need a bicycle route

[gardere_owns_OU]

for both road bike and mountain bike.

routes from southwest pkwy to downtown. i prefer to drive downtown when going out drinking, cabbing it home, then riding my bike to get my car in the morning/afternoon. but as i drive from southwest pkwy to mopac, there is really no bike lane or access road over the greenbelt and i dread having to go through brodie to lamar off the 290 access road.

also, anyone know of any good mountain bike trails off of southwest pkwy?

Until then,

I shall remain,

Faithfully yours,

-goo

 

[mishatx]

how far down SW Pkwy? You can try Mirador -> Escala -> Lost Creek ->360 or Barton Creek Blvd -> Bee Caves

You can try to find trails in Travis Country along T.C creek or Gaines creek down to the barton creek greenbelt, then carry your bike across the dry creek bed, but I don't know if the trails down to the greenbelt will really be bikeable.

I hear there's talk about putting a bike bridge over barton creek at mopac. You could wait to get your car until then.

 

[hornian]

The Link

 

[mishatx]

that map just proves what we already knew: you can't get across the creek by road without using the mopac bridge, lamar, or going way out of the way.

 

[K-Man]

from teh map

If you can get over to Brodie
Ernest Robles
Jones Rd
Western Trails
Bannister
Garden Villa
Raywood
S. 5th
Bouldin

That's a lot farther east than you'd like, but seems fairly safe and doable.

Is Mopac out of the question?

 

[chuychanga]

You access the Barton Creek Greenbelt from the back of the Travis Country neighborhood or you can ride down SW Parkway and drop in behind the Best Buy on Mopac. It's actually behind Sam's Club. Go around the side of Best Buy and follow that back alley all the way back to the far corner. On the left is the trail drop in. About 100 yards in you'll see a trail going to the right. Take that right to go to the Greenbelt. If you were to continue straight eventually curves to the left and goes toward Travis Country.

Check out the Greenbalt map. The trail runs along the creek you see in the Gaines Greebelt. Even though the trail is not marked on this map, it does hook up with the Barton Creek Greenbelt, right where that creek joins Barton Creek.

It's not that technical, but not exactly an easy trail either. I guess it's an intermediate trail, like most of the rest of that section of the main trail.

 

[GarCiaRia]

agree with K-Man. 5th street runs parallel with Lamar and drops you into the Barton Springs area via Dawson.

 

[Alpine]

Here is how I do it from the entrance to travis country subdivision:
SW Blvd. until you get under the mopac bridge where all traffic must turn left. Start the left turn and then cross the little grass strip into the parking lot where Applebee's, spec's, etc. is.
Follow the parking lot to the red light at brodie and 290.
At the light, cross under the 290 bridge and head east (left)
on 290 sidewalk.
Cut through Kohl's parking lot to Jones Rd.
Jones to packsaddle pass
packsaddle pass to western trails to redd
redd to mount vernon
mount vernon to st. elmo
st. elmo to south congress

 

[gardere_owns_OU]

thanks for the tips guys... might be a longer ride, but it should be fun. i'll give that try.

 

[GarCiaRia]

I started commuting from Oak Hill and found the Western Trails/Bannister/Garden Villa, Cardinal, S. 5th street to Lamar foot bridge the way to go. I take the trail under Cesar Chavez and pop out next to the Music Hall. Hook a left on Nueces, cruise by Mellow Johnny's and head toward the capitol. Works for me. I reverse the route on the way home. It's alot harder considering you have lots of climbing from Barton Springs to Ben White. Still nice and fairly vehicularly uninvasive.