I was first shown this trail a few years back, and it was a nice hike. I had every intention to get over here as part of the GRC Summer Tour, but ended up going to places which were a little easier to get to. To be fair, this is still mostly within the Austin city limits, but it really is “way out there.” First at the intersection of 2222 and 360 head north, and then there’ll be a left turn on to City Park Road. There are very few developments here as you go through the winding hilly road, so make sure you have a full gas tank. You’re heading towards the Emma Long Metropolitan Park, which is a green space for camping and water access (to the Colorado River). You don’t quite go that far, as there is a small parking area a short distance from the main park entrance.
The first section of the Turkey Creek Trail parallels the road a bit, and then turns away from that. The creek has been dry whenever I’ve been here, but I expect you’ll find some flowing water after heavy rains. The elevation change isn’t bad as you go deeper in the wood. Eventually there’s a fork in the trail. It doesn’t matter which way you take, because one will loop you around to the other.
As I always joked “You can’t go wrong if you go right,” you can guess what direction I went. From there the elevation increased a bit, but it was still an easy climb. There’s a lot of trees, so you don’t get a nice vista of the hill country. The trail plateau’s as it starts to loop back. Coming down the east-side gave me a great view of some vine-covered cliffs. Other than a few birds and a smattering of squirrels, there was little wildlife.
Once I hit the fork, then I came back the way I’d gone in. There’s no side trails, or other places to explore. Doing the whole loop took me about 90 minutes, but certainly no more than two hours (counting the stopping for pictures). It’s worth checking out, as is any trail in the area where you live.
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