Hit the trail!

The Alamo Chapter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino met recently for a group hike in the 420-acre Eisenhower Park on San Antonio’s North Side.

My husband and I had just returned from hiking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago through the north of Spain, so we were hankering to get back on a trail and stretch our legs.

Alamo Chapter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino

The Alamo Pilgrims mentor folks who are thinking about walking the Camino, and they coordinate activities for local Camino veterans to enjoy. The Camino veteran who led the hike, Karin Kiser, grew up in San Antonio near Eisenhower Park, and she now lives in Southern California. When she visits her parents, she makes sure to schedule a hike or two along the park’s 6 miles of paved and unpaved trails.

No surprise why! Eisenhower Park is part of the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System, affectionately called the green necklace that encompasses 82 miles of developed trails that circle San Antonio, and it is beautiful.

Natural beauty abounds

We hiked along the unpaved Shady Creek trail, and we made our way up to the park’s observation tower that gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of the Texas Hill Country. The multi-colored leaves we saw along the trail were breathtaking, and it’s always a joy to share Camino stories with fellow veterans and Camino wannabes.

San Antonio is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty. Put Eisenhower Park, open daily from sunrise to sunset, on your to-do list! You’ll feel lighter after your hike.

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!