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    Balcones District Park

    4.0 (27 reviews)
    Open 5:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Balcones District Park Photos

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    Graffiti wall
    Rain W.

    A really nice park with a nature trail that has a more wooded section with some beautiful rock formations. There wasn't any water in the stream but still interesting to see. There is a giant wall of graffiti for an interesting contrast. The path is paved however it's not always smooth so keep in mind for strollers etc.

    Great (& popular) birthday party spot!!
    Lisa Q.

    So much fun! Two separate play areas, each with its own Playscape, for little or big kids. Having a birthday party? Get there early to stake out your table (s). That being said, we enjoyed the best birthday ever for our 7 year old!

    Map showing the trails within the park.
    Shannon B.

    What do we have here? A beautiful city park with forests, meadows, trails, creeks, and many other cool features that's both easy to access and rarely crowded - what more do you want? Well, I want a functioning water fountain, for one. Not sure why, but the only fountain that is outside of the locked area around the pool (which is closed from September to May) has been out of order for many weeks. This means that when I run 3 miles from my house to access the trail system here, I need to carry my own water or keep going another mile over to the section of the Walnut Creek Greenbelt on the east side of Mopac that is next to St. David's Hospital (where the water is clean, cold, and available 24/7 - thanks for the tip, unnamed friend). Speaking of trails, half of the ones in Balcones District Park are included in the ongoing expansion & improvement known as "North Walnut Creek Trail - Phase 1A" (see http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Public_Works/Urban_Trails/0425_Trail-Alignments.pdf). It was supposed to be finished in the first half of 2018, but here we are in December and it's not done yet. This means you'll encounter some smooth, paved, wide paths suitable for any kind of use, and then you'll also find big, muddy ruts and fenced off areas still being worked by construction crews. Until the work is finished (now supposedly early 2019), I stay away from the muddy parts and just cut through the adjacent Milwood neighborhood on Scribe Drive and Canter Lane to reach the east side of the park before continuing on to Walnut Creek Park via the greenbelt. If you're not going for distance & speed, but for more of a nature walk, try the Creekside Trail (labeled as "Balcones District Park Trail" on the screengrab I've posted) that will take you from the parking lot, south towards Duval (where you may see some interesting graffiti), and then back north following Walnut Creek until it veers off to the east and eventually dumps out onto the finished part of the Walnut Creek Greenbelt trail next to Mopac. After a rain, you'll see waterfalls, and there are usually all sorts of flora & fauna to observe, with plenty of precious shade trees to keep the sun at bay. The trail can be rocky, slick, sandy, and muddy in different parts, so trail shoes or boots are recommended. Beware of poison oak along the trail. The park also has a decent pea-gravel-surfaced playscape for little ones, a sand volleyball court, a basketball court, a softball/kickball field, restrooms, and excellent wildflowers in the springtime. Austin's municipal swim team league practices and has meets here during the summer, so check the schedule if you want to come enjoy the pool as a casual visitor. If you want to stay up-to-date on what's happening in the park, especially ongoing improvement projects and how you can participate, the following links will be useful: Milwood Neighborhood Association https://milwoodna.com/category/environmental-awareness/balcones-district-park/ Austin Parks Foundation https://austinparks.org/balcones-district-park/ City of Austin Parks & Rec - Aquatics https://www.austintexas.gov/department/balcones-pool City of Austin - Walnut Creek Trail System https://www.austintexas.gov/page/walnut-creek-trail-system

    Nice open area
    Dan P.

    Great City of Austin park! Nice open spaces, hike and bike trail, a pool (that is currently closed), sand volleyball, etc. In the spring, the bluebonnets are great here too.

    Tayo F.

    Decent park. Not huge but big enough for a picnic, a pick up basketball game or whatever you want to do. I finally checked out the trail that leads here and its quite scenic, I wish it were a bit longer but what can you do.

    The small waterfall
    Kimberly K.

    Balcones has a pool, bathroom, playground and a great hiking trail that is cemented, mostly shady and runs along a beautiful creek with small waterfalls. There are also some unpaved hikes for the adventurous.

    Lovely day
    Olivia M.

    Decent park. I go for the basketball court which is never overpopulated, no matter the day, no matter the hour. People mainly come over here to shoot around; I haven't seen a full court game yet. There are no lights on or around the court at night, so play during the day- no one lingers after dark. I haven't checked out all that this park has to offer just yet, so this review is simply for the basketball court. Play on, playas.

    Bad ass bear graffiti.
    John R.

    For the last three years, I've lived by this park and claimed that I didn't know how to get there. FOOLED YOU, NO ONE! I've known the entire time. I don't even have to go the way that most of the public gets there, because there's a weird secret entrance right off of my apartment complex, but I digress. I recently started taking my handsome mongrel friend, Astronaut Mike Dexter, here because I'm pretty sure he's tired of just walking around the apartment complex. Also, because I need to get mooooore exuhcise. As stated by others, there is a pretty varied terrain; from grassy fields to regular trails to rocky trails, creeks, etc and so on. I've seen a few of the secret/forgotten areas and it really is a great place to let dogs run wild or perhaps for some sort of clandestine picnic. I need to find someone to go on a picnic with... There is a pool and some courts for this or that or whatever, but it's not exactly the season for them so I don't know how often they're used. It's not a large park by any means, but it's got all of the essentials. It's really wonderful to have this little nook of nature in the neighborhood!

