Review Date
July 7, 2011

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: Morealice ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I've ridden this trail over the years, but sparingly. Now I work near Walnut Creek Park. I have been riding it about once a week for the last few months.

Now that a route has been marked (arrows with blue dots on signs) it makes it nice to have some sort of order to the park. Those that go there and don't follow that (and aren't familiar with the park) will get lost and end up repeating sections.

I have to say that I feel like this trail system will improve your handling skills a billion fold. As your speed increases, you will find the need for better handling...and it will come...it better come, or you'll be running into some trees. It really does bring a smile to my face to do a couple "man size loops" out there after work.

It's a great aerobic workout, well-maintained, fun, and great for improving skills. It's amazing to me to see the number of riders that would probably blow me up in the straights, but once it comes to handling, they lose ground QUICK.

Long Live the Nut. I love it.

Aerobic Rating: 5 because you can make it whatever you want.

Technical Rating: 3 because again, you can make it as tough as you want depending on speed into and out of turns.

Overall Rating: 5 because of trail maintenance, convenience to most Austinites, and fun factor.

Review Date
July 18, 2009

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: bsdc ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Aerobicly, it's pretty easy. There are some hills but it's so smooth, it's fairly easy to climb most of it. I'm not in great shape but found it all relatively easy to ride.

Technically, it would be a 2 because it is so smooth. There is an amazing lack of rocks and roots for central Texas. But I gave it a 3 for the BMX trail. It does get a bit rough at the creek crossings but the rest of the trails can be comfortably ridden with a hardtail or fully rigid bike.

Overall, this is a good trail for a beginner. Intermediate riders will get board quick.

It's a good place to take your dog. It allows dogs off leash and there is water down at the creek.

Recommended Route:
Make sure you hit the BMX Trail. It's the best part by far.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Reimers, Muleshoe, Rocky Hill are all much better for intermediate riders.

Review Date
February 23, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: xterrain ,  Downhiller

Summary:
Great trail system! Tons of space to explore and it really has something for everyone. My first trip there was yesterday, I made the hour commute from San Marcos and arrived at 1pm to see about 45-50 bikers in the parking lot at different levels of stageing. I thought at first the trails would be crowded and head-on collisions may occur as the trails are all multi-directional. I saw bikes/riders of all different levels, most being crosscountry setups and very few FR/DH setups (which was a bummer for me, but for most anyone else it would have been delighting). Once I started out on the trail with a friend of mine we both realized how grateful we were to have alot of water, hydration pills, and reliable setups. It was dry, very dry, but the riding couldnt have been better! Trails are fast and tight and for the post part flat. We rode the loops then Endo Valley then Powerline and all of them were fantastic. The signage was great and the map saved our butts more than once. It was one of the most relexed ride I have been on in a while; the people on and off the trail were kind and patient as most of Austins population are and gave way to faster riders without a seconds notice.

Recommended Route:
All trails, but watch for the rating signs, some may have trouble with some of the blacks...drops and decent pedaling required.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Austin is chalk full of trails! Ride them all!

Review Date
December 9, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: ckrd23315 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
As everyone else has already outlined the trail well, there's no sense in reapeating the same stuff, but thought it is worth noting that I take my 12 year old and his friends and there is enough beginner to intermediate trail to keep them busy (we typically ride a 5-6 mile loop with one or two walks for them). At the same time, there's advanced enough stuff that they can walk and I can ride to keep it interesting. When I'm alone, there's 10+ miles of singletrack with SOME extremely technical terrain. WARNING: Don't let a non-advanced rider anywhere near Endo Valley.

Location is great! It's less than 10 minutes from my office and about 25 minutes from my front door. It's got a great central location for anyone living north of downtown (30 minutes or less from just about anywhere).

Recommended Route:
I almost always follow the "marked" route. It is identified by blue squares contained within directional arrows. You can get the latest map at the following we address:

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/images/walnutcreekmetropark.jpg

Review Date
September 27, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: fawill ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is my primary trail. I have been riding walnut creek for a number of years and my hat is off to Mark H. His tireless work is much appreciated. The trail is mostly singletrack; smooth with some roots and rock which can challenge some beginner riders. The trails are mostly shaded and there are a few creek crossings. There are hills but mostly what I call short bursts; not long sustained climbs like at comfort. I do use the trail to train for racing but have to be very careful and watch my speed; I come across lots of dogs/walkers/hikers. The trail signs/direction are up on all the trails so it should be easy to find the parking lot. The Austin Ridge Riders have a 930am sunday ride for beginners so if you are new to the area and the trail that should help with orientation.

Recommended Route:
Start in the main parking lot by the pool. There are a number of loops that have the green posts indicating the name of the trails and the direction to the parking lot.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Barton Creek Greenbelt
Muleshoe
Lake Georgetown
Rocky Hill