Welcome Y'all!
I hope you are staying well in whichever part of the map you are at. We entered stage 5 here in Austin, TX and I am super nervous about traveling this minute. While I am vibing indoors, River Place Nature Trail popped in my "this time last year" memories. If you live in Austin, you know what traffic scenes look like at the close of business hours. Getting past the lights to hike in State Parks is close to impossible unless you are looking at McKinney Falls State Park. We have through the years found neat hiking trails here in the heart of the city that allows for good workout and fresh air. To me, a weekday hike has helped get the vibes going and re-focus on high priority work stuff with ease. River Place Nature Trail located along Panther Hollow Creek is one of those go to hiking spots for me during a weekday. From catching a glimpse of sunset at Hill Country to getting a good workout, I recommend this place to be on your bucket list if you have not explored it yet.
The trailhead starts at the boardwalk and there are no physical maps to take with you
Be sure to take a picture of the map at the kiosk - it will be super handy
Trails here do not loop, hence plan to hike all the way back in the trail
If hiking during high traffic hours, there is a fee of $10 per person and per animal collected at the trailhead with an exception of children under 12. Be sure to checkout their website here before heading out. It is free for the residents and this is a limited use community with no trespassing signs as you enter
Pets are allowed and must be on leash all the time
Boardwalk
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The boardwalk itself offers nice view of the pond which is home to fishes and turtles. If you do not intend to hike, this is still a neat place to chill out with kids. Hiking here is moderate and absence of as much sun eases the intensity. Benches are available to rest at certain points in the trail but there is no water fountains or restrooms - prepare accordingly!
The trails have plenty of tall trees and hence expect good amount of shade. There is going to be lots of steps and it's going to be a fantastic workout. Trails are interpretative with signs indicating the landscape and it's significance throughout the hike.
Look out for these and more
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Elephant Tree - a 700 yr old Black Walnut tree that's considered to be the oldest in the trail
Dragon's Tounge - an unique rock formation
At the story hole - a small waterfall that is considered to have been 30 ft. tall thousands of years ago that eroded and left a hole in what's a pond today
Little Fern Trail
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After hiking from the Boardwalk kiosk, you would arrive at the Panther Hollow Junction that splits into three different trails. Little fern trail is just 0.5miles and the path is mostly steps leading you to a drainage. Cross this stretch of water to get to a limestone bottom creek called Little Fern Creek.
Panther Trail
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Pretty leveled texture that takes you through the canyon's tall cliff walls. There are several interpretative signs that helps hikers in understanding the significance and history of the geological formations and nature that's here.
Eat Outs: There is no specific reason for proximity, but all I crave after this hike is Vada Pav (which is an Indian style burger with potato patty) from a food truck called Pav Bhaji Vada Pav Zone. I am linking it to the yelp page but it's seriously spicy and feels so good after a good long hike like this. The same food court has Mediterranean and Thai food trucks.
Riverplace Nature Trail's Address: 8820 Big View Dr, Austin, TX 78730
Cheers,
I never thought about taking a picture of the trail guide. Good tip.👍