There is something peaceful about spending time in the morning I the morning. I found a l hidden gem in our neighborhood...great hills park. Out odds family friendly with a number of apparatuses for children. The park also has a small pavilion for eating or playing games. This park is very clean and well maintained. You will need to travel through the great hills residential area in order to reach the park, which is off Raincreek parkway & San Souci. Enjoy! read more

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Great Hills Park might be the best hidden getaway trail in Northeast Austin. The trail begins at a park that features a number of activities from a sand pit to workout equipment to playgrounds. The trail itself is not difficult, only spanning a mile or so if that but there is a lot packed into that mile, especially as there are many branches of pathways. From winding slopes to running streams and rocky alcoves, you get a little bit of everything on this trail. Throughout our entire walk through there was hardly anyone on the trail which gave it a sense of peace and serenity that can sometimes be very hard to find on Austin trails. The only qualms we have about this trail are that there are no garbage cans anywhere, and as litter conscious people we had to wait quite some time to get rid of our trash since only one end of the trail has a waste bin. The other issue is that is is incredibly rocky, and not large rocks that take time to hurdle and climb over, but small loose rocks that always have you feeling unsure of yourself, even on flat ground. Both are very minor issues to have but important to note nonetheless. Ultimately, Great Hills is a lovely trail that is convenient and quiet allowing for a solace filled escape. We recommend it to anyone living in the area. read more

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We love this park and the trails - and so does our pup! Lots of sniff and trails to keep us active! read more

Great Hills Park - Pup on the trail! - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

It's my favorite time of the year to venture to some hiking trails! This one was tucked off in a nice but older neighborhood. We parked in the neighborhood right at the entrance of the trial, we later noticed there was others parked street side outside of the neighborhood as well! This wasn't too long of a trail but there are different paths to explore so you can make it longer. Difficulty 1-5 I'd go with 2 just because the stairs and uneven path ways- also there's some sport you have to walk across some water ways on the rocks . We walked around for a good hour and 15 min! There's plenty of shade on this wall with a few sets of stairs , some paths do get a little narrow. There are a few water ways which weren't flowing or dried up since rain levels haven't been great. I think there was 2 out of 5 that we seen that actually had water trickling through. There was plenty of plants and a few flowers left when we went. I really enjoyed this hike and out definitely go back! read more

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This neighborhood park has a lot going for it with such amenities as covered picnic tables, playscape, swings, music area, climbscape, and some unpaved nature trails. There's also a workout area, 2 chimney swift nesting boxes, telescope, a fountain and a gravel pit for kids to dig in, but there are no bathrooms. The trail that leads away from the park is perfect for mountain biking and hiking and there are some benches along the route. The primitive trails are well marked with additional maps and signs so you don't get lost. If you're into trails, I definitely recommend checking this one out since it is well maintained with a hilly geography. These trails eventually link up to other trailheads. A great place for the kids to play and for the avid hiker/biker. You'll have to park along the neighborhood street since there is no lot. Plenty of pictures included to get you to visit. read more

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Great place for a quick, short hike if you don't have a lot of time. Located within a neighborhood on the NW side of Austin near the UT Austin JJ Pickle Research Campus. Decent grade inclines, but overall an easy walk. Note that if you want to complete the loop, you have to exit the trail and walk a couple of blocks through a neighborhood to get to the next trailhead and get back on the trail. I recommend using the AllTrails app to find your way through the trails and especially through the neighborhood. The signage and the maps at the trailheads are confusing. Not a rough trail, but lots of creek crossings. I had waterproof hiking shoes on but was able to step on all the rocks and not get wet. But you never know when a foot might slip, and you get a wet shoe and wet sock - and hiking with soggy shoes and socks is definitely no fun. Also, the steps on one of the crossings were spaced a little far apart. I'm tall so I was able to do it with no problem, but for people with shorter legs, your feet might get wet. Really clean trail and well kept - very pretty scenery and right in a residential neighborhood. But once you get on the trail, you will forget where you are. It is that natural. I'm only knocking it down to 3 stars because of the walk through the neighborhood and the short length of the trail. But it really is serene, quiet, clean, and very natural. P.S. No parking lot available - you have to park on the street but it was no problem. read more

