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Bull
Creek in Austin
Photo courtesy Chandra
Moira Beal |
BULL CREEK PARK
6701 Lakewood Drive
Austin, Texas
78731
This forty-eight-acre park and swimming hole is an underused gem.
It was acquired by the City of Austin
in 1971 with some federal assistance, and is a very natural park.
Bull
Creek cuts through a steep granite ridge where it flows over a small man-made
dam. The dam forms two pools. Behind the dam the water is deep enough to have
a rope swing and is framed by large boulders. The water cascades over the dam
into a shallow area with fish and a gravelly bottom. Water levels will vary with
rainfall. There is no lifeguard on duty. Bull Creek Park is very popular with
dogs, so you just might have to share the pool with them. Often you must drive
through a low water crossing, so be careful. This is a spot in Austin
that always floods first when it rains.
The park also has plenty of parking,
a volleyball court, picnic tables, and a large, permanent grill. Rock climbers
use the face of the granite ridge to practice. The park is close to Loop 360 so
you may hear the traffic in the distance. Oak, pecan and juniper trees provide
plenty of shade. |
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Another
View of Bull Creek
Photo courtesy Chandra Moira Beal |
Bull
Creek Greenbelt The
Bull Creek Greenbelt begins at Loop 360 and Spicewood Springs Road and then travels
south along Bull Creek through the park. The 3-mile trail is under construction
by volunteers of the Bull Creek Foundation with no public funding. |
Barrow
PreserveThe
Barrow Preserve is ten acres full of Bull Creek tributaries in northeast Austin,
dedicated by David Barrow's family in 1974. There is a small, permanent spring
with lovely columbine blooming in the springtime. The trailhead is at Stepdown
Cove. | |
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