Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

My son is a self proclaimed bmx-​er so while visiting Austin we stopped at 2 tracks, this obviously being one of them. What a beautiful park and doggie loved it too!
so glad we stopped at this gem but unfortunately lots of mud from the previous days rain. Guess w have to come back again!

So this place is a great little «gem of nature» in the urban sprawl of North Austin.
I have done a couple of trails here now and have really enjoyed my leisurely hikes through this little pocket of wilderness.
The creek actually had some water, so it was nice to just take a respite sitting on a rock in the middle of the bubbling waters and take a deep breath and forget about the #strugglebus that has become daily life in our ever burgeoning metropolis.
Alas, that moment was short-​lived as the 20-​something hipsters, 30-​something new parents w/​their feral spawn, and the array of dudebros and duckfaced barbie-​types amongst their packs of unleashed dogs came full-​throttle into my little bubble of Zen and burst it with the inconsiderate vigor of entitlement that seems to be the current plague of Austin. Though, I have a feeling, despite whatever time of day I came, this would be a daily occurrence.
On my hike back to the parking lot, I was almost run down by various mountain bikers who for some reason had it in their heads that they had more of a right to be ravaging the trails than my feet did walking them. They seriously YELLED at me… I guess pedestrian right of way is not a thing here.
I really liked the natural space here, so 5-​stars for the haven-​esqueness of what could be here, but 1-​star for the people I encountered on and off the trails.
Like w/​most good things, certain types will always find a way to ruin it and sadly they seem to be en masse here.

My dog Bacon the English Bull Terrier absolutely LOVED this place. He is normally a very timid dog that gets nervous in public situations, and it was a very busy Sunday afternoon. Not one time there did he cower, or motion that he was uncomfortable. It actually got to the point where I took him off his leash and let him do his own thing! THAT’S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE AND I’M SO EXCITED! What a fantastic place.

This is the best off leash park in Austin. It isn’t some big dust bowl where dogs whirl around in a pack, it’s a giant wilderness area with a maze of trails, canyons, and streams. Your dog, if they are good off leash, will love running up and down the trail, meeting other dogs here and there, and exploring off the path. The water isn’t swimmable for humans, but the dogs can cool off at least and you can wade.
NOTE: You will get lost. Just keep heading towards the P on the signs when you see them and you’ll get to the parking lot.
PLEASE PICK UP YOUR POOP if you go.

Such a pretty natural park. Great trails and dog friendly. Off leash area right on the creek!

What Henry L. said.
There are problems with lazy people and their dog’s doodoo butter but that isn’t the park’s fault per se. The park itself is great for trail running (hard for a park to achieve). Little dogs don’t belong as this isn’t some artsy fartsy pretentious park (genetically mutated over the centuries to be small and generally don’t serve any real purpose). I don’t own any dogs, but I would let them roam if I did.

So much space, so much to do… Need to have a monthly clean up day for lazy pet owners though… Also the «get there early» is a must on the weekends.

Hiking, biking, running and dog friendly. In addition to trails and open spaces there is a swimming pool, volleyball court, basketball court, baseball field, kids play area and a gazebo with bbq pits. Watch out for bikers, poo and cactus patches. Its a pretty large park with lots of trails varying from easy to expert, just watch your step. Parking isn’t really a problem however it fills up on nice days and during the week after 4pm ish.

Great off leash easy walking trails to bring your dog and kids. There is a creek that runs through it that is fun to walk along and skip rocks.

This was a surprisingly nice trail but my only complaint was how many people with misbehaving dogs had them off the leash. My rescue dog is scared of everything and having big dominating dogs come into his personal space and not leave him alone is terrifying for him so I had to pick him up. Other than that it was a nice short hike :)

My favorite park in Austin! I enjoy bringing my dog here because it’s off leash. She enjoys splashing in the creek, when it has water. There is plenty of space to get lost and forget you’re in the city. It doesn’t get super crowded and most people are friendly. Bikers are usually courteous and share the trails with the walkers as well.
A few owners don’t pick up after their dogs which gives the rest of us a bad rap. Hopefully, this doesn’t become a common occurrence.

