San
Marcos Natural Areas
The
new map of San Marcos parks and natural areas. The
map, along with the directions below, will help you locate
the natural areas described on this page. For information
about city parks, visit the City of San Marcos Parks and
Recreation web page or call Parks and Recreation at 393-8400.
SMGA
leads guided hikes in San Marcos’ natural areas;
scheduled hikes are listed in our newsletter, The Loop. To arrange a private hike, contact
us.
Note:
San Marcos natural areas do not currently offer restrooms
facilities or running water. Trails can be rugged and
grasses tall, so wear long pants and closed, strong
shoes. Water, hat, sunscreen and camera are a good idea.
Click
a natural area below to see a description, brief history,
and directions.
Blanco
Shoals
**PARK CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO DAMAGE BY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC**
Description:
About 81 acres mostly west of the Blanco River,
just below the bridge at IH35. Blanco Shoals is a
unique area in
our park system, since it is a completely undeveloped
riparian
area and will remain that way except for a few trails
to be built
in the future. It contains high bank bluffs and shoals,
tall cottonwoods and sycamores, gigantic pecans, and
mesquite
and anaqua (a na’ kuh way) trees that cling
to the riverbanks.
Notes:
Enjoy a pleasant stroll along the Blanco but do not
cross any fences, as it will put you on private property.
Brief
History:
The property was donated in 2002 by the Holt family
in exchange for some land-use changes on the remaining
portions of the property. The City of San Marcos,
Alan Holt, and SMGA worked together to come up with
a Planned Development District (PDD) for the property,
which included multi-family and commercial use and
greenspace. The 81 donated acres are in the floodplain
of the subdivision, and an additional 16 acres are
planned for acquisition pending funding. The Holts
asked that the area be left essentially natural.
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Maps
We
also have smaller-format Schulle, Ringtail,
and lower Purgatory maps sized to fit in
your backpack printed in full color on coated
stock available for $1 each. Email alliance@smgreenbelt.org
to order.
Preserve
the peace, the quiet, and
the place…
Our
natural areas are living, breathing places
with a wide variety of plants and critters.
Please help us care for these beautiful
places; they are working hard to clean our
water and our air. Let’s return the
favor by keeping them clean and natural
and following these city park rules:
- Take
only photos, leave only footprints.
-
Park open sunrise to sunset (curfew applies
after sunset).
-
Keep dogs on a leash and remove their
waste.
- Campfires,
glass containers, motor vehicles, weapons,
horses, and camping are not permitted.
- Stay
on established trails on public property.
- Bicycles
yield to hikers, refrain from biking on
muddy trails.
Report problems to San Marcos Parks &
Recreation at (512) 393-8400.
Emergencies call 911.
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Directions:
Take I-35 north from San Marcos. Take Aquarena Springs Exit
206 and go straight on northbound frontage road to overpass
at River Ridge Parkway. Turn right onto River Ridge Parkway.
(From Austin, take Exit 207 and turn left onto River Ridge
Parkway). Go to the end of the road near the apartments.
Park your car in the cul de sac and walk toward the river.
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Prospect
Park & Lower Purgatory Creek Park
1414 Prospect
Description:
Prospect Park is about 9 acres of passive-recreation parkland
with about 1.2 miles of unmarked trails (closer to 2 miles
if you include the spur that takes you into lower Purgatory).
Prospect Park and lower Purgatory sit on a rather porous
section of the Edwards Aquifer. Juniper groves, meadows,
ephemeral wetlands, and oak mottes co-exist in Prospect
Park. The park’s in-town location makes it a perfect
greenspace when you need a quick nature fix. Benches are
located at various points along the trail and on the upper
trail that forks to the right from the park entrance.
Alert:
Beginning November 2008 construction of the Wonder World
Drive Extension may block the connection between upper and
lower Purgatory. Construction should be complete by November
2010. Construction activity will occur near the spillway
and along the entrance road to upper Purgatory. Improvements
to upper Purgatory’s entrance are not likely until
the roadway construction is substantially complete.
Prospect
Park butts up against the 463 acres of Purgatory Creek Park.
Since the lower portion of the Purgatory acreage is most
easily accessed via Prospect Park, the park and lower Purgatory
are often described together.
