Some
natural
areas and other outdoor places within 3 miles of downtown AustinSome natural areas in and near Austin
Some
natural
areas and other outdoor places within 3 miles of downtown Austin
Some natural areas that are in Austin
but >3 miles from downtown
Some natural
areas that are day trips from Austin
You
can get onto the Hike and
Bike Trail
around Ladybird Lake (formerly Town Lake) in many places on both sides
of the Lake. The Trail goes mostly through parkland along both sides of
the
lake;
choose your crossings depending on how long a walk or run you want. The
Hike and Bike Trail
will
take you to Zilker Park, where
you can swim in Barton
Springs, an
outdoor swimming pool over a large natural spring where the water is
always
close to 70o F (20-22oC).
Zilker
Park also has a small miniature train and play area for kids, picnic
areas, and
the Zilker Botanical
Gardens.
From
Zilker Park, you can enter the Barton Creek
Greenbelt,
which has many miles of trails along the creek and through woodland.
Besides
hiking, mountain biking, and swimming/wading in the creek, the area is
also
popular with rock
climbers.
Another popular outdoor sport is canoeing, kayaking, or rowing on
Ladybird
Lake; canoes and kayaks can be rented.
Austin Nature
& Science Center, at
the west end of Zilker Park, is a great place to take
kids. Resident native animals (rehabbed
animals that
can't be released back into the wild), a sand pit for fossil digging,
nature
trail, and many other kid-friendly hands-on exhibits and activities.
World's
largest urban bat
colony,
under the Congress Avenue Bridge over Ladybird Lake. Walk down and see
them fly
out at dusk during the summer months.
The Texas Natural Science Center (aka Texas Memorial Museum) is not exactly a natural area, but is certainly of interest to anyone interested in animals, rocks, or fossils. It closes during part of most summers, so check before you go. It is on the University of Texas campus.
Most require driving to get
there.
•
Ladybird
Johnson Wildflower Center-
formal gardens and informal landscaping with native plants; research on
savanna
fires and green roofs (both open to the public); cafe; butterfly
garden; etc.
Best of all - all the plants are labeled!
•
Wild
Basin - where I take
visitors to show them the Hill Country
when we only have time for a short field trip. Trails, creek.
•
Hornsby
Bend -
best birding in Austin, due to water treatment ponds; environmental
research site
•
Barton Creek
Wilderness Park and St. Edwards Park, two of
Austin's extensive set of greenbelts, both have
good hiking trails
through savanna and woodland and along creeks.
•
McKinney Falls
State Park - more of a
rocky creek than a true
waterfall, but it has nice trails and a creek to swim/wade in
Some natural areas that are
day trips from Austin
natural area on
the eastern Edwards
Plateau (Hill Country)
•
Balcones
Canyonlands National
Wildlife Preserve (owned and
managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and not to be confused
with the
Balcones Canyonlands Preserve) - set up primarily to protest the
endangered
golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo, it is pioneering the use
of fire
as a management tool in this region. Some of the hiking trails go
through
burned areas.
•
Pedernales
Falls State Park - classic Hill
Country savannas and
woodlands, plus a chance to wade in the Pedernales River
•
Hamilton Pool
Nature Preserve - created by
the collapse of a cave
at the head of a canyon; beautiful; swimming/wading allowed
•
West
Cave Preserve
- geologically similar to Hamilton Pool, but access only by guided
tour; no
swimming; drop down into a canyon, feel the temperature drop, admire
the
maidenhair ferns....
• Since
the Edwards Plateau is made of thick layers of limestone, it has
many caves, some with bat
colonies and some
with endangered cave invertebrates. Austin has an active caving community.
The nearest commercial cave, Inner Space
Cavern, has
stalactites and stalagmites in
abundance, as does Natural
Bridge Caverns,
although Longhorn
Cavern State Park's
cave does not.
natural area on
the Llano Uplift
•
Enchanted Rock
State Natural Area - its most
notable feature is a
large granite dome; this is part of the Llano Uplift, not the Edwards
Plateau
natural areas
in Lost Pines
•
Buescher State Park and Bastrop State
Park
- far enough
east
of Austin to be in the "Lost Pines", the western-most outlier of
loblolly pine (P. taeda).
riparian
•
Palmetto State
Park - southeast of
Austin; named for a
stand of dwarf
palmetto (Sabal minor) around its
ephemeral swamp; said to be a good place for birding
• You
can combine staying cool with aquatic biology by canoeing or tubing
down one of
the local rivers.
Both the San Marcos
River and
the Guadalupe River are popular for tubing and canoeing; commercial
rentals are
available.
Please note that the list above is just a taste of what's available in and near Austin. It was put together for people attending the Ecological Society of America meeting in Austin in August 2011. I would be happy to add your favorite places if they are open to the public.
Norma Fowler