3 ½ stars for scenery. 1 star for the a-​holes with dogs they can’t control. There are trash bags along the trail and there are no designated dog areas near the water. So people unleash their animals and do not control them. I brought my three year old niece here and someones idiot dog knocked her over and continued stepping across us while the owner stood there are laughed, assuring us he was friendly. Dude, i don’t care if your dog brought us lunch, he’s rude and so are you. Another time i went there, i sat as far away from the dog people as possible but still managed to have dogs jump on top of me and scratch up whatever exposed skin was there. Aaaand once again, owners just cackling like it’s no big deal. There are some people here who control their pets, however, being that there are no designated spots and zero monitoring, idiots are bound to ruin anything…

I love bringing my dogs to this park, the trails are great, they love the water when it isn’t dried out and they love getting to meet dogs along the way.
Why it doesn’t get 5 stars from me? There have been several incidents where the *people* who come here are very RUDE about dogs being on the trail. Firstly, they’re allowed off leash here past a certain point. Secondly, don’t come to a dirt-​trail park, with water, and off-​leash dogs and get mad if you get a little dirty or wet — just don’t. Majority of dogs that I have run into here are so well behaved and just want to say hi, to everyone — just like my dogs. There is a little playground as well near the parking lot and lots of trails to explore down.

Been coming here for nearly 15 years – love it so much, I bought a house directly on the park in 2004. Although I wish the cement path never was poured, progress is Austin must go on. Trail running, mountain biking, dog play time, and hiking – explore and find your own niche in this amazing gem of a city park!

We’ve stopped coming here entirely — what is it with everyone leaving bags of dog poop in various places along the trail? They even hang it from the tree branches and shove it into tree holes. Disgusting! You can’t be bothered to carry it to a trash can? Mommy’s going to pick it up for you? It just got worse and worse every time we went there, and then people stopped even bothering to put it in a bag. Way to ruin a good park, thanks, rude, entitled people.
Oh yes, and there have been too many incidences of people with uncontrolled dogs who jump on and scare our dogs, then tell us «He was just playing!» Well, if your big dog is on top of my little dog, and my dog is squealing and freaking out with his tail between his legs, your dog doesn’t know how to play with others, and it should not be allowed to run free. Just too much unpleasantness at this place.

I started and still mostly come to this park to play kickball under Austin SSC, but that’s for another time. We made a trip here to actually walk the trails, and I was hooked. Who knew such a park can be found just off of North Lamar?
To be honest, I don’t like walking around in circles at parks, and there’s none of that here. Despite the paved dirt roads, this place is mysterious and large. Every minute or two, the paths would fork and a decision would have to be made. And each split in the path would take you to different parts of the park, not just to simply connect later. There are creek beds, flowers, and areas of tall weeds. Pretty much different plantation in different regions of this park. I can come to this park over and over and end up on different trails.
No really, don’t underestimate the wilderness here. If I got dropped off in the middle of this park, I’d be completely lost and would see no sign of civilization in any direction. If you’re super adventurous, there are ample opportunities for jumping over fallen trees, hill climbing, and heights. I remember a point where I nearly hurt my ankle getting up a rocky hill. I really love this place.
For casual bikers and walkers with kids and/​or dogs, this place is also fantastic. Plenty of people here, but it’s not at all crowded just cause this place is so huge!

Beautiful park! My husband and I are new to Texas, and this is one of our favorite places to take a morning or evening stroll. The paths are quaint and the creek area is beautiful. You gotta watch out for the fast mountain bikers or the people with their dogs not on leashes! We haven’t yet encountered a mean dog (however we did see a German shepherd almost go ballistic on another dog!). Every once in a while though you will see doggie poop bags that an owner didn’t discard. (Dog owners please throw away your poop bags!)
We have yet to discover all the trails this park has to offer; we will be back soon!

I love this park. You can just aimlessly wander on a different trail every time. It’s easy to lose track of where you are in relation to the trail head, but there are usually signs that point back to the parking lot. A lot of the trails have funny names. The person naming the trails was clearly having a blast.
While I love the park, my dog has a love-​hate relationship with it. There are successful, drama-​free hikes, and then there are times when I’m chasing/​calling after him like a crazy woman as a bike or runner zooms by. Unfortunately the latter happens more often… If your dog «loves» bikes, either keep them on a leash or be ready to lunge for your dog.
Overall, it’s a great park in North Austin.

You want tree? CHECK
You want squirrel? CHECK
You want place to walk? CHECK
You want other squirrel? CHECK
You want fountain for water drinking? No thanks to Nestle and everyone who buys bottled water — NO CHECK.

What a great park!
Our first visit there we hiked some nice, wide and easy trails with our two year old. He loved the puppy parade, as much of the park is off leash!
So many trails, wonderful creek that cuts through the park and TWO kid playscapes!
Tons of parking