Hike the Bull Creek Loop

Part park, part preserve, St. Edwards Park is not too well known, even among long time Austin residents. It's hidden away on old Spicewood Springs Road, beyond the Loop 360 boundary beyond which most people do not venture.

The park consists of two parts, one park and one preserve. The portion of the park on the north side of Bull Creek resides within the City of Austin parks system. South of the creek, the park operates under the somewhat more stringent rules of the Balcones Canyonland Preserve system, which among other things mandates that dogs be on leashes.

The different rules for different portions of the park pale in comparison to the differences in terrain on one side of the park from the other. The north side of the park includes some pocket prairies and river bottom habitat. The southern side rises above the northern portion and consists mostly of rocky slopes covered in Cedar and Oak.