Limestone Link Revisited

New trail in San Marcos will connect natural areas on aquifer recharge zone
The trail will run between the Ringtail Ridge and River Recharge natural areas.

By Liz Teitz, Staff writer
May 15, 2024

Hays County commissioners agreed to work with the Great Springs Project and San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance to create a new trail on the west side of San Marcos. The county spent $2.5 million to buy the property, and will spend another $50,000 on the trail project.

Hikers will be able to walk — by next March at the latest — from one pristine natural area to another on a new trail planned near San Marcos.

The “Limestone Link” trail will run between River Recharge Natural Area and Ringtail Ridge Natural Area on the west side of San Marcos, both of which have existing trails. In addition to expanding that trail system, the project’s aim is to preserve land in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.

Hays County Commissioners recently approved an agreement with two nonprofits to coordinate building a trailhead and a 1.3-mile natural-surface trail.

The Great Springs Project wants to create a trail of protected land from San Antonio to Austin, while the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance is working toward a greenbelt loop around San Marcos. The Limestone Link trail factors into both efforts.

The Greenbelt Alliance will build the trail, while the Great Springs Project will manage the removal of buildings on the property, which must be completed before the land is opened to the public.

Work on the trail is set to start by July 1, and to be completed within six months, according to the proposal.

Hays County will spend $50,000 on the project, paid for with money from a 2011 bond. Last year, the county spent $2.5 million to buy the 103-acre property that the trail will cross, also using bond funds. The purchase agreement required that the land be open to the public by March 2025.

The two natural areas on either side of the property are owned and managed by San Marcos, and part of the new trail will be within city limits. Hays County and the Great Springs Project plan to work with the city to connect to existing trails, according to the agreement.

The land sits on the Edwards Aquifer’s recharge zone, an environmentally sensitive area where water enters the groundwater system that provides drinking water for more than 2 million people.