Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt
Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt has 206 acres of hilly wooded areas that are cut by creeks and ravines near the intersection of 51st Street and US-183 in East Austin. The undeveloped area is owned by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. When planning for the park, the community identified trails and play space as the two amenities they’d most like to see added to the park.
Over four miles of informal trails stretch across the greenbelt, but there are no parking areas or other major improvements to the property. Austin Ridge Riders is working with local partners to advance trails in this greenbelt.
Challenges
The area is challenged by a lack of maintenance, illegal dumping, homeless encampments, poorly-draining clay soil, utility easements, limited access points, and a lack of parking and visibility.
A system of trails runs throughout much of the greenbelt. These trails vary dramatically in condition, and most of the trails become impassable during and after rain events.
Goals
Austin Ridge Riders is working in partnership with the Pecan Springs/Springdale Hills Neighborhood Association and Austin Parks Foundation to advance some of the concept goals laid out in the Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt Community Master Plan.
More specifically, Austin Ridge Riders is working to:
Document and evaluate existing trails and recommend closing poorly designed trails
Activate Nature trails that were identified in the Community Master Plan.
Lead volunteer days to remove trash and invasive species (Ligustrum, chinaberry, etc.) from the park and enhance well designed trails
Work with professional trail contractors to create a trail system that has beginner, intermediate, and advanced trails that are built in an environmentally sensitive way.
Our Past Volunteer Efforts and Engagement:
November 5, 2022: Over 30 volunteers removed more than 40 yards of trash from the Greenbelt during “It’s My Park Day” volunteer event.
May 21, 2022: Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt Hike & Bike Trail Tour; in collaboration with the Camacho Recreation Center and Pecan-Springs Neighborhood Association
March 5, 2022: Trimmed overgrown vegetation and filled a 30 cubic yard dumpster with trash from the park for a total of 57 volunteer hours, in collaboration with the Pecan Springs / Springdale Neighborhood Association.
February 2022: We hired Deep Woods Designs & Consulting who completed documentation of existing trails, flagged the proposed multi-use trail, and documented existing vegetation.
2018: Participated in the Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt Master Planning Process.
