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Pine Ridge Overlook

Cedar Creek, Texas

4.5/5
based on 2 reviews

Details

Distance

2.95 miles

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Brooke Simmons

This quiet park 13 miles east of Austin offers well-marked, family and pet-friendly trails with beautiful overlooks and access to the Colorado River.

Pine Ridge Overlook is one of the longest hikes at McKinney Roughs Nature Area offering 2.7 miles through piney woods that overlook valleys and offer glimpses of the Colorado River. McKinney Roughs is considered a nature and learning park and requires a $5 entrance fee per-person at the Visitor Center.

The hike to the Overlook is considered easy on the trail map but can quickly become challenging if you plan to hike Pine Ridge Trail passed the overlook. The trail starts at McKinney Roughs smaller parking area off of Highway 71 where the pin is dropped on the map. Make sure to grab a trail map from the parking area and you will begin your hike after entering under the wooden trail post with the words Happy Trails painted on it. From here you will start the hike on Whitetail Trail and will quickly turn off to your right for Pine Ridge Trail shortly after trail marker 2. Now that you are on Pine Ridge Trail it's about a 30 minute hike to the Overlook through pocket prairies filled with wildflowers. At this point you can choose to bask in the views and relax at the perfectly placed bench or continue on Pine Ridge Trail which will eventually end at the Colorado River.

McKinney Roughs offers 17.9 total trail miles and is a great place to hike if you want to spend several hours exploring. On the way out, stop by Benny's Texas Bar-B-Que just east of the park and grab a cold drink and enjoy the chop beef at this family-owned Bar-B-Que joint!

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Features

Fitness
Fishing
Running
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Food Nearby
Picnic Area
River
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Reviews

We liked how you can choose the trails depending on preferences, distance and difficulty. We took our 6 months puppy and she loved it too. The only thing is that there isn't much shade and in a hot summer day it could be very hard for dogs (and people). Apart from that, the park is very nice and it seems that it's really quiet on Sundays, which we prefer.

We really enjoyed the hike. The park is surprisingly really nice. Everything looks brand new and the trails are in great condition. We brought our 2 dogs and they loved it. I want to go back and check out the other trails.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Bike the Lost Pines of Bastrop

Hike the Southeast Metropolitan Park Primitive Trail

Hike Onion Creek And Homestead Trail Loop

Hike the Homestead Trail

Relax at McKinney Falls

Hike Mueller Park Trail