Return to Walnut Creek Park

watch out for the mountain bikers
User: jimmy peace - 7/25/2017  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 3.20 Miles Duration: N/A

one can also get easily off main trail, cause of all the well traveled bike trails

User: Jamie - 6/1/2017  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: halfstar
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
lots of traffic
User: jimmy peace - 3/21/2016  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 1point5stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: N/A
User: jimmy peace - 2/2/2015  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 2.70 Miles Duration: N/A
Great Park
User: cwlatapie - 2/28/2013  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1point5stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours
Great Park there are a lot of people dogs and bicycles. The park needs a little help staying clean. If we could just pick one thing up every time we visit. I believe that will solve most of the problems. Great place. I'll keep going back
Decent hike with lots of trails (lots of the same trails)
User: bowlesfamily - 8/21/2012  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 2point5stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
NOTE: comments only refer to the small section of Walnut Creek that we traversed. We hiked this with a six year old and a medium-sized dog on a Tuesday afternoon. The trailhead is located in the middle of the Walnut Creek Metropolitan park, so it is in a fairly busy area to start off with. On the positive side: there are many, many different small trails running throughout Walnut Creek, with excellent signage and a trail map posted at strategic positions throughout the park. On the negative side: the trails are a bit on the repetitive side and very easy (this could easily be a positive); also, we experienced a garbage-like smell in various areas. Overall, we would say that Walnut Creek is a good choice for people who want quantity, since there are supposed to be 17 miles of trails wound up within Walnut Creek proper.
A Relaxing Escape - Even on Easter Sunday
User: estudio64 - 4/8/2012  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 2 hours
It was Easter when we took this ramble - with no real preparation other than knowing where the park was. The developed part of the park was overrun when we got there - not necessarily a bad thing - families out enjoying the day with games and barbeque. It wasn't long until the din of veneration was at our backs and out of sight. The off-leash aspect of many of the trails was a hit with Zoey, who enjoyed venturing into the brush and galavanting in the water. Easter 2012 in Austin was a pastoral spring day, making the hike all the more enjoyable. The power lines in the park are unsightly and, at times, unhinge the illusion of a natural getaway, but that is my only criticism of Walnut Creek Park. Definitely worth it, power lines and all.
Dogs especially loved the creek!
User: stephdorf - 6/10/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 40 minutes

I can't believe I lived a mile from this hike for 5 years and never even knew it was there! We had a great time even though it was shorter than we would have wanted. There seem to be some side trails that you can take to extend the length but we didn't know about them until later.  Dogs can go off leash here so I wouldn't recommend this hike if you have a dog phobia. Our dogs LOVED the creek area and the water was so pretty that I very nearly jumped in too.  We came here the day after a hard rain and the trail was super muddy to the point were the bikers had to walk much of the way. Also..my shoes were thick with mud by the time we were done. Overall it was a great time and I would definitely recommend this hike .

Wrecked my bike; had a great time!
User: ryan6351 - 3/10/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: N/A
The first time riding Walnut Creek, I tried to take it a little slow. The trails were pretty narrow, and most were either up or down hills. It was a really fun ride, until I came across a rough hill. Going down, I lost control and hit a tree. However I easily found my wait out, using signs on the trail, and am definitely going back again!
Best hike in Austin
User: texaskdog - 3/4/2010  [View Log Page]
Rating: 5stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour

17 miles of trails, yet if you stay in the front half never more than 5 minutes from your car.  Many creeks & water crossing, lots of trees, back part is very isolated.  I've been there a couple dozen times and never been on the same hike twice.  No good map to speak of but you can find one online, but it is great just to wander.  You could spend hours here and never get bored.

great variety
User: fitg - 11/4/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 10.00 Miles Duration: N/A

at first drive to this park I thought it would be a bore..and far from it,,with over 200 acreas of various terrain,,60+ ft creek cliffs,,rock creek beds,,mild to severe bike trails,,its got spots for the romance or fun adventure..smooth trails or up/down hill root and rock..nice water flow and overall ,,great hike/biking

My dog loves this!
User: carrisimo - 6/28/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours

I love this park because you can just get lost--but you're never really too far from a parking lot. Even though the bikers are abundant, I've only had one negative encounter with a dude and I've been hiking here a few times a week for about a year.

As an off leash park, my dog loves that she can just run and run on the trails, chase animals (snakes most recently, need to curb that habit), and swim in the water. Though the water gets pretty low in the summer.

There are parts just challenging enough that you can do a good run and feel like you really worked out.

