Bauerle Ranch Park — Attraction in Austin

This is a wonderful natural neighborhood hiking trail. It is technically part of the Slaughter Creek green belt and owned by the City of Austin, but the City does no official maintenance. The trail upkeep is performed by a handful of local residents who unofficially volunteer their time throughout the year. I see several complaints about lack of tables, chairs, trail upkeep, etc. Please keep in mind that we have 2 yearly city sponsored volunteer park maintenance and cleanup events for this trail system, via It’s My Park Day. I have seen no official city funding for this park in the past 15 years, but the city does donate mulch, materials to build the bench by the old tree, and did help provide the current signage. The twice yearly volunteer events are used for trail building and trash pick-up days and we typically only see around a max of 15-20 volunteers. During the rest of the year, local residents volunteer their own time and resources to keep the trail clean and cut overgrowth. We know residents who take out their own weed eaters and cut back the overgrowth. To all the complainers, if you like the park, please think about volunteering your time...

Rode my mountain bike here on a Friday afternoon. If you follow the arrows on Mountain Bike Trails, it is very downhill and flowy about the first 3/4 then it’s a lot of uphill climb’s over loose rocks and rock sticking out of the ground so high it’s hard to pedal and maintain momentum. I had a lot better ride doing it in reverse and hitting all the hard loose rock spots as a downhill and then the flowey uphill parts were towards the end made for a lot more fun ride I would recommend doing it in a counterclockwise direction instead of clockwise. You hit the hardest part at the beginning of the trail when you’re still fresh and not as tired seem to make it a lot more enjoyable to me. The area where I parked was on the side of the road in the subdivision was a little bit concerned as there was a fire hydrant I got as far away from it as I could but was still worried about the possibility of a ticket when I came back to my car. Otherwise I would recommend the trail nothing too terrible it’s probably a beginner/intermediate trail that is very nice a lot of woods and a lot of turns and nature so I enjoyed it a lot and would definitely recommend and I...

Bauerle Ranch Park in South Austin is a great spot for anyone who enjoys getting outdoors without having to leave the city. The park spans 351 acres and wraps around a neighborhood, but the 7-10 miles of trails make it feel much more remote. The trails vary in difficulty—some are narrow, rocky, and can get overgrown—so sturdy hiking boots, long pants, and plenty of water are a must, especially in the Texas heat.

What makes the park stand out is the abundance of wildlife. On my hikes, I've seen deer, skunks, and even the occasional opossum. The birds and butterflies are also a nice touch, and if you’re into birdwatching, there’s a small area for ducks just northeast of the trails.

I usually visit in the morning, and it's not very crowded, which makes for a peaceful walk. The size of the park also helps dampen most of the road noise. Overall, it's a great place to hike or relax, though some sections of the trails could use a bit of maintenance. I will definitely keep...