Twin Creeks Historic Park
Cedar Park got this 46-acre park as a gift in 2004. The historic John M. King Log House and gardens (constructed in 1859) are among the attractions, as are a cave, old charred rock middens, and plenty of green area to run around on the creekside. Picnic tables along the greenbelt make this park ideal for a picnic, while creek-side chairs provide a pleasant space to read or relax.
The Twin Creeks Historic Park Trail (also called as the “Hill Country Trail” by some residents) leads from the trailhead at FM2769 to Zennor Court. The first 1/2 mile of the path is an old paved road, followed by a 1/2 mile sidewalk along the creekside, and finished with another 1/4 mile of rocky trail down the creek. The trailhead is not visible from the road, but it is located on the north side of FM2679/Volente Road between the Bella Vista community entrance and Abbotsbury Drive – look for the green (unmarked) country club maintenance building, which shares a parking lot with the trailhead.
This is a true hidden gem; there have never been more than three people on this route in all of my visits. That’s a pity because this route is lovely and oddly has a lot of chairs and tables. The walk is mostly shaded.
The Twin Creeks Historic Trail, located near RM620 and Anderson Mill, is often overlooked due to the entry being shared with a local station. There are around ten parking spaces, and while the path appears to be blocked owing to a road gate, the gate has a pedestrian entry on the side.
With the formalities of the location out of the way, let’s get into what makes this path so special. First and foremost, it is 2.2 miles long (out and back) and is all paved; no, it is not like the other trails on the list. This route was manufactured, and you can tell since there is a lot of infrastructure and even a fairly decent looking bridge along the way.
Make no mistake, once you’re half a mile into the journey, it doesn’t seem like a man-made route; it’s one of the few trails where you don’t hear any traffic, and it’s completely serene. It has a lot of tiny waterfalls once it rains, which adds to the zen factor. There are even benches built up to gaze out over the river.
If you’re wondering why this is dubbed a “historic” path, it’s because there are vestiges of old buildings approximately a quarter mile into the route.
This dog-friendly route is an off-leash park. I enjoy walking this route after a rainy day or when I want to take a shaded pavement walk. Keep in mind that after you reach the end of the route, there will be no mobile service.
Cedar Park
Cedar Park is a city and a suburb of Austin, Texas, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of the city center. The city has a population of 77,595 people, according to the 2020 United States Census.
The Cedar Park region was populated by Native American tribes such as the Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche before European immigration came in the nineteenth century. A paleo-American archaeological site (named the Wilson-Leonard site) was discovered at Cedar Park in 1983, revealing evidence of continuous settlement since around 5000 BC.
Running Brushy was named after a spring in the mid-nineteenth century that generated the headwaters of the same-named watercourse. In 1873, George and Harriet Cluck bought 329 acres (1.33 km2) of land that included the Herding Brushy spring after years of running cattle along the Chisholm Trail. Their land was in the core of the future Cedar Park neighborhood.
Ten years later, the train came. The Austin and Northwestern Railroad, which connected the state capitol with the cities of Burnet and Lampasas to the north, was finished in 1882. At this period, the town was renamed Bruggerhoff after a railroad boss. Locals, on the other hand, detested the name since it was difficult to spell and pronounce. In 1887, Emmett Cluck (son of George and Harriet) called the community Cedar Park. In 1892, a 0.5-acre (2,000-square-meter) “strolling park” was built near the train terminus. For day trips, Austinites would ride the train to Cedar Park.
Cedar Park did not change much until the 1950s and 1960s, when housing developments arose in reaction to the growth of nearby Austin. On February 24, 1973, the residents of Cedar Park voted to incorporate. The estimated population was 1,765. A library was added in 1978.
On May 27, 1997, a massive and destructive F3 tornado ravaged the town. The tornado was one of 20 confirmed tornadoes during the 1997 Central Texas Tornado outbreak. It leveled the city’s downtown, killing one person and nearly destroying the Albertson’s supermarket.
With the arrival of Walmart in 2002, large retailers began to flock to the neighborhood. Among the new large merchants are Super Target, multiple HEB food stores, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Whole Foods, Randalls, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Costco. Among the notable retail malls are 1890 Ranch, Cedar Park Town Center, The Parke, and Cypress Creek Commercial Center. Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, the city’s first major medical center, opened in December 2007.
Cedar Park, with a population of 57,957, was named the fourth fastest growing city in the United States in 2013 by the US Census Bureau.
The city stated on April 4, 2016, that it was inviting designs for an official city flag. Residents have until April 30 to make their recommendations. Cedar Park unveiled the winning flag design on December 9, 2016. The City Council opted to scrap that design on August 8, 2019. As of September 2021, the city has no official flag.
The 400-year-old Heritage Oak Tree is lit up with about 30,000 lights every December. It is 57 feet tall and 80 feet long. The tree may be found in Cedar Park’s Quest Boulevard median.
Next Point of Interest: Lady Bird Lake