Central Texans may soon have a new outdoor activity available: hiking from Austin to San Antonio.
The Great Springs Project is a local nonprofit that’s aiming to build a network of trails connecting the two cities and four springs: Barton, Comal, San Marcos and San Antonio Springs.
“You’ll be able to hike or bike basically from the Alamo to the Capitol,” says Deborah Morin, co-founder and board president of the Great Springs Project.
“80% of Texans (live) within a three hour drive of this area. So instead of thinking about driving eight hours to Big Bend, you could come here and immerse yourself in nature.”
The idea for the project is to protect the Edwards Aquifer by creating a contiguous greenbelt across the area. Morin and her friends have been talking about it for 25 years. It wasn’t until recently that they realized that the rapid growth in the area could soon make the effort impossible, so they decided they had to act fast.
The group is working with a local design firm and the National Parks Service to plot out new trails, figure out ways to connect existing ones, design crossroads with bridges and tunnels, and try to pay for them.
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