Best when there has been rain
User: reynoldser - 7/12/2006  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles Duration: N/A

Great places to stop and take a dip when there has been rain.

Great Outing
User: Rajun Cajun - 4/2/2006  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 12.00 Miles Duration: N/A
This was my first long trail in Austin. It was so nice to be in town and enjoy so mych wilderness. Hiked from the neighborhood entrance to Zilker and back. What was so great is that you could hike to Zilker on one side and hike back on the other.

User: brian724 - 6/11/2004  [View Log Page]
Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.70 Miles Duration: N/A

One of the best in Austin
User: figment - 12/7/2003  [View Log Page]
Rating: N/A Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: N/A
This hike down the Hill of Life to Barton Creek and down to Twin Falls is one of the best in Austin. Share the trail with bikers and dog-walkers, but dogs should be kept on leash here. Go swimming in Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls, or any inviting looking swimming hole. Watch out for underage kids who haul down cases of cheap beer to drink at the falls, they can get obnoxious. This is best a few days after rain, or in spring or fall, when water is running in the creek all the way to Twin Falls. Sometimes, the water will disappear beneath the surface between Scultpure and Twin Falls, when can be somewhat disconcerting.

Very nice hike
User: HikerGirl - 7/6/2003  [View Log Page]
Rating: N/A Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: N/A
The walk down was a good warm up (was wondering if it was ever going to end!) and then I started hearing the people swimming, so I knew I was close. Saw the Scottish Falls (wish I brought my camera w/ the zoom lens...would have been a great picture) which were really pretty. Found the next falls and sat under a tree on a rock right by the water and watched the fish swim by as I just relaxed on this beatiful day looking around at the cliffs & trees. After the little rest, I headed on down the trail. Met up with several bikers which were all very courteous & friendly as they whizzed by. Passed some hikers, too, that were too busy walking to say hi when I passed by...oh well. Went all the way to Sculpture Falls and wished I had taken my swimsuit because the water looked so refreshing & everyone in it looked like they were having fun! I turned around at this point to head back because I just planned on seeing what the trail was like to see if I needed to bring my camera next time (which I most definitely will). As I was half way back (but not yet to the hill climb) it started to drizzle which was just wonderful seeing as how I was hot and upset because I didn't take a swimsuit! Walked all the way up to the top in the heavy drizzle realizing what a great day & hike this was.

* IMPORTANT - READ THIS IF YOU DON'T READ THE OTHER PART: As I got to the gate I noticed a girl holding two dogs and a highly upset feline in the front lawn of one of the houses directly in front of the gate. I helped the girl hold the dogs and found out that one of their other dogs had just attacked the cat...which explained all the hair in the front yard of the house. Through a chain of events, we found out that the cat belonged to the next door neighbor who came over to retrieve the cat after I helped him inspect it for injuries (there were none except for some bald spots). Well, needless to say he gave the girls a tongue lashing about letting their dogs run off their leashes in a area specifically marked for leashes and the girls repeatedly apologized to no avail. But he should have also remembered that cats do not have Free Reign Zone. Anyway, the point of this is to remind other hikers who have dogs to leash your dogs before you exit the park so an incident like this doesn't happen again. Put yourself in the other pet owners shoes and think how you would feel if your animal was attacked by a free roaming dog in a clearly marked area where leashes are required. When I was leaving, he was threatening Small Claims Court or something like that. So mind your pooches or better yet, make them mind you! Other than that...it was a great day!

I Can't Believe It's So Close To The Mall!
User: AustinHiker - 4/21/2003  [View Log Page]
Rating: N/A Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 2.40 Miles Duration: N/A
This was a great hike that until Saturday seemed too close to home, and too close to a major mall and highways, that I almost crossed it off the list. But my 4.5-year-old son and I had only 2 hours to go for a hike before lunch, so I decided to give it a shot and lowered my expectations accordingly, expecting to not quite get away from the neighborhoods and malls that surround it. The first 6/10 mile is not terribly steep, but steep enough that I had to hold my son's hand. FYI, once you get to the bottom of the hill the signs direct you to the left (south) but if you turn right instead onto a smaller footpath and follow Barton Creek, you will eventually come to another waterfall that is large and loud, and so far as I know, is unnamed. (We didn't go there on this particular hike, but go there fairly often from my back yard in the Lost Creek neighborhood). There were quite a few people on bikes and walking dogs but it was surprisingly quiet and uncongested for being in the middle of an urban area. I forgot that the highway was so close by and really could not hear it at all at creek level. Also, once past the first 6/10 mile, we could no longer see houses or other evidence of development (aside of course from the bathrooms and signs along the broad, well-worn trail). So you won't really forget where you are, but it is a surprisingly quiet and lush setting for its location. There are many little side trails carved out that will be fun to explore once some other time. My son really enjoyed the map we downloaded from this site. I put it in a sandwich bag and he "navigated" us to Slanted Falls, by which time we had to turn around to make it home for lunch. But he's clearly disappointed that we weren't able to see Sculpture Falls after Dad hyped it up so much, so we're definitely out to hit this trail again soon.