Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls Hike

I will attempt to update this page on a regular basis on the water conditions, but if you happen to visit Twin Falls after the date listed above, please share the love and use the comment space below or email Annemarie at bloggeradmin@austintop50.com with an update on the creek conditions!  

This has to be one of my favorite hikes in all of Austin.  It is minutes from downtown, and yet, hiking along the Barton Creek Greenbelt, you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere!



Barton Springs Greenbelt
The Barton Springs Greenbelt trail follows Barton Creek for 8 miles from Zilker park to the trail end at Scottish Woods.  There are multiple entrance points including Zilker Park and off of Capital of Texas Highway.  Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls are on the south end of the trail.

How to access the Twin Falls / Sculpture Falls Trailhead

 

The Hike
From the Twin Falls trail head (located around mile 4.75 on the Barton Creek trail), Twin Falls is located around a half mile further along the trail and Sculpture Falls another mile or so past Twin Falls just before mile marker 6.25. 

If you continue past Sculpture Falls, you will come to the Hill of Life - and upward climb of about a quarter mile - ending at Scottish Woods trail head.

Twin Falls

Start at the trail head right off of Capital of Texas highway, and it will lead you downward to the main Barton Springs trail.  You will join the main Barton Spring trail right around mile 4.75.

Once down, along the entire trail, there are lots of points to stop off and enjoy the creek.  There are cliffs perfect for rock climbing, areas where kayaks can run.  And because the trail is so long, you can be assured at finding your own private spot somewhere!

Twin Falls is located about a half mile from the trailhead, along a well-tended and downward heading trail.

Right now, there is only one fall working, but it was more than enough for hours of fun! 

The water gets deep enough in places to jump from the upper ledge to the lower ledge.  There is plenty of room to swim and get wet, both in the deeper area below the falls and in the stream just above the falls!  And the actual waterfall in a wonderful sight!

Sculpture Falls
About a mile past Twin Falls is Sculpture Falls.  It is located just before the 6.25 mile trail marker.  It took us about twenty minutes to walk out and about thirty minutes to return.  If you have the time and legs for this hike, I highly recommend it. 

You will pass high limestone cliffs riddled with caves, huge, old live oaks, and a variety of wildlife! 

Sculpture Falls is a much larger swimming hole than Twin Falls and frequently less populated. 

There is a wonderful rope swing, lots of swimming spots and the day we were there, they had a tightrope stretched across!

Hill of life 
Another mile and a half you will come to the Hill of Life, a very steep hill that ends at the top at the Woods of Westlkae Subdivision at the Scottish Woods Trail head.

This hill is very popular for runners doing hill workouts.  You may also see a number of boyscout troops with backpacks training for their Philmont hike!

Scottish Woods Trailhead
Located on Camp Craft Road in West Lake, this trailhead starts up high at mile 8.0, and then descends downard to the Barton Creek.


Tips and Thoughts
*  Be sure to bring lots of water.  On the trailmap I did notice that there were restrooms about a mile further down the path, but we did not make it that far so I do not know if they had fresh water.

* This creek bed is frequently dry, and with the drought, I have seen it dry more often then wet.  However, with the recent rains, the river is flowing nicely.  While I do enjoy the hike when the creekbed is dry, it is a better winter hike than summer (too hot!)

* This is not an official off-leash area, but many people bring their dogs and allow them to run off leash.  I must have seen at least half a dozen dogs at the falls and more along the trails.

* The rocks were very slippery.  If you have water shoes, you might want to carry them along to aid in maneuvering along the river bottom!

* There have been a lot of break-ins in the parking area for this trailhead.  I know the police have been attempting to minimize this, but please leave all vaulables at home, and don't leave anything in the car as a temptation!