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    Ask the Community - Balcones District Park

    Review Highlights - Balcones District Park

    Two separate play areas, each with its own Playscape, for little or big kids.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Micki Krebsbach Swimming Pool

    Micki Krebsbach Swimming Pool

    3.4
    (18 reviews)
    6.7 mi

    This place is absolutely amazing. First of all, there is something for every age group and swim…read moreskill - a wading area for littles, a 2-4 foot deep area for medium-range swimmers, and a 6+ foot deep area for strong swimmers and adults. There's also a pretty cool slide and one of those "walk on floats across the water" things. My kids stayed for almost 2 hours and the only reason we left then is because they were starting to turn red from their sunscreen wearing off. The lifeguards were also great. We have gotten so used to overbearing lifeguards this summer who blow their whistles and yell nonstop and this was a nice change of pace. They were very patient with everyone, using normal speaking voices and only using whistles if someone was doing something dangerous. It made for a very relaxing and fun experience. The entry for kids is about standard ($3 each) and a bit higher than usual for adults ($6 each) but one of the benefits of this is that the place wasn't very crowded so we were able to have a good time without feeling cramped. We'll definitely be coming back again, kids and adults had a great time.

    Awesome public pool. Great for my 3 yr old. I love that he has his own space/water area that he can…read moresplash in, with some water depth, but it's not a typical splash pad that just has water spraying from the ground. The staff at the front friendly and admission prices were very reasonable. Only downside is that there seemed to be a lack of chairs/loungers

    Photos
    Great public pool w lots of fun stuff for kids of all ages.  room.
    Great public pool w lots of fun stuff for kids of all ages. room.
    Micki Krebsbach Swimming Pool
    Youth, masters waterpolo.

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    Youth, masters waterpolo.
    Cat Hollow Pool

    Cat Hollow Pool

    4.8
    (4 reviews)
    6.4 mi

    This review will be boring. It might be useful, but I doubt it will be funny or cool. Steady…read morecompetence is not exciting, and this pool is competent, reliable, and easy to use. Cat Hollow Pool is like the San Antonio Spurs of neighborhood pools. It's not the newest or the flashiest pool. It's just a damn good pool. Cat Hollow Pool has clean cool water. It's not dirty or over-chemed. It is seldom over-crowded. The grounds are well-maintained. Open hours are very generous (open until 9 pm almost every night), and the pool is well-staffed with a crew of lifeguards. My toddler enjoys the shaded kiddie area, and my little guys enjoy the deeper sections and small water slides. The annual pass for a family is a bargain, Perhaps it would be nice if Cat Hollow had a bigger, windier water slide or a zero-entry pool for the kids. Maybe a few more splash pad features or a reliable snack and drink machine would be cool. That said, as far as water-filled holes in the ground go, this one is pretty darn good.

    This pool is great. The staff is super sweet and the water is clear, clean and not over saturated…read morewith chemicals. Also, we usually have an issue with crowds but we really didn't notice that here. The two slides they have are awesome, the kids love it here. I love the fact that they have a shallow area for the little ones. Unfortunately, arm floaties are not allowed but they have life vests available which is AWESOME!

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    The number to cat hollow
    The number to cat hollow
    Cat Hollow Pool
    Cat hollow swimming pool 2011

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    Cat hollow swimming pool 2011
    Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

    Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

    4.4
    (222 reviews)
    2.6 mi

    The hubs and I were syced for a power walk. First we take in the Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park…read more We hear the birds chirping, tree branches whistling in the wind and the rippling of the creek in the background. Their appears to be softbal fields on one side of the park. This park is massive! We see other leisurely morning walkers, folks with their fur babies on leashes and even small groups of family members and friends enjoying the park. We did not realize until reading the signage, that Walnut Creek park is a nature park. Totally makes sense given the lush nature of the park. Cyclists ride down the trail with vigor and position. The park is alive! Really enjoyed our power walk.., This family friendly park has an array of playground equipment for children. The is also a large empty swimming pool in background...unsure if it's operational. Picnic tables are strategically sprinkled throughout the park.

    Great option for hiking -- large park with lots of trails…read more According to my quick research, there's only one paved trail -- Northern Walnut Creek Trail. We had our kids in a wagon stroller so needed a stroller-friendly trail. It's a long trail (not a loop) so we just walked it to the creek and turned back. Trailhead is to the right of playground. Playground was pretty nice (with an area for smaller toddlers) but parents could have been more conscientious (some kids were throwing rocks down the slide).

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    Nature's art
    Nature's art
    Lizard at walnut creek park
    Lizard at walnut creek park
    Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

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    Balcones District Park - parks - Updated June 2026

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