The City of Austin set Summer 2026 as the finish date for the Violet Crown Trail's 13-mile Gateway extension, which runs from Circle C Park south into Hays County. It's now the second week of October, and the City's project page still lists the extension as under construction. The page gives no new date. In the meantime, the 13 miles that are already finished still run from Zilker Park to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Those miles split into two very different trails, and the dividing line is Highway 290.
North of 290 you get rocky Barton Creek Greenbelt. South of 290 you get a graded path through neighborhoods, which is the only part of the planned 30-mile route built for wheels. Once the Gateway opens, the trail turns back into a narrow footpath. For a South Austin household planning a fall weekend, knowing which half you're on matters more than any opening date.
What the City Page Still Says
The project summary on the Austin Parks and Recreation Violet Crown Trail page uses two tenses. Mile Zero is listed as open. The Gateway is listed as in progress:
Construction began on the 13-mile trail extension from Circle C Park to Hays County in Fall 2025. This segment of the trail is expected to be complete in Summer 2026.
The Violet Crown Trail's own status map, dated October 2025, labels the "Gateway to the Wildlands" segment "COMING SOON." The trail's planning page still calls the Gateway Trailhead a future trailhead. The City's project page doesn't list a ribbon-cutting, a revised opening date or a reason for the timing. Going by that page, the posted target has passed and nothing has replaced it.
The other end of the trail did open on time. The Mile Zero Trailhead at Zilker Park opened in fall 2025, after a permit issued in January 2022 and community engagement that started back in 2017. It added a Mile Zero entry feature, a meadow pavilion, an observation deck and overlook, a stabilized decomposed-granite trail, bike racks, educational signage, and better crosswalk and ADA access. That makes this fall the first full season with a finished front door at 2212 William Barton Drive.
The Trail Changes Character at Highway 290
From Mile Zero, the Violet Crown runs just over five miles of natural-surface trail to the 290 Trailhead. The first 4.5 miles share the route with the Barton Creek Greenbelt. At Gaines Creek the two split. The Greenbelt bends north toward the Hill of Life, and the Violet Crown continues south through the Gaines Creek Greenbelt, where Ashe juniper provides habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler. The trail's own guidance describes this section as uneven and rocky, with steep slopes, sharp curves and creek crossings, and it advises against strollers and road bikes. Mountain bikers get the opposite pitch. The climb out of the 290 Trailhead carries the National Interscholastic Cycling Association's seal of approval for its technical switchbacks.
The southern half was built for a different purpose. Between the Whirlpool Trailhead and La Crosse Avenue, the trail links neighborhoods, retail centers, a library, parks and the Wildflower Center. Its surface is a mix of crushed granite and concrete sidewalk, which the trail describes as "better suited to wheelchairs, road bikes, and trail users of all ages." At the far southern end, the 1.7-mile Circle C Metropolitan Park section east of MoPac was finished in 2024 as a 10-foot-wide decomposed-granite path designed for multiple uses. It connects across Slaughter Creek to end at La Crosse Avenue.
This is where the Gateway delay changes things. The planned Gateway Trailhead is meant to mark the shift "from a more urban trail to a single-track trail through sensitive Water Quality Protection Lands." Past La Crosse, the trail goes back to a narrow footpath. That means the wide, graded miles between Whirlpool and La Crosse are the exception on the full 30-mile route, with rock to the north and single-track to come in the south. They're open today, and the delay doesn't touch them.
Where to Park, North to South
None of these trailheads works the same way, and several depend on the goodwill of nearby businesses. Here they are in trail order, using the access notes on the Violet Crown Trail's Plan Your Trip page:
- Mile Zero Trailhead, 2212 William Barton Dr. Metered parking around Zilker Park and Barton Springs. There's a restroom and water fountain nearby, and the Educational Pavilion is on site.
