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5 Best Hiking Trails in the San Antonio Texas area

Apart from being known as the second largest city of Texas and for being home to the most stunning downtown River Walk and Alamo, its hiking trails are something that simply adds to the splendor. Assuming you to be an adventure junkie because you have landed on this article, we will make an attempt to make enhance your experience in San Antonio, Texas by delineating the best 5 hiking trails in the city that will gift you a priceless album wrapped in pristine memories and occurrences.

  • Eisenhower Park

Located in the North of downtown, this trail in the Eisenhower Park furnishes its visitors with innumerable hiking options. The length of the trail is essentially 2.5 miles and if you prefer encountering nature in its rawest form then, no other resort would satiate your desires better than this jagged park. Start your expedition from the Yucca trail clockwise to move through the tall and lush green cedar trees adorning the path until you reach the Cedar Flats trail, which too, offers its own share of wonders. When you turn left from this point and continue hiking, you will come across an observation tower that offers incredible panoramic views of the city.

The hiking here is free of cost and is open from sunrise to sunset but remember, there are no bicycles allowed.

  • Crownridge Canyon Natural area

The best part about the Red Oak Trail loop lies in the fact that when it leads to the bridge crossing Red Oak Canyon, it lopes 1.3 miles with an ADA accessible surface. The Bear Grass trail that swirls at the very end of the Natural area runs for 0.6 miles and has rocky ledges and some steep slopes on most of its parts. Believe it or not, this trail is nothing less than a Pandora's Box that opens only to surprise you at every turn; the dense canyon bottoms, restored grasslands, hillside landscapes, and a canopy-level bridge overlook will blow your mind. Also, the interpretive panels lined around the trailhead pavilion effortlessly grants an insight into the natural history of the area.

Open from 7.30 am to sunset every day.

  • Government Canyon State Natural Area

This trail is situated within the realms of the Balcones Escarpment with deep canyons gracing the Eastern domains of the Edward Plateau and ridges thereby, ensuring that the view you can expect to be presented with will be nothing less than that of paradise. About 40 miles of the trail circumscribe the uneven lands of this Natural Area with a fluctuating length from 2.6 to 12 miles. The flora and fauna of this park are unsurpassed; deer, warbles, quail are some of its natives along with a few striking variants of trees including Ashe juniper, mesquite, mountain laurel, Mexican buckeye, live oak, and the breathtaking black cherry.

Given the bounties that it offers, the entrance fee is $6 per adult and is open Friday through Monday and on all major holidays from 7 am to 10 pm.

  • O.P. Schnabel Park

Posited in the Northwest of Downtown, this 4.5 miles long trail has a world of its own. Because it is sited amidst a 202-acre park, you are bound to come across hillsides, wooded areas, wide-open grassy lands and rocky creek beds evenly spread across the vistas. When you hike along the trail, witnessing rabbits, dears, roadrunners and other common species of the wildlife shouldn't come as a surprise. If you are in a mood to elongate your hike, you can cover the O.P. loop, Bluff Loop and Tower Loop trails in one day.

Open daily from 5 am to 11 pm.

  • McAllister Park

McAllister Park provides numerous trails for hiking with a total distance of more than 10 miles and thus, is extremely popular amongst mountain bikers. The outer circle of this park is called the Blue Loop because its surface has naturally evolved from asphalt and extends till 6.8 miles with a 1.7 mile Red Trail winding through the middle of the loop.

The trail is open daily for hiking from 5 am to 11 pm.

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