Mountain Biking Barton Creek Greenbelt at Austin, Texas | MoPac Trailhead to Zilker Park

[@lars_atx]

I havent been down there in 15years or more. we used to park at ZIlker and go til HOL then back. So many changes and new sections though.

[@curtvaughan2836]

Nice video. I haven't been there in 30 years. Gonna try it again on a full squish bike. It was formidable on my old rigid Diamond Back Apex.

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

Have fun!

[@ButterNutter37]

I need to upgrade the tires on my bike! This looks epic!

[@colby707]

Very good. I want to try on my gravel bike. I'm guessing less than 1mi total of walking the bike and it can handle all the flowy sections. Tried once on a road bike and it was faster than walking but it was mostly walking. Hoping more of it is ridable with a gravel bike.

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

I feel like trails east of I-35 are more friendly to gravel bikes like southern walnut, McKinney Falls SP, Rocky Hill Ranch, and Bluff Creek Ranch.

[@colby707]

@@GeoExplorerStudio There are a ton near slaughter creek, circle c, and the veloway that are totally gravel-bikable. south of slaughter on both sides of escarpment, and then also along escarpment and all up and down mopac there's a giant network of trails, nearly all of them except for like Southbank, are ridable on gravel bike. Anything rated as green MTB is basically ridable, but yeah stuff like this and the western-most slaughter creek (I think you had a vid) is probably better with at least a low travel front suspension XC bike.

[@yogiyoda]

What kind of bike did you have? I'm wondering if I can do that trail without suspension

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

I ride a Trek Fuel EX 7. I think you will be perfectly fine with a rigid from the Zilker Park to the 360 access. I saw quite some gravel bikes on this section of the trail before. From 360/Mopac access the trail becomes much rockier and some sections are really technical.

[@markmedina5232]

Hey- where exactly is this trailhead off Mopac? I've not used those veloway/paved paths, so have no idea where you start in this video. Assume it's the opposite side of Mopac from the mall, and west/south of Barton Skyway?

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

You can search "Onion Creek Medical Billing" in Google Map. I'm not sure if you can park there though. The singletrack starts across the bridge and there're parking there.

[@markmedina5232]

@@GeoExplorerStudio thanks for the reply!

[@violethill]

I'm in Austin for a few days. If I take the trail in this direction, can I ride back (loop back) to the MoPac starting point?

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

I don't think so since the trail is built along the Barton Creek. You might be able to ride the sidewalks and concrete trail along MoPac back but I don't think that's what you want. Alternatively, you might pick different trails out and back as in many sections there are trails at both sides of the creek.

[@violethill]

@@GeoExplorerStudio Thanks for the reply. I'm an intermediate rider, never rode Austin. I was looking for a warm-up ride and just wanted to make sure I could get back to my car if I started at MoPac and went to Zilker. Any other suggestions for a rider new to town? Walnut Creek looks interesting - looks like I could get lost there, though. Like your videos. Thanks!

[@colby707]

@@violethill Hey actually it's totally do-able. It's basically a wide sidewalk but it connects the bridge he starts out at basically directly into the zilker trails. Look at the city bike map you can see it is on the south side of mopac and it is green which is high comfort. This includes a new dedicated bike bridge over 360. The only thing is you'd be heading southwest bound so it would kind of be against the traffic but I've done it a ton of times without issues. Anyone who is on a bike will know it's meant for bi-directional traffic as there's literally no other choice to be able to get from oak hill / sunset valley (the mopac bridge area at the start) to zilker without doing the actual greenbelt. What you describe though would make for a fantastic loop (start at mopac) so hope you get out there and do it because it's 100% viable.

[@BoonMountainBike]

I need to learn that trails there.

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

You should. It's kinda Austin tradition.

[@patb6281]

You got a new subscriber! Love your video man! Are you from Austin? Thanks!

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

Thanks. Yes I live in Austin.

[@lambertj.2892]

What brand of bike are you riding?

[@GeoExplorerStudio]

Trek Fuel EX 7.

[@zyxwl2015]

First