What we’re about
This walking group explores the dynamic past and present of Austin's built environment. Tracing the origins of Austin street names, walking streets in their entirety, and stubbornly circumventing limitations posed by half-baked pedestrian infrastructure plans of yore, these events are intended to be adventures but not guided tours. Librarians and blacksmiths, photographers and mechanics, sociologists and forensic accountants alike should feel welcome, provided we have at least two things in common: a deep curiosity about the city of Austin and two strong feet to carry us where curiosity leads.
This monthly group won’t be the fastest hiking group in the city, but we’ll cover long-ish distances, up to 7-10 miles in cooler months. I won’t assume everyone has a car (I don’t), and if you don't you should have the ability and patience to navigate Austin’s far-from-perfect patchwork of bikeshare, public transit, etc. if needed to get to and from the start and end points.
At the end of these walks we’ll find a place to rehydrate, get some food, and talk about it all.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Shoal Creek Boulevard Walk Across AustinAustin Public Library North Village Branch, Austin, TX
Recommended to me by the first walker to show up at our first ever meetup, Shoal Creek Boulevard promises to be one of the most pedestrian-friendly long distance roads across the city. A mobility bond supported by Austin voters in 2016 helped promote safe travel for pedestrians and bikers alike.
The Boulevard, and our 6-mile route along it (official walk map here), are literally close to nature in the form of its namesake creek. Shoal Creek’s watershed is ecologically, geologically, anthropologically, and zoologically notable. But ours is an urban walking group, and our path is lined mostly with the modest residences of Allandale and Rosedale with a proper boneyard and city park just out of reach across the creek.
We’ll be hungry at the end of the walk, and to get the “what’s for lunch next year” conversation started I’ll recommend Black’s Barbecue at Guadalupe and 31st. But group members hold veto power over lunch decisions as always.
ROUGH TIMELINE:
- We should arrive at the walk endpoint around 12 or 12:30, at which point most of us will likely stick around for lunch
- If you're returning to the starting point by bus, plan on about 30 minutes to get back. If you instead want to try to put together a carpool please post below in the discussion below.
TRANSIT LOGISTICS:
- Official walk map here
- Drivers take note: the John Gillum Library at the starting point does NOT allow public parking for non-library patrons, unfortunately. But free street parking should be fairly abundant in the area- see SpotAngels for some guidance. One attendee recommends parking along Buell Ave near Dairy Queen.
- The #803 CapMetro bus runs every 15 minutes north-south along our route from Ohlen & Burnet to 31st & Guadalupe. It takes about 30 minutes to retrace our route.
- East Side by Street, Creek, and Lake: (Chicón Street & Boggy Creek)Needs location
This 7.5 mile loop through Austin’s east side (official walk map here) features a walkable mix of residential and natural settings. On the hike out from Edward Rendon Sr. Park, we’ll follow along a bit of Town Lake and much of the Boggy Creek Greenbelt. On the loop back along Lafayette Avenue and the gently rolling hills of Chicón Street, we’ll see the beautiful neighborhoods of Cherrywood, East Austin, and Holly.
I haven’t yet unearthed the namesake of Chicón Street. The word’s got many meanings in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world- is it merry or straightforward, a bump or a lump? Maybe it's the proper name of a person our English-language websites and history books left out.
It’d be insane to walk all those miles and not replenish our calories, so we’ll scout out some food options during the last mile of the walk. I’m personally a fan of Via 313’s Detroit style pizza by Chicón and 7th, but thus far this group has a perfect track record of using its lunch-by-consensus veto power, landing on something as good or better than my default recommendation.
ROUGH TIMELINE:
- We should complete the loop by around 1 or 1:30 PM, but plan on an extra hour if you’ll join us for lunch about a mile from the finish.
TRANSIT LOGISTICS:
- Official walk map here
- Parking: we’ll start at the parking lot by Edward Rendon Sr. Metropolitan Park, along Chicon between Hernandez and Segovia
If the walk grinds a hole in the sole of your shoe before you finish 7.5 miles, the 322 Chicón bus can bring you back to the start from any point on the second half of the walk. It runs roughly every 30 minutes.
