Hiking the Austin Thru Hike

 

It was about a year ago that I set out to hike a route from North Austin to South Austin through predominantly greenspaces. It took me two full days of hiking and a bit of bushwacking. Here's a chronicle of the hike. I admit that the video is long and there is some shaky footage and scratchy audio, but it kind of captures what was happening at the moment. While I was hiking I was charting the route so that I could publish it with the hope that others might enjoy the longest hiking route in Austin, Texas.

For more info about the route visit https://austinthruhike.wordpress.com/

The Austin Thru Hike route spans approximately 33.5 miles (54 km). There are optional trails that can extend the route. The Northern Terminus is at Copperfield Park and the Southern Terminus is near The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It can be hiked North to South or South to North.

This route is an intermediate level thru-hike which passes thru the heart of Austin, Texas. The main route is 33.5 miles (53.91 km) long. There is an optional loop trial around Town Lake which adds 7.12 miles (11.46 km) to the route (see the blue trail). There is an optional out and back trail that passes by the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Sculpture Falls and the Hill of Life that adds 5.83 miles (9.38 km) (see the purple trail). Hiking the main route and the two optional routes will total about 46.47 miles (74.78 km)

Hiking the Goodwater Loop at Lake Georgetown

 

I decided to on this micro adventure. I backpacked around the Goodwater Loop that circles Lake Georgetown near Georgetown, Texas. I've hiked this trail a number of times. However, this time I decided to approach it differently. I hiked it solo, started on the North side at the Russell Park trailhead and hiked counter-clockwise. I did this to avoid the crowds that often start at the Cedar Breaks Park trailhead and just to experience the trail from a different perspective. 

Have you hiked the trail? What tips would you offer? 

 I hope that you enjoy this adventure, give it a like if you do.