About us
This walking group explores the dynamic past and present of Austin's built environment. Tracing the origins of Austin street names, walking streets in their entirety, and stubbornly circumventing limitations posed by half-baked pedestrian infrastructure plans of yore, these events are intended to be adventures but not guided tours. Librarians and blacksmiths, photographers and mechanics, sociologists and forensic accountants alike should feel welcome, provided we have at least two things in common: a deep curiosity about the city of Austin and two strong feet to carry us where curiosity leads.
This monthly group won’t be the fastest hiking group in the city, but we’ll cover long-ish distances, up to 7-10 miles in cooler months. I won’t assume everyone has a car (I don’t), and if you don't you should have the ability and patience to navigate Austin’s far-from-perfect patchwork of bikeshare, public transit, etc. if needed to get to and from the start and end points.
At the end of these walks we’ll find a place to rehydrate, get some food, and talk about it all.
Upcoming events
2
Shoal Creek Boulevard, Revisited
Beverly Sheffield Northwest Park, 7000 Ardath Street, Austin, TX, USThis 8 mile one-way walk, adapted from last year’s Shoal Creek Boulevard walk, begins at Beverly Sheffield Park and follows Shoal Creek all the way to its terminus at Town Lake. This time we’ll focus more on greenbelts and parks, extending the walk south through Pease Park and Duncan Neighborhood Park.
The creek's 13-square-mile watershed supports over 2,500 species reported on iNaturalist. Its banks expose Buda limestone and Del Rio shale formations deposited in an ancient inland sea millions of years ago.
As always we’ll get a glimpse at civilization, but not so much our usual modern-day Austin homes. Instead we’ll see remnants of a now-demolished Chattanooga train station and maybe some Indigenous burial mounds.
Those interested can join me for lunch after the walk. I recommend Local Foods, a healthy and low key salad-and-sandwich spot on 2nd.
LOGISTICS:
- Official walk map here
- We’ll meet between the parking lot and swimming pool at 7000 Ardath Street, at the northeastern edge of the park.
- There should be plenty of parking available at the park. If for any reason you have trouble finding a spot, there’s also plenty of parking on the surrounding streets in all directions.
- Note that this is a one-way walk. Please consider taking a bus or rideshare back to the start, or discuss carpooling ideas in the comments.
- The #803 CapMetro bus runs every 15 minutes north-south roughly along our route. To return to Beverly Sheffield Park, you can pick up this bus right at our walk’s end at Seaholm Station and ride north along Burnet to Justin Station, 10 minutes’ walk from the start.
6 attendees
Past events
16