- Spyglass Trailhead, 1601 Spyglass Dr. Street parking only. The trail asks visitors not to park at nearby businesses or apartments. Campbell's Hole, a popular swimming spot on Barton Creek, is close by.
- Gus Fruh Trailhead, 2642 Barton Hills Dr. Residential street parking, so keep driveways clear. The Gus Fruh climbing wall is nearby.
- 360 Trailhead, 3755B S. Capital of Texas Hwy. Enter from northbound Loop 360 through the office complex lot, then go through a single gate onto a dirt road to reach dedicated trail parking. There's a restroom at the trailhead.
- 290 Trailhead, 4934 W. US Hwy 290 Service Rd. Trail users may park in the Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods lot. The spaces closest to the access road are also the closest to the trail entrance.
- Whirlpool Trailhead, Convict Hill Rd. and Latta Dr. There's a one-way lot under the MoPac overpass that you enter from Latta. Steps down the trail, Whirlpool Patio has a stone sculpture of a Barton Springs salamander and a mural of Whirlpool Cave.
- Slaughter Trailhead, 5011 W. Slaughter Ln. Walgreens lets trail users park at the back of its lot. The entrance is at Slaughter Lane and Sendera Mesa Drive.
- La Crosse Trailhead, near 4801 La Crosse Ave. Back-in angle and parallel street parking. Don't park in the Wildflower Center or Veloway lots, and don't cross from the trail onto the Veloway.
The rules are the same along the whole trail. Dogs stay on leash, cyclists yield to pedestrians, and alcohol, camping and fires aren't allowed. On the Greenbelt miles, the City also sets a six-foot leash limit and says park facilities close after 10 p.m. Zilker is busy with festival season, but the City's closures page, updated September 8, says Barton Springs Pool and the Barton Creek Greenbelt stay open through September and October despite ACL-related closures elsewhere in the park.
The Fall Calendar Covers Both Halves
The Hill Country Conservancy's fall events show how the two halves get used. The eighth annual Violet Crown Trail Fun Run started at the Whirlpool Trailhead on September 26 and was billed for all ages and abilities, which fits the graded southern surface. The events still ahead on the Hill Country Conservancy events page cover both ends:
- October 16, 9 to 10:30 a.m. A free Violet Crown Trail Cleanup. The listing conflicts with itself. The title and mapped venue say 360 Trailhead, but the description says Slaughter Trailhead, so check before you drive.
- October 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Trail or Treat: Halloween Hike and Happy Hour" with EPIC. The group meets at the 360 Trailhead, hikes to the Zilker Trailhead and back, and stops at Rosy's on the return. Costumes are encouraged, leashed dogs are welcome, and it's free for members and guests.
- November 20, 9 to 10:30 a.m. A free cleanup at the Mile Zero Trailhead.
The Halloween hike stays on the rocky Greenbelt stretch between 360 and Zilker, and the fun run used the smooth southern miles. Neither event depends on the Gateway.
Where the Gateway Picks Up
Once the Gateway opens, the trail will leave the Wildflower Center and wind through the Water Quality Protection Lands. Those lands protect the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. The route will then share part of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority's 45SW multi-use trail before crossing into Hays County and ending in a loop south of FM 967 in Buda. The 45SW trail is the one piece of that future route you can already use. The trail site describes it as fully constructed and open, with dedicated parking off Archeleta Boulevard that doesn't require the toll road. The trail's planning page doesn't yet give Gateway-specific hours, bike and dog rules, or trailhead parking. For questions about the schedule, the City lists Austin Parks and Recreation project manager Beth Larkin at (512) 974-9513.
For more weekend ideas nearby, our guide to Austin parks and hiking in Austin pair well with the Violet Crown, and our South Austin neighborhood page covers the streets the trail runs past.
At Local Life, we follow the projects that shape South Austin's daily routines, from new trailheads to the extensions still waiting to open. If you'd like to talk through which streets put the Whirlpool, Slaughter or La Crosse trailheads within walking distance, schedule a private consultation with our team.