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This place is neat. It can be a little weird to get to, and usually you'll be parking on the street. The trails can be a little rough and unkempt, sometimes muddy after a rain. It's worth it, though, for access to a pretty little stream with turtles and pleasant short walks. No restrooms that I saw. So hold on to that pee, people! read more

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A nice little park located inside the residential Great Hills area at northwest Austin. Serious hikers will not find this trail challenging at all, but regular people looking for a casual stroll will find walking at Great Hills Park Trail relaxing. I myself love taking my dog to this Trail in the dead of the night to clear my mind. I enjoy starting from the park area near San Souci, then walking through the trail until I exit at the Floral Park entrance/exit. Since we are at Great Hills, the trail has a good amount of slopes and stairs in case hiking on completely flat ground is boring. Jogging may be a bit difficult with all the stairs though. If you're a visitor that doesn't live at Great Hills, then park at the side of the road on Rain Creek Parkway. read more

Wow! What a gem of a park. The trails are groomed so nice. The trails are marked very well. Such a great little hike to go on with your dog, or even your kids. Very easy walkable trails. A few areas are uneven. Steep areas have steps to look natural. Little brook to cross a few times. There are rocks you can step in to cross the brook. I can't wait to go back and try out the other trails. Just a beautiful park. I believe there is a curfew of 5am to 10pm. Happy hiking read more

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This was a pretty fun trail to hike in Austin. We hiked for about 2 miles. There are a few trails that branch off of the main trail but it's easy to stay on track. The difficulty was about a 3/10. There are River trails and good spots for photo ops. I'm no too familiar with the area but you can enter the trail by the park. read more

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Great Hills Park is 90 acres, and it's got miles of trails within. While there are five different trail to choose from, my personal favorite is the Sierra Oaks trailhead. Tip: The Sierra Oaks trailhead is by the main entrance. There you'll find a covered pavilion, water fountain, playscape, and exercise equipment. From the trailhead, proceed down the trail and within a few minutes you'll descend into a beautiful hill-country canyon. There's a stream there; you can find fossils along the stream bed - especially after it rains. read more

Awesome little gem in Austin! Great hiking trail that is almost completely shaded. Both trails essentially follow a stream that has clean flowing water for your dog to play in. Unfortunately, this isn't an off-leash trail, though you'll see the occasional dog on the loose. Would say that 75% are on-leash. My recommended path is start at Floral Park, take the North path once you're at the fork, at the end, walk south through the community and start the other trail and then take that back to floral park. Playscape to floral park trail is much easier and faster than the Northern trail, which is why I recommend doing that on the way back. read more

The water and creek is nice but the trail is fairly short and can be confusing where to meet people since there are multiple parking lots that don't connect read more

A beautiful trail in northwest Austin that I never knew existed until recently! I love that this large park with several different trails has been preserved. There are many ways to get to this park and many entrances from all around the area. We entered in the middle of an unassuming neighborhood. Spent about 2 hours out here on Saturday and only saw 2 people. Now that's my kind of hike! There are some man made stairs around, but I would say this is a fairly easy trail without any difficulty. The pictures I uploaded don't do it justice. Highly recommend for the nature lovers or if you just want to get outside. read more

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I have hiked here twice in the past 2 weeks and have not seen one other person on this trail - maybe it is because I am the only one that likes to hike in the rain:) However, I have seen lots of wildlife including a swarm of vultures fighting over a dead deer. I also noticed several poisonous plants so don't let your kids chomp on the leaves - just another reason to keep your dog leashed. The trail is about 2.5 miles round trip and thanks to the recent rain the creek and waterfall are flowing and it is GREEN! read more

Great Hills Park - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great experience and great parts so many different ways going so much beautiful scenery dog friendly nice way to meet others bring great shoes read more

Really enjoyed this hike. Who woulda thought it was less than 3 miles from my house? I found out that it's better to use Yelp for directions than Google Maps, can't rely on it, I guess! Nice creeks, but I did get a little lost on what I thought were trails. I ended up hacking my way through tree branches but hey, it's all part of the fun, am I right? Also, I was looking for some graffiti art that was a little off the main trail and ended up finding a yellow and black snake! Yikes. I think it was more afraid of me, than I was of it. Nice place, will come again. read more

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Our favorite local trail and park. :) After it rains the creek is really great too! Right now it's dry. The park has a playground on one end that just had some great upgrades to it. read more

