The leader of a future trail linking Austin to San Antonio is vowing to hike more than 100 miles between the two cities on foot before his vision could become a reality to the public. Great Springs Project CEO Garry Merritt announced he will be making the journey from the Alamo to the Texas Capitol starting this weekend.
Although the trail network doesn’t exist yet, Merritt will be hiking along the Texas Bicentennial Trail’s planned path set for 2036. In a Facebook post, the GSP said that Merritt decided to make the trek because he thought it would be the best way to celebrate the project’s mission.
“So naturally, our CEO, Garry, thought the best way to celebrate this mission was to walk the whole thing,” the post said. “This weekend, he is making the trek from the Alamo to the Texas Capitol and stopping at four iconic springs.”
It’s currently unclear what day or time Merritt will begin the hike from S.A. to Austin, but MySA reached out to him and the GSP to find out how he’s preparing for the hike and approximately how long he thinks it’ll take to complete it. The GSP aims to create a hike and bike trail from the Alamo City to Texas’ capital city through a greenway of protected lands over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, according to its website.
This green corridor includes a network of spring-to-spring trails, linking four iconic Central Texas waterways: Barton Springs, San Marcos Springs, Comal Springs and San Antonio Springs.
Besides its recreational benefits, the nonprofit’s primary objective is to preserve and protect 50,000 acres within the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone in an effort to address the most critical water, land, wildlife, and public health challenges facing the region.
While hiking the planned route, Merritt is set to meet with project partners and trail builders along the way, identifying gaps, and enjoying the current Central Texas trails that exist between both cities, the GSP said. In September 2025, the project made significant progress after House Bill 4230 passed, making it codified into law that the trail has to be completed by the Texas bicentennial in 2036.
The highly-anticipated trail will be built in phases, with the order depending on key factors, such as funding, landowner negotiation, permitting, design, and construction. However, some portions of the trail are already open, like the Limestone Link in San Marcos that made its debut last August.