofile - 11/30/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 45 minutes

I love running the trail from the MoPac access road to Sculpture Falls and back. My dog loves it too. Yesterday we ran into exactly 4 other parties, 2 of whom had dogs as well. The water was shallow but clean, clear and cold. My dog loved it. The sky was overcast so the birch trees really stood out. Fantastic. Time given includes hanging out at the falls - probably :30 otherwise.

One of the best hikes I have ever been to
User: marzmegh - 9/1/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours

I hiked this place twice. once from the lower trail below the twin falls and once from the upper track above sculptural falls and both times I ended up at twin falls which is the best feature of the place. great for swimming.

Most of the time the main track gets covered by water so it is easy for you to get off track and get lost. I suggest you take a map of the place with you before you go and keep your eyes open for the tracks that might have gone under water. especially if you start from the lower track up towards the twin falls you are sure to get lost if you do't have a map with you. remember you must always walk along the river. if you are getting away from the river you are in the wrong track.

User: silvershark1998 - 5/5/2007 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 10.50 Miles Duration: N/A

Through hike
User: Stylie - 8/11/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Its fun to use a shuttle and through hike this trail. Leave a car at the pool in Zilker park, and drive up to the Scottish woods entrance. Hike back to the car at Zilker. We did this with some extra geocaching along the way and it made for a really long trip, that was a lot of fun.

User: strykerjxl - 4/5/2006 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A

User: brian724 - 6/5/2004 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Didn't see a single person.
User: Centex Trekker - 6/1/2003 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A
We heard loud music once we reached the creekbed.