Love this place! Lots of trails and so much beauty. Plenty of parking and wildlife. The people and there dogs are always friendly. read more

Great Hills Park - Trail - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

The trails here are well maintained and pretty. You can also go "off road" and explore without too much bushwhacking, though it would probably be best to only do this with a GPS unit. There is a water fountain at the playground, which I greatly appreciated. If you're into geocaching, there are several off of Great Hills Park trails. We saw some interesting rocks, plants, and critters including deer and speckled lizards. Nice place! (The main reason I didn't give 5 stars is because there could have been better signage, especially at the trail heads outside of the playground.) read more

Great Hills Park - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is a great trail! It's dog friendly and has lots of gorgeous views and running water. We could not find a lot of picnic tables on the trail. This trail has many options and fun loops to explore. Bring you tennis shoes of hiking shoes as the terrain is a little rough and not for the beginning hiker. read more

It was a very beautiful set of trails. I went on a Saturday afternoon, (2-3pm) because I was looking for a shaded area to run. I am not from the area but I figured this would do. When I got there, I found it to be more suited for hiking than running, but I was able to make the best of it and do some trail running in the areas where I was able to do so safely. There are many sections where one crosses the creek/river in the area. The creek was not overflowing so I was able to walk on top of some rocks every time I needed to cross one of those sections. This trail is not long at all, but since I am recovering from a foot injury, it provided enough opportunities to run, hike, and enjoy nature. Between all the small connecting trails, I was able to "run" about 2 miles. Pretty fun. read more

Multiple beautiful trails with a play ground at one point and several access points. It was easy to park by a trail head. Lots of pretty bridges to cross over the creek and a few spots to go wading. We got a little muddy at one point but were able to easily wash it off in the clear waters of the creek. It's one of the few trails in town with a lot of shade and you can easily fill an afternoon adventure at this park. read more

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"Great hidden find within the neighborhood" I love taking my dog to this trail! It says leash required but majority of people keep their dogs off leash. Allows the dogs to get much more energy out. The hardest part is finding the park, you have to wind through the neighborhood to get her but it's well worth it. The best area to park is off 11100 Fox Way Drive Austin, TX 78759. There is a culdesac there with direct access to the trail. If you want direct access to the park/ playscape and different trail head, park off of Sierra Oaks on the right hand side, across from Sierra Tahoe, before you reach Sierra Nevada (10801 Sierra Oaks). I added a photo of the trail map that is out there, which will hopefully help a few people. It's a fantastic place to go for some peace and serenity. I will advise that it's not the best running trail (with a dog at least) due to the jagged rocks and narrow paths on the trail, plus stairs. If you are by yourself it isn't too bad to run, just be very cautious if you do. The trail can be a great workout because of the up and down hill motion and dodging of rocks for steady ground. Aside from that, there's some great level ground areas that cross the streams and bridges. My favorite thing to do here is just walk with my dog down all the different paths. There's some spectacular little water holes and streams that you cross on the paths. If you need some time to yourself. a place to think, or a little nature time, this is the place to be! read more

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This is one of my favorite nature trails. It is a hidden gem. You can bring dogs but they need to be on a leash. Great playground and exercise equipment adjacent to this trail. read more

This is a great trail running spot. The round trip trail is 1.5 miles of well defined path. Great place to hike during lunch or after work. This may be the best in North Austin. Hidden gem status for sure... read more

When you put this into maps it takes you to the playground entrance...but in fox rd like the pictures show if you want a more secluded, kid free or chill deserted spot to park. As far as how many people I ran into I wasn't expecting it to be in the middle of a $$ neighborhood- you can't tell that from just being on the trail. You might run into dog walkers and kids on the park side entrance of the trail as well, however not so much on the Fox rd side 8 minutes away. Might be less of that on another day because I went here on a Monday evening so there was plenty of family hang outs going on read more

Stopped by here one very hot and sunny day. Wanted to find a park in the shade. It didn't exactly meet the demands 100% but it was certainly close. There is ample shade, but not necessarily over the playscape. The are is nice, well maintained. Tucked away in the trees. They have gym equipment out for the adults as well as walk/hiking trails. A nice picnic area and different places to go to escape any crowd or group that may be hanging. Overall a nice a little neighborhood park that we will have frequented a few times now, and will in the near future. read more

