Mar
10
2023
At Bryker Woods Elementary, Shoal Creek trail is about 3.3 miles to the Central Library.
There is plenty of parking at the school and the trail is shaded much of the way. We do pass Pease Park which will be sticky with the kids likely wanting to play. There are nice bathrooms and water if needed there too.
There are 2 spots that put us next to the road, but not on it or in peril. One, where the trail is washed out and we have to go around but there is a wide sidewalk and the trail picks up fairly quickly after that. The other; at 31st St we have a dedicated lane and then we drop back onto the trail behind the Renner Project.
We are along Shoal Creek the whole time. Plenty of opportunity to grab some trash if that's okay. There are a few unhoused people who tend to keep to themselves and I didn't see any encampments. The recent storm may have been a factor in that.
The trail has natural springs and follows the Balcones fault line. There are plenty of birds to try to identify. We will pass the area where a father and son discovered a plesiosaur. There are Comanche bent tree trail and spring markers as well as a city marker that shows a "natural" water retention area that was engineered and could be interesting for our future civil engineers.
The Return: Bus route 5 to Northcross is direct to Lamar and 34th and an easy walk back to our vehicles. This is probably the most difficult section since we will have to walk up off the creek along the streets and it's in a day drinking area. LOL. all other buses require transfers and take double the time. Bus fare is $1.5 and it's a day pass so can be used for 24 hours. Students ride free.