Northwest Austin Hill Country (Mountain View, Spicewood, Balcones)

Annexed by Austin in the ‘70s, this particular patch of Northwest Austin hill country perches atop 100-million-year-old limestone bedrock.
Our six mile walk begins in Mountain View Park, offering a view of the surrounding hillside homes. Crossing Callanish Park Drive, we’ll pick up an unmarked trailhead onto Spicewood Valley Trail, a hidden but beloved neighborhood trail featuring a waterfall and a rock with a hole in it.

Upon reaching the southern trailhead, we’ll step into the pocket Spicewood Springs neighborhood, where street names draw from Scottish references such as Isle of Skye and Lord Tweedsmuir. We’ll then connect with a small section of the Bull Creek Greenbelt into Northwest Balcones Neighborhood Park, before looping back to the start.

As always it’s a good idea to bring lots of water, but also bug spray for this walk. Restaurants are scarce within walking distance, so I recommend packing a lunch. There are plenty of picnic tables at Mountain View Park.

TRANSIT LOGISTICS:

• Official walk map
• We’ll meet in the parking lot at 8900 Westerkirk Drive. In the unlikely event that the lot is full, there should also be street parking on Scotland Well Drive, which we’ll cross later in our walk.