By KIM HILSENBECK
If you’re looking for a place to take the family on a mild to moderate level hike or bike ride in northern Hays County, it might be a challenge; but not for much longer.
The planned Violet Crown Trail will stretch from downtown Austin to near Onion Creek in Hays County, giving area families a 30-mile trail for running, hiking, biking and even horseback riding on certain segments.
“It will be the longest regional trail in Central Texas,” said Butch Smith, the trail’s project manager who works for Hill Country Conservancy, a nonprofit land conservation group.
Beginning at Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) in downtown Austin, the Violet Crown Trail – once completed – will meander through the Barton Creek Greenbelt, urban environments and several historic Texas ranches.
“The trail will offer those who use it a great sense of heritage,” Smith said. “They’ll walk or ride through areas show- ing how the land used to be.”
Planned in three stages of construction, the trail will connect neighborhoods, parks, libraries and even counties. Smith said a 17-mile segment that dips into Hays County, slated as part of Stage 3, is expected to begin construction in the next few years.
According to Smith, the biggest challenge to completing the trail is funding. HCC officials asked for $3 million in funding for trail construction to be included in the city of Austin’s next bond election.
To date, the group has already spent about $700,000 from private donors including H-E-B and Advanced Micro Devices to conduct environmental and engineering studies. An additional $105,000 in stimulus money from President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, funded a trail crossing under U.S. Highway 290 at Brodie Lane.
A $300,000 federal grant will help cover the cost of Phase 2 by early next year. A $200,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife is being used for similar pre-construction work on a portion of trail between Dick Nichols Park in southwest Austin and the Veloway, a popular cycling area near the Lady Bird Wildflower Center in south Austin.
As for the trail itself, Smith said it will be 8 to 10-feet wide, have a hard surface handicap-accessible trail made of crushed granite with a bonding agent. He said the current Stage 3 plans call for trail heads about every five miles with parking lots, “green” restrooms and edu-cational displays.
However, Smith said the group may consider opening the Hays County portion of the trail prior to the restrooms being built, since those will be a large chunk of the construction cost.
“It’s all going to depend on funding,” Smith said of the timing of Phase 3.
More than 20 organizations, including the cities of Austin and Sunset Valley, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Department of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have pitched in to make the trail a reality.
Smith expects the Violet Crown Trail will be a good choice for hiking and running for those who are fit and can carry plenty of water. He sees the trail getting a lot of bike use by families who can ride for long distances. However, he said folks can easily use the trail for a short mile- or two-mile-long loop.
And one point to note – Smith said under the agreement with the city of Austin, the trail will not be open to dogs, primarily to protect the sensitive aquifer recharge zones near the trail.
Nearly all the property on which the trail will be constructed is owned by the city of Austin, with the exception of a portion in Sunset Valley and easements on three private ranches. Most of the land is managed for water- quality and wildlife habitat by the city of Austin.
To learn more about the Violet Crown Trail, including how to donate to help complete its construction, visit www.hillcountryconservancy.org.
This article originally appeared in the September issue of All Around Hays. Pick up a copy of the magazine at local stores and restaurants.
