Mount Bonnell (Austin, TX) -- April 2015

Mount Bonnell -- 19 April 2015

After we left the open house at Camp Mabry, the weather was nice, and there was still time left in the day, so I recommended to my friend that we go up Mt Bonnell.  She’d never been up there, and this would be my fourth (each time with different people, for those of you who know the myth).  A lot of others apparently had a similar thought that day, as there were quite a lot of cars in the area.  Another reason why I wanted to make a return visit because on my previous visit I remembered seeing the monument at the summit damaged, and I wondered if there had been anything done to address that.

One of the first things I noticed which was new was the informational plaque next to the base of the stairs.  It looked like there was a restoration project going on.  My friend and I decided to race up the steps for fun.  My longer legs allowed me to take two at a time and I quickly reached the top with a great workout.  My friend threw in the towel after the 20^th step, and slowly came up the rest of the way.

The reason why there were so many cars became clear as a couple had chosen the top to be the location for their wedding.  I thought that was really nice.  What I also so was nice was the monument had been encased in a wire cage to prevent further damage from being done to it.  It hasn’t been repaired, but there was a picture which showed what it used to look like.  I attached one from my 2007 visit for comparison.

Since it had rained recently, some of the observation points where you could see the city skyline were a bit muddy, but it didn’t ruin our enjoyment of it.

Once we’d come back to the main area, the main phase of the wedding had passed, so we were able to look out the southward view without being obtrusive.  Looking at this section of the Colorado River, you wouldn’t think we’re under a drought condition (as evident by the low levels a short distance upriver at Mansfield Dam).  I did point out to my friend that this was a section of Austin where the “money” lived.

As we moved to the section to the right of the stairs, the view upriver became clearer.  I pointed out the crescent bridge of 360 which crossed the river.  In addition to the wedding guests, there were a number of people who were out enjoying the view on this nice day.

I showed my friend that instead of taking the stairs back down, we could walk the longer trail which paralleled the river, and eventually brought us back to the road.  From there it was just a short walk back to the car.  For those wishing to ascend to the summit in a less-intensive way, this might be a good option.

If you haven’t been, you get off Mopac on 35^th Street, and go west past the entrance to Camp Mabry.  You’ll see sign for Mt. Bonnell Road which, obviously, you’ll take.  Accelerate as much as you can past the water treatment plant, because after you make a hard turn you’ll be heading up a very steep hill that will tax your engine.  You have been forewarned.  When leaving, if you go the same way, then you’ll want to be in low gear, as not to ride your brakes all the way down.  Alternately, you could drive northward past Bright Leaf Preserve and come out on 2222 near St. Theresa’s Church.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

            Mount Bonnell:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bonnell

Bright Leaf Preserve:  http://www.brightleaf.org/