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| Hiking | 3.20 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 3.20 Miles | | | |
| 1 Hour 30 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | My first hike as a resident of Texas. (Gulp) Eisenhower Park is nice because it's easy to reach from San Antonio (just two miles north of the 1604 Loop near its north juncture with I-10), doesn't have an entrance fee, and offers a wide range of trail options (paved and "natural", intersecting trails allowing for many route options). My boss recommended it after I complained about missing mountains - she said the Hill View Trail had a mountain- er, hill which allowed for some nice views of the city. It's been abysmally hot so we were eager to get outside for a couple hours and this seemed like a good choice.
We mostly stuck to the Hill View Trail, which is the "natural" (ie unpaved) trail skirting the park. The park is abutted on the north by Bullis military base and to the south by a rock quarry but you can't see much/any of them from the trail except for Keep Out/Danger signs on the fencing around the park. We arrived at around 6:15 (the park opens at 6) and there was one other car in the parking lot. We started on the eastern end of the trail as day broke. The trail is composed of white rock which was very easy to follow. It was pleasant walking amid some low trees (pines? oaks?) and shrubbery, though we were constantly surprised/perturbed by spider webs which had been strewn across the trail overnight. (Texas has lots of spiders)
The trail quickly gained some elevation (elevation is a relative term - it wasn't flat, but nothing like AZ elevation) and we had some partially obstructed views of power lines and San Antonio proper in the far distance. It was pretty with the sun rising and some clouds in the sky, but wasn't quite what we were hoping for. The views were better at the observation tower a little further in. I'm afraid the West has ruined me for mediocre landscapes.
We took the side loop Red Oak trail near the tower, but otherwise stuck to the Hill View Trail. By the time we were finishing up around 8 we had passed quite a few trail runners and the parking lot was filling up. We were glad to have started early as the sun had started to break free of the few clouds in the sky and it looked to be another hot, Texas, July day. (Sigh) But I'm glad to have gotten my start hiking in Texas and I look forward to exploring more parks in the near future! |
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