A short 2 hour drive from Houston, Austin has a significant number of trails that make a great day trip. Or plan a weekend get away so you can enjoy the city as well! For Mothers Day this year, Winter and I went for a relaxing, at times difficult, hike at River Place Nature Trails. I chose to hike a combination of Canyon Trail and Panther Hallow Trail.
Canyon Trail
If you are looking for some good uphill training in Texas, this is the place to go. There are plenty of hills along Canyon Trail, making the River Place Nature Trails more challenging than many of the other trails around Austin. Not interested in hiking hills? No problem, stick to Panther Hallow Trail and Little Fern Trail.
Winter and I started from the Canyon Trailhead. The round trip hike was about 6 miles from the Canyon Trailhead to the Panther Hallow Trailhead on the south end of the trail. This took me 2.5 hours to complete with a few stops along the way. You could also add Little Fern Trail to your hike, increasing your distance.
Almost the entire trail is under tree cover, making the hike great for hot summer days. The few spots you are not under tree cover provide great views of the Texas Hill Country. A feature that makes River Place Nature Trails great for summer hiking… Panther Hallow Creek. Canyon Trail follows the creek for the majority of the hike and there are multiple points where you cross the creek. This helps keep you cooler on the hike, at least when there is water in the creek. When we visited there had been a lot of rain recently, giving life to Panther Hallow Creek which had been dry for a year or so. Lots of rain also meant lots of mud, and in some cases slippery steps.
Before You Go
The Friends of River Place Nature Trails recently implemented a $10 fee to enjoy the River Place Nature Trails. The fees go straight into maintaining the trails for public enjoyment. They only accept credit card payments for the fee. At each of the three trailheads there is someone to process payments.
Be prepared for this hike with plenty of water, proper hiking shoes that are water proof for those creek crossings, and sun protection. The most difficult trail is Canyon Trail, be prepared for a decent amount of up and down hiking. If you are just wanting a nice easy hike, I recommend checking out Panther Hallow Trail and Littler Fern Trail.
All of the trailheads have parallel parking along the road. Be sure to take or hide any valuables before you leave for the hike as the parking areas are not monitored. The trail heads are located in a residential neighborhood, so be respectful of the people who live in the area by not blocking driveways.
Leave No Trace
The environmental activist in me comes out at the end of every post. If we want to keep being able to enjoy the great outdoors, we have to take care of it! I have a bag to put all my trash in that I carry in my day pack. Using a refillable and reusable water bottle or camelbak instead of using a plastic bottle from the convenience store is a must.
When I hike with dogs, who are lucky enough to have nature as their restroom, I always carry plenty of baggies to clean up after them. Both Trailheads at River Place Nature Trail have baggies available for you to use. Most parks don’t have trash bins along trails, so be prepared to carry it out.
Look for more posts about hiking in Houston and around Texas here. For more dog friendly hiking and camping, check out my blogs on the All Things Winter page.
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