San Antonio’s greenway trails

One of the most joy-inducing things about San Antonio is its greenway trails system. Thanks to the vision of former Mayor Howard W. Peak, San Antonio’s citizens and visitors now enjoy 82 miles of trails that link Salado Creek, Leon Creek, Medina River, West Side Creeks (Apache, Alazan, Martinez, San Pedro and Zarzamora), and Tributary Creeks (Huesta and Culebra).

My husband and I have been making our way across this “green necklace” that circles San Antonio over the years, spending quite a bit of time along the Salado Creek Greenway. We’ve explored Tobin/Oakwell to 410, 410 to Lady Bird Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson to McAllister, and Jack White Park to Willow Springs Golf Course.

Get your 10,000 steps!

Recently we explored the section that runs from Walker Ranch Historic Landmark Park to Phil Hardberger Park East. The bright yellow signs that reads “Be Cautious of Snakes” near the start of the trail gave us pause, but we soldiered on. (And we didn’t see a single snake on our 4.6-mile walk to and from Hardberger Park!)

We did see interesting signage that explained the area’s wildlife and a typical day in the life of a native person, a balanced-rock sculpture, cyclists, lattice steel transmission towers, Wurzbach Parkway, fellow hikers, a hillside cave, fiber optic construction, curly leaf yucca, oak trees, airplanes and a windmill. We also learned a new word in Spanish: riachuelo, which means creek. Sadly, we also saw a lot of single-use plastic bottles in the creek bed, destined for the Gulf of Mexico if humans don’t clean it up and stop using single-use plastics.

Chatty squirrel speaks his mind

I’m certain this guy was fussing at us humans for not taking care of our planet.

A portion of the trail was under construction, so we had to detour. It wasn’t bad for hikers or cyclists, but it would be for those in a wheelchair or stroller.

FREE and fun!

Any day spent in nature is a good day, so start exploring San Antonio’s fabulous greenway trails system your ownself! You won’t be sorry.

P.S. While you’re in the area, be sure to check out the Tobin Land Bridge that connects Hardberger Park East to Hardberger Park West.

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!