Return to Bull Creek

creek was running good
User: jimmy peace - 4/18/2019  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 5.30 Miles Duration: 3 hours

lots of folks out

 

crowded as always... and dog owners who dont pack it out
User: jimmy peace - 2/23/2017  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2point5stars Difficulty: halfstar Solitude: 2point5stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: N/A

a common problem i am seeing these days sadly is what dog owners do

Exasperating
User: plectrudis - 9/6/2016  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 3point5stars
Distance: 1.20 Miles Duration: N/A

This hike was a royal pain.  I had a map from the internet, but it didn't have enough detail to actually be useful.  There was a kiosk with a map at the park, but it was inexplicably in an inaccessible fenced in area fill of weeds. 

I parked in the first lot, found the very nice, sizeable falls with a bunch swimmers.  I followed a trail here until it petered out in the woods, overtaken by poison ivy.  Then I backtracked and forded the creek at the road, and found the second parking lot and trailhead. On this side of the creek, what appeared to be the main trail dead-ended unexpectedly in a parking lot and volleyball court. The only marked trail I ever found had become a running creek for about 300 feet, thanks to the recent rains. Other trails dead-ended in the woods or the creek.

I never figured out how this trail system would hook up with the St Ed's Park trails.

It was hot, short, unbelievably muggy, poison ivy infested, muddy, and unreliably marked.  There were some picturesque parts, but I can't say I'll be rushing back to do this again.

my first time for the trail
User: jimmy peace - 9/13/2015  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2point5stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Nice, easy
User: Sunshinedog - 11/9/2014  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 1point5stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: N/A

I have hiked Bull Creek probably a thousand times and have explored every inch off trail.  When the park is empty is absolutely wonderfull.  I try to make sure I go some time other than summer.

Beautiful Hike
User: mgialusis - 2/22/2014  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A

Gorgeous scenery but hard to find the actual trail - not sure where to cross to the other side.

Loved this hike!
User: mgialusis - 2/2/2014  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 2point5stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Nice trail but lots of trash, unfortunately.  Challenging areas but beautiful views of water falls and creeks; some shady areas, average solitude.

User: texaskdog - 1/26/2014  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Very busy on this nice winter day.  We hiked up one side and then down the other, but also ventured into the Preserve (halfway up on the west side you'll see the sign and it comes out by the parking lot by the low water crossing near 360, only accessible 8/1-2/28 each year).  Nice waterfall too!

Sunny Sunday on Bull Creek
User: voolevoonye - 1/19/2014  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: halfstar Solitude: 1star
Distance: 3.69 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 19 minutes

More trash than I expected....picked up a couple of aluminum cans. Started at the tiny parking lot on Old Spicewood Springs Rd. (were the bathrooms are) and went down all the way to the Lakewood trailhead and back.

Picked up trash
User: texaskdog - 9/22/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2point5stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 55 minutes

I love Bull Creek even though it looks truly awful.  I would love to be part of a group to clean this park up.  My wife brought a bag and we picked up a huge bag of trash.    We hiked from the south (Lakewood/360 lot) on the west side and did the loop slightly up Jester and back down.

User: ValEpiscopo - 9/21/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 45 minutes

Hiked Inga Van Nynatten loop at north end of Bull Creek Park.

User: ValEpiscopo - 7/20/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4point5stars Difficulty: 4point5stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours

Hiked in creek from south end up about 3 miles, and back down.

User: supergirlynda - 9/1/2012  [View Log Page]
Rating: 5stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours

We ended up swimming for a while at Bull Creek Falls to cool off, it was pretty hot outside today and the water was nice.

Popular Trail - with good reason
User: estudio64 - 3/12/2012  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 3.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours
The waters were high and flowing nicely. It was the first day of spring break so many people were out to play in the water. Everyone seemed to be having a joyful emersion.
Still no water in the creek
User: jtkatie - 9/17/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2point5stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes

Hiked from the bottom parking lot to the uppermost parking lot and back. 7,674 steps counted by my ipod. 8:39am-9:56 am.

What Creek?
User: Austin Explorer - 8/6/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Hiked the length of the public areas and back with Madden Maniac and found a few caches along the way as well.  Other than a few pools of stagnant water along the way, there was no water in the creek at all.  It was quite sad to see, even if it did open up an alternate "trail" for one to follow at times.

Though the day was obviously very hot we got an early enough start that things were not too unpleasant, particularly in the shade.  The sunny areas were a different story though.

The trail terminus at the southern end of the trail has been greatly modified and the landscaping there is very nice.  My wife is still a bit miffed that in the process they demolished the old dam and swimming hole here that she remembers from the past.

Good no-elevation-change hike
User: jtkatie - 6/11/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 19 minutes

4.5-mile hike on the Bull Creek Greenbelt this morning with a 10 (down to 3) pound pack. Duration 1:19 (10:26 am - 11:45 am)

Great hike, not much water in the creek
User: jtkatie - 5/30/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 58 minutes

We only had an hour before sunset, but we were able to make it from the farest south parking lot past the "Middle Falls" to the next water crossing after 360.

When the trail is on the west side of 360, be careful to be on the east side of the river. The west side (which we roughed it up) is not the easiest path, but mostly attainable.

finally some water!
User: bigtim1763 - 5/24/2011  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: N/A
User: jtkatie - 7/18/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 2.20 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 13 minutes

After finishing at the Matthew and Hazeltine Smith Trail, we hiked over to the northern part of the Bull Creek trail. We took off from the trailhead closest to the underpass where Old Spicewood goes under 360. It was a nice quiet and peaceful hike (despite some road noise) until we got down to the swimming area by the first underpass that the river/trail makes under 360.

On our way down, we got to see a heron fishing for dinner, plenty of birds and just one other person - a woman and her dog on the other side of the trail. The solitude was so surreal that we wondered a couple of times whether we were actually on the right trail!

There were no water crossings on the western part of the loop until the trail is about to go under the 360 bridge. It looks like you can continue along a trail without crossing the river, but we followed the trail signs to cross the river. It was not much of a problem for us to cross over the creek on the rocks, thanks to our hiking poles. Without the poles, it would have been tough to stay dry.

The swimming area was full of people having a great time... and thus, plenty of trash. We saw a couple of "illegal" rope swings and plenty of beer cans. But, it was fun to watch the kids enjoy themselves for a while before we headed back up.

After re-crossing the river, we took the eastern part of the loop trail - which adds two more river crossings. The most bizarre part of our whole hike was at one of these water crossings. There is literally a fire hydrant in the middle of the creek! Very strange...

We will definitely be going back to complete the entire trail sometime soon!

User: strontium87 - 1/3/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: 2 hours
Very quiet for a park within sight of an expressway
User: texaskdog - 12/31/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour

Nice mix of creek & trees.  Even taking both sides of the creek on a round trip, you will have to cross the creek a few times and probably get wet.  One of my favorite hikes in Austin.  Very isolated, even though you are never more than half a mile from 360.

User: toddfw2003 - 12/3/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
User: rdiamond - 7/10/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 4.50 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes

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