If you have a dog and live nearby, I'd make this a staple to your daily dog walks--it's more interesting than your neighborhood, more challenging for you, very beautiful, and of course, there's water for the pup.

great trails for all ages, dogs, bikes
User: klyevans - 3/20/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: 1 hour
I go to Walnut Creek with my dog all the time and each time it seems like I discover a new little side trail. With all the trails, you can easily get time to yourself, even if the park is crowded. Some of the trails can get very hot in the spring and summer so bring water with you - especially because it's easy to get lost. This park is really the best if you have a couple hours just to wander and explore. Trails are usually well-marked so even if you do get lost, you can find your way back to the parking lot pretty easily.
User: Kgcapelli - 2/23/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 2stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 1star
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 6 minutes
Didn't have time to see all of it
User: rberry - 2/13/2009  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: 45 minutes
But I definitely want to go back. It'll be easy for me to get to, and when I get a bike, it'll be even better. I'm guessing these old legs will need a lot of the relatively flat terrain.
Got lost!
User: christiniprosperity - 12/30/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: 1 minute

This is an ok park.  There are lots of bikers so you have to be alert and careful.  Not that relaxing.  Bikers were curtious though.  I wasn't paying attention and ended up way out west.  It was getting dark and I got a little nervous.  Luckily I kept seeing people so I knew I wasn't that far off track.  There are tons of little trails and paths besides the main ones.  Watch out and pay attention or you will end up on Mopac!  LOL

Great Park
User: josh351 - 7/14/2008  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 35 minutes

I just got back from a hike at Walnut Creek Park and I have to say that it's a fun place. Lots of trails that cross each other often giving a hiker the ability to choose whatever length trail they desire. For example, I hiked for an hour and a half, when I was done I just headed back at the next fork and was back in my car ten minutes later. I never walked over the same section of trail twice and there are still a bunch of trails left to explore. Sure the trails are geared towards the mountain bikers somewhat but they are still perfectly hike-able. The park has a great variety of plants from dense walls of brush to stands of bamboo to open meadows and thickets of cedar. What the park lacks in up an down difficulty it more than makes up for in accessibility and length of trails. I went on a Monday afternoon and I saw no bikers and only two other hikers.

User: silvershark1998 - 5/15/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 3.50 Miles Duration: N/A
Treks parts we had never seen before
User: LVX - 5/5/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 5stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Going after the numerous caches in the park gave us the opportunity to hike portions of the park we had never been to before. Great day; everything was very lush.....
Enjoy it while you can!
User: backthen - 5/3/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 5stars Difficulty: halfstar Solitude: 3point5stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Walnut Creek Park is dear to my heart. In 1975 we rode dirt bikes on the old trails in the park. We used the area near where the main trail crosses the creek as a motocross track. I would ride up to Coxville on Lamar to get gas and an Elgin sausage wrap from Alvin Cox. Alvin owned the Coxville Zoo until the River Oaks neighborhood and the Humane Society ran him off. It was ok to ride motorcycles in the park until the pool was built. After that the sheriff's department ran us off. The first naked girl I ever saw was when we snuck into the pool late one night and skinny dipped, but the Park Police ran us off. Now Walnut Creek Park is saturated with mountain bikers that seem to think they own the trails, so they run the hikers off. Hobos live in the park until they're run off, then they come back. The police did a pretty good job of running off the guys performing lewd acts in the park, thank goodness. Wild animals and Native Americans made the trails, but the white man ran them off over a hundred years ago! I've seen some wonderful wildlife in Walnut Creek Park over the last 3 decades including big owls, eagles, red tail hawks, a few deer, a bobcat, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, a coral snake, countless nonpoisonous snakes, catfish, softshell & other turtles, big bass and LOTS of other animals... but all the people in the park ran most of the animals off. Be thankful and enjoy the park just as the Natives did thousands of years ago, and know that at some point chances are pretty good that you'll be run off. Just be thankful that Walnut Creek Park is a park, and not another 2000 unit apartment community.
Fun hike with dogs
User: dquack - 3/18/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3point5stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 3stars
Distance: 2.50 Miles Duration: N/A
A friend told us about Walnet Creek being a leash-free park and we didn't know what to expect. We totally enjoyed it, as did our two dogs. Thinking it was a general park, we were happy to find trails. The dogs were able to run and splash in the creek while we hiked and enjoyed the outdoors. We went on a Sunday morning and there weren't many hikers or other dogs. We did come across about a dozen mountain bikers in the hour we were out. We're excited as to how close it is to where we live and will make this a regular outting.
User: tdoan350 - 1/21/2007  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 3stars Solitude: 2stars
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A
I biked this trail for the first time. Enjoyed it a lot, found some nice back trails and good inclines for mt. biking and the mud near the creek is fun to ride around in as well.
Nice hike inside Austin
User: Falchion - 11/21/2006  [View Log Page]
Rating: 3stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: halfstar
Distance: 3.00 Miles Duration: N/A
Nice hike; interesting trails; lots of variety. You can get a long ways from the developed park if you want to. Lots of people there, especially mountain bikers.
User: Prowler 13 - 7/14/2006  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 2stars Solitude: 4stars
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: N/A
I am new at hiking and I chose this park because it is a couple of miles from my house. I have hiked three different sections and I go at daybreak during the week. At that time it is quiet and I rarely meet anyone on the trails. It is a beautiful hike with each section having different sights and terrain. I usually hike for an hour each trip and will be able to go many times before I explore all the side trails. The trails aren't marked and this makes the trails a real adventure. The high rating I gave reflects the times I go - early AM on weekdays and the challange of navigating the trails (no gps). I am sure that would go down for hiking on weekend days.

Next