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Travis County Parks

Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Virtual Tours

Take a few minutes to tour Wild Basin Preserve right from your computer. (Requires RealOne Player Version 6.0 or later.)  

Directions

The entrance to Wild Basin is on the east side of Loop 360 (805 N. Capital of Texas Highway), 1.5 miles north of Bee Caves Road, or 3.25 miles south of the Loop 360 bridge over Lake Austin. From MoPac take Hwy. 360 north past Bee Caves Road (FM 2244). The entrance is on the right.

Hours of Operation

Sunrise to Sunset. Office & Gift Shop Hours Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday - Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m

Entrance Fees

No fees are collected at this preserve. Donations are accepted.

Description

 Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve was founded in 1974 to protect some pristine Texas Hill Country and to provide nature education programs. Visitors enjoy 2 1/2 miles of hiking trails that pass through woodland, grassland, and streamside habitats. These habitats are home to threatened and endangered species, and hundreds of native plants, animals and birds. Wild Basin's nature education programs are funded by special events, memberships, corporate donations and grants.

Mission

To preserve and maintain the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, encourage and support scientific research, develop and evaluate interpretive and environmental education programs in order to serve the needs of the general public.

Acreage:  227     

Available Activities

  • hiking
  • nature study

Amenities

Trails: Accessible every day from light to dark. Trail maps are available in the office. A self-guided tour of the easy access trail, The Trail of Old Time Texas, is available for $1.00.

History

Wild Basin was founded by seven visionary women who were members of a 1970's environmental group called "Now or Never". This group was established to preserve a natural area and to use this area as an outdoor laboratory for science classes and teacher training.

When the master plan for West Lake Hills was completed, it became evident that Loop 360 would be built. The Audubon Society noted that the beautiful area north of West Lake Hills, known as the Wild Basin, was worthy of preservation. The insightful members of "Now or Never" adopted the establishment of Wild Basin Preserve as their Bicentennial Project. Martha Hudson, president of "Now or Never", and Janet Poage, Chairman of the "Committee for Wild Basin Wilderness", first approached the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) about the possibility of making Wild Basin a state park.

TPWD said Wild Basin was too small for a state park. The founding women then talked to city officials, the Capital Area Planning Council, the Nature Conservancy, County Commissioners, Mrs. Dolph Briscoe (then the governor's wife), and anyone else who would listen. They were determined to secure funds to purchase the land. In 1975, Travis County allocated $175,000 to buy the property, providing the City of Austin would allocate an equal amount. The U.S. Department of Interior agreed to consider a matching funds grant if the county and city would jointly provide $350,000.

In August 1975, the City of Austin put $1.6 million into the purchase of land to lengthen the Barton Creek Greenbelt west of Loop 360. At this point, the city's support for Wild Basin Wilderness was dropped. Without the city's support, the federal and county money was withdrawn. Undaunted, the seven "little old ladies in tennis shoes" persevered. They continued to pursue the county commissioners endorsement. Finally, the county commissioners agreed to sponsor an application for matching Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR) funds if the "Committee for Wild Basin Wilderness" could raise $175,000. (Only governmental units, like the county, could apply for federal BOR funds, which is why the County Commissioners involvement was so important. )

By having every imaginable fund-raiser, with overwhelming community support, Wild Basin was able to raise $80,000 in three months. Over the next three years $284,000 cash and over $370,000 worth of donated land were given to Travis County for the establishment of Wild Basin. $654,000 in matching funds were granted to buy the land.

The 227 acre preserve was completed in the late 1980's.

Special Notes

Stay on trails at all times, even if muddy. Foot traffic only, no bikes or motorized vehicles (except wheelchairs & strollers on the Easy Access Trail). No animals, including dogs (even leashed) and horses (seeing-eye dogs welcome). No picnicking allowed. Please take your trash with you when you go. Please leave everything as you found it. No collecting.


Last Modified: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:12 PM