I honestly didn’t believe Spicewood Valley Trail existed. My favorite hike in Austin is St. Edwards trail, and this was on the way to that, but since I’d never noticed it before, it obviously didn’t exist.
But I plugged in the address to Google – 7 minutes from home – and pulled awkwardly into a 2-spot parking lot.
It was the morning of Christmas Eve. I was the only car in the lot. But there were signs of a trail, so I cautiously started walking by myself into the woods unsure of exactly where I was going.
I was having a hard time getting out of my head, but was glad to at least be out walking.
For the first 20 minutes or so, the trail wasn’t anything special. The trail covers property along a creek that used to have an old homestead on it.
So I tried imagine what life was like in Austin before it was truly settled… Grabbing water in the stream, hunting deer in the woods, and jumping onto horseback to go to the “big city.”
That helped me relax and about 1 mile into the hike, I came across an old dam that was just lovely. I watched the water roll by for a while before continuing on.
The trail is in-and-out – I walked a little over 3 miles total – and what I found at the end totally delighted me: Giant boulders, clear of water since we haven’t had a good rain in a while, and a ton of sunlight smiling down on me.
Solo hikes are my favorite because I’m on my own timeline. I didn’t have anywhere to be, so I sat down in the sun and just closed my eyes.
I lost track of time. And when I finally got up to leave I had to fore myself out of my trance. It was pure joy.
Spicewood Valley Trail isn’t the best of hikes. But it was the perfect hike before the bustle of Christmas.
And, at only 7 minutes from my house, I think this may become a new regular.