Barton Springs Question

[notreally]

my daughter and i are headed to austin next week. going to hit schlitterbahn one day and more or less eat at all the spots i love. feel free to throw a suggestion down for that as well, as i think i've hit all the spots... but there are always more.

anyway, one of the days we are going to go mountain biking. my daughter is 11 and a decent rider, but i thought barton springs will be fun. we will take our bathing suits in our backpacks and either swim along the way or at the barton springs pool.

since she is 11 she won't be able to make the entire 16 mile roundtrip, so i am looking for the best place to start on the trail where we can still get in 8 - 10 miles, but most importantly see the best scenery and see the best swimming holes.

where should we enter the trail in order to do this?

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

With all the rain we've been experiencing, Barton Springs has been a hit or miss proposition due to the high levels of bacteria.
This also means potential trouble for the hike 'n bike trail. According to the IMBA, they suggest to not ride on muddy trails. I'm sure they are still used given we're in a dense urban area with a lot of itchy riders, however it does take the trail longer to recover if ridden muddy.

The Austin Ridge Riders say:If it rains within 24 hours of the ride, we will cancel the ride. You might see if they have something going on near you around the time of your visit. Austin Ridge Riders .

Should the gods of precip be in your favor, I'd suggest going in right there @ Barton Springs, that way you can finish off the ride with a swim @ the entry point.

Another decent spot going both ways might be @ Capitol of Texas Highway 1/2 way between MoPac & Lamar. There's also Spyglass Hill, but I think for a younger rider the more flat sections are adviseable as they aren't so technical & tricky.

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[EJC+1]

With all the rain we've had Barton Spring has been closed. Also, since your daughter is 11 a bike ride along the greenbelt probably isn't the best idea considering its in very bad shape in most spots.

 

[notreally]

yeah, that sucks about the rain. hopefully, we'll have a good week o sunshine before i get there.... but it doesn't look like it.

i'm not worried about the trail difficulty. she is an experienced rider for 11. she rides grapevine in dallas with me.

 

[VacantlyOccupied]

No telling what the greenbelt looks like after the summer we've had. You might consider starting at Barton Springs and riding around Town Lake instead. It's not a challenging ride, but it's fun and if the pool's open you can hit it when you're done.

If Barton Springs isn't open, then I'd go park near Deep Eddy instead. You're still on the Town Lake hike & bike trail, so you can still ride around the lake and finish with a swim.