Note:
Some areas border unfenced private properties, for example,
in the Willow Creek subdivision. Do not cross fences except
the one in the lowland area near the creek bottom.
Brief
History:
According to San Marcos Daily Record articles dated 6/15/2001
and 12/30/2001, the city purchased the Prospect / Purgatory
Creek Park acreage in portions, culminating in December
2001. The first purchase of about 33 acres had been zoned
for high-density, multi-family development back in 1979.
Some 670 apartment units could have been built on the site.
Terrand Ltd., the previous owner of the property, donated
an additional 93 acres adjacent to Purgatory Creek above
the flood control dam on Purgatory Creek. The city completed
the purchase of another 326.3 acres on December 17, 2001.
The Edwards Aquifer Authority supported the acquisition
as a partner with the city.
The
future expansion of Wonder World Drive will cross a portion
of the property. The acquisition is expected to help minimize
environmental impacts of the proposed state highway extension.
The land is within the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone and
is home to Purgatory Creek and several tributaries of both
Purgatory and Willow Creeks.
Directions:
From downtown San Marcos, take W Hopkins St. to N Bishop
St. Turn west on Bishop and left on Prospect St. Go 2.5
blocks to dead end. Park on street near kiosk to your right.
Parking is limited, so consider carpooling, walking, or
biking; a bike rack is available.
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Upper
Purgatory Creek Park
Franklin Street
Description:
The largest portion of the 463-acre Purgatory Creek Park
has one trail connecting upper Purgatory to a trail along
the creek from lower Purgatory. Upper Purgatory includes
upland meadows and canyon bluffs of 40 feet or more, dense
juniper thickets, and champion oaks. Several areas within
this greenspace are habitat for golden-cheeked warblers
and black-capped vireos.
Note:
SMGA completed constructed of the trail connecting upper
and lower Purgatory in November 2008, but it will likely
not be officially opened to the public until the completion
of the WonderWorld Drive Extension scheduled for November
2010 (see Alert above). As of November 2008 there were no
signs marking the constructed trail or old jeep tracks.
Brief
History:
See lower Purgatory history above.
Directions:
From downtown San Marcos, take W. Hopkins St. to Bishop
St. and turn west. Drive 0.9 miles on Bishop and turn left
on Franklin St. Stay on Franklin for 4 blocks to its end.
Make a sharp right at the upper Purgatory greenspace sign
and cross the cattle guard onto a ranch road. Stay on the
ranch road without going through any gates. Watch for another
greenspace sign when you cross another cattle guard just
before the road turns to the right toward the parking area.
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Ringtail
Ridge Greenspace
Description:
40 plus acres of lightly developed parkland off RR12. This
natural area features a half-mile accessible trail with
a kiosk and benches and about 2 miles of unmarked loop trail,
including a spur that meets RR12 in the 30-foot wide swath
between Community Baptist Church and Dakota Ranch Apartments.
The 2-mile trail was designed by SMGA for mountain biking,
but it also offers pleasant hiking in a surprisingly diverse
natural area in a part of town that is developing rapidly.
Oak groves, flowering meadows, cactus stands, and persimmon
thickets are all found in Ringtail Ridge. The Ringtail Ridge
tract was the site of an animal slaughter plant for many
years. The foundations of the plant and other artifacts
can still be seen; the land is being left alone to  recover
from ranching and the slaughter business.
Brief
History:
In the 1990s, Randall Morris made a deal with the city to
increase land-use density along RR12 in exchange for the
40 acres now known as Ringtail Ridge. The deal was welcomed
by conservationists, who were concerned about preserving
recharge land and welcomed the tighter controls on water
runoff required for high-density development. The Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department awarded the City of San Marcos
and SMGA a National Trails Grant in the amount of $40,087
in August 2007. That project included a one-half mile accessible
trail, parking lot improvements, and an interpretive kiosk.
Directions:
Take Ranch Road 12 (Moore St.) toward Wimberley about 1/10th
mile past Craddock Ave. Turn right onto dirt road between
Dakota Ranch Apartments and Crestwood Center. Follow road
until you reach the big oak and parking lot behind the apartments.
Note:
Stay within the greenspace fences.