We live just down the street from this trail and it's a great place to take the beagle pup for a run. There are some fun rock formations to climb and some pools for the pup to take a swim. It's a relatively short trail compared to some of the others in the area. Pretty difficult to get lost back there. Yet somehow I managed to do just that one day when it had been raining and I lost track of the trail and found myself surrounded by at least ten deer. I wandered around aimlessly through the woods for a good fifteen minutes before finding the trail again. Quite the adventure! I usually run into quite a few other people and their dogs on the weekends and evenings. It seems to be a popular trail. The only thing keeping this from 5 stars is I wish this was an off-leash area for dogs. The signs tell you that pets must be kept on-leash at all times, yet I'd say most people I've seen let their dogs run free. I tried this with my dog as well and he has caused no issues aside from one angry individual. read more

My dog, Attie, & I had a great time discovering this little gem today! I'd recommend thick soled shoes with good grip as it's a bit rocky and you have to ford the stream in a few places but what a wilderness oasis right in North Austin! read more

Great Hills Park - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Cute trails mostly lined with trees and rocks. The fish pool was a very shallow creek that my small 6lbs dog was able to walk through. While we were there we only saw one other person with their dog, so it seems pretty secluded from my experience. read more

Great Hills Park - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great neighborhood trail where my dogs can hike, swim, and perhaps meet a few friends along the way. It's quiet and serene, with many smaller trails off the main one. It's fairly secluded, and we usually only see 1 or 2 other people on our walk. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences. Caution...coyotes have been spotted on the trails and in the neighborhood. read more

My favorite hiking trail! Go go go. My dog loved it too!! However i got lost which to me isn't terrible. I wish the maps made a little more since. But other than that. Gorgeous read more

Great park with trail heads just down the street for easy access. Perfect for walking or running. I take my dogs out here regularly as they really enjoy it. Several different paths that are accessible and a few creek crossings as well. Even a few ponds that accumulate water when it rains. read more

Great Hills Park - Great Hills Park Trail - Hiking Near Me - Austin, Texas

I consider myself a beginner "hiker" I guess? But this was Trail was a decent length! I originally came here to take a few pictures for my husband and we loved all the pictures I took!! We even got to spot a little group of deer, so cute! The trail itself wasn't challenging at all, I would say it is just aesthetically pleasing. Definitely will go again read more

**Lepto Warning** I visited the park on 8/9 with my dog. On our walk, she lapped up a small bit of water from the creek and also drank from the doggy water fountain at the start of the trail. By Sunday evening she was continuously peeing in our apt which was very out of character. This continued into Monday. I scheduled a vet appointment for Wed, thinking it was a UTI. By Wednesday, she was extremely lethargic, not eating, drinking 3x the amount she usually did and peeing ~30min. I brought her into the vet that afternoon and they said she was severely dehydrated and her urine concentration indicated kidney failure. She stayed overnight with IV fluids, antibiotics, and steroids. She was able to come home ~24hrs later. They confirmed that she had leptospirosis which can be fatal. She is on antibiotics and doing better, but I wanted to issue this warning as this is where we think she got it from. read more

Very beautiful trail in north austin. It's a recent find and went with my friend today. It's a beautiful place with lots of shades and it's pretty secluded so we dint see alot of people. The trail was good and it was lined with Rocks and tress but, I saw a snake moving under a bush which was just a step away from the trail and it scared the crap out of me and my friend. So if you don't like having snakes while your running, (which I'm sure many don't like it) it's better to avoid this place. read more

Such a beautiful set of trails. And some interesting finds off-trail. I wish it were possible for there to be some markers in the neighborhood off trail starting where you can enter/exit at opposite ends. But I say this as a directionally challenged person, so it's probably not necessary for the average Jane. Lovely when the water is high! read more

Fun neighborhood greenbelt. Plenty of room and not many people. One great pool for dogs to swim in and interesting rock formations. Dogs allowed and such. read more

I searched for all of the off leash dog trails in austin and this one came up. Although definitely not off leash (several signs that say leash your pet) the trail was beautiful and well marked. I went on a Sunday and didn't see many other people there so the trails are decently sized and spread out. Tucked away in a nice, scenic neighborhood. I've been missing out on this trail as it is so close to my house and I'm moving. I recommend it to people, dogs, people with kids, etc. read more