Austin’s ambitious Violet Crown Trail will one day be 30 miles long, but it has to start somewhere. The addition of a Mile Zero Trailhead and Education Pavilion at Zilker Park will be celebrated at a grand opening on November 15 where guests can enjoy breakfast tacos by Slab BBQ, live music by Bat City Brass Band, guided nature hikes and bike rides, and more.
The trailhead is located at 2212 William Barton Dr., where William Barton curves up to meet Columbus Drive. There is a Mile Zero marker — a big, circular arch framing the trail — which will be approached from the west through a gathering area with large rocks to sit on and some added plants and trees.
Just a few hundred feet down the trail, visitors will find the Meadow Pavilion and an observation and overlook deck. The pavilion provides shade with a concave, butterfly-inspired roof, plus some seating and bike racks according to renderings. The observation deck looks onto Barton Creek.
Renderings from the beginning of construction period show how the space was envisioned.violetcrowntrail.com
This trail was originally intended as the first regional trail system in Central Texas. When it is done, it will stretch from Zilker Park to part of Hays County, where it is bounded by Onion Creek. The first phase of trail was completed in 2024, connecting Zilker and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center without interruptions.
A week ahead of the grand opening of the trailhead, George Cofer, the executive director of Hill Country Conservancy and the project manager for the trail, wrote a guest blog post for stewardship nonprofit Zilker 351. In it, he discusses the planning process, original vision, the inclusion of a native wildflower meadow, and more.
“Because many of our conservation easements are located far from Austin, it’s difficult to get people onto those sites,” Cofer writes. “So back in 2005, the board proposed a 30-mile trail as HCC’s way to get people out on the land, enjoy and learn about nature and the aquifer, and promote healthy lifestyles.”
The master plan for the Violet Crown Trail can be viewed at hillcountryconservancy.org. Guests can RSVP to the trailhead opening event via Eventbrite.