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Schulle
Canyon Greenspace
100 Ridgewood
Description:
About 21 acres of undeveloped parkland with a half mile
of 6-foot wide, accessible gravel trail and just under a
mile of natural surface trails. Schulle’s trails are
included in the Texas Parks & Wildlife's Heart of Texas
Birding Trail Guide. There is also a natural surface trail
extending to Sierra Circle and the back of Highcrest Apartments.
Brief
History:
The property that is now Schulle Canyon Greenspace was owned
by the John Cox family for decades. The upper portion of
the property was cleared and used as pasture land. A small
tank for water livestock was fed by springs, which flowed
most of the time according to Mr. Cox’s daughter,
Virginia Witte. After development occurred in the watershed,
the springs ceased to flow and the creek now flows only
in wet weather.
The
tract of property extending from Holland Street back to
the Tex Hughson property was owned by Mr. Schulle, who developed
a small subdivision along the street named for him. For
many years Schulle Drive dead-ended before it reached the
wet-weather creek. When Tex Hughson developed the section
of Hughson Heights that includes Sierra Circle and Camaro
Way, Schulle Drive was extended to Hughson Heights. Members
of Mr. Schulle’s family still reside in the Maxwell
area.
In
1998, two developers purchased 22 acres of the John Cox
property from Mr. Cox’s children. The developers began
the process of developing the property into townhouses and
single-family houses. During this time the City of San Marcos
began negotiating with the developers to acquire the property.
Several area neighborhoods, including Hughson Heights, Alamo
Street, and Sierra Circle, supported acquisition of the
property by the city for parkland. The city council approved
an agreement under which the city traded a 5-acre tract
along IH35 South, at the site of the Lowman Airport, for
the 22-acre Schulle Canyon tract.
In
the early 2000s members of the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance
worked with the city to submit a grant application to Texas
Parks & Wildlife for funds to build a trail in Schulle
Canyon. The grant was awarded and the trail was completed
in 2004.
Directions:
Take Ranch Road 12 (Moore St.) toward Wimberley. Turn right
on Holland St. at traffic light. Turn left on Alamo St.
(2nd left). Follow Alamo to dead end at kiosk and parking
area.
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Spring
Lake Preserve
Description:
About 251 acres of undeveloped parkland that sits just above
the headwaters of the San Marcos River. About half of the
property is in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge zone, and all
of the property is part of the Sink Creek watershed. San
Marcos Springs and Spring Lake are rare ecological jewels
among Texas water resources and support 5 endangered species.
The area supported ranching and hunting for many years,
but has recently been left largely undisturbed with the
exception of some natural-surface trails. Spring Lake Preserve
contains the typical meadows and woodlands found in the
Edwards Plateau, with a wide variety of flora and fauna,
including Mexican buckeye and large mammals. Currently,
Texas State University, the City of San Marcos, and Land
Design Partners, Inc. are developing a master plan that
will emphasize low-impact recreational activities and natural
resource protection. The San Marcos Parks and Recreation
Department will offer educational programs at the preserve
for children and adults.
Brief
History:
The area around San Marcos Springs is thought to be one
of the longest continuously occupied areas in North America
due to its proximity to the San Marcos Springs. In 1926,
A.B. Rogers purchased land around the Springs and built
the Aquarena Springs Resort. Aquarena was sold to Texas
State University in the 1990s, and the 251 acres were later
sold for residential development. In 2004, the developer
and the City of San Marcos were preparing to create a large
hotel and conference center on the highest location above
the Springs. Citizens and conservationists objected, the
development was moved east of IH-35, and the city, Hays
County and Texas State University committed to securing
the property as a natural area. In November 2005, SMGA led
a campaign for approval of a $2 million bond as payment
toward purchase of the 251 acres. Subsequent grants and
donations from Hays County, Texas Parks & Wildlife,
the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Meadows Foundation,
Terry Gilmore, the McCoy Foundation, the Lower Colorado
River Authority, and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
allowed the city to purchase the land in 2007.
Directions:
Take Aquarena Springs Drive to the River Systems Institute
(formerly Aquarena Springs hotel) and park in the section
of the parking lot furthest from the building entrance
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