Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Visitors Information

Hours: Trails open sunrise to sunset daily; visitor center open Mon-Fri 9 AM - 4 PM

Fees: Free

Parking: Parking lot on-site.

Rules: No pets, bikes, or picnics. Everything is protected on the preserve -- leave all plants, animals, rocks and other elements in place. Stay on the trail.

Explorer's Checklist

Latest Explorer Observation

06-17-2019 -- Bee Creek runs through Wild Basin. Photo © Alberto Martinez
50x1200 wave separator

In the 1970s, an environmental group of “little old ladies in tennis shoes” amassed support to establish this 277-acre preserve. They sought to balance the natural heritage of this woodland expanse along Bee Creek with urban growth. Today, the Wild Basin forms part of the larger Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP), which protects the unique environs of 7 endangered species and 28 threatened plant and animal species.

06-17-2019 -- The view from one the trails at Wild Basin. Photo © Alberto Martinez
50x1200 wave separator
Courtesy of Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center & Bruce Leander
Courtesy of Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center & Bruce Leander

Ashe Juniper

Ashe Juniper is so prevalent in the Hill Country that many people think of it as an invasive species. Yet, cedar is native. In 1961, a wildfire that swept through the Westbank Peninsula was contained at Bee Creek in Wild Basin. The fire played an important ecological role and led to the healthy regrowth you see today.

50x1200 wave separator

The Golden-cheeked Warbler

Something of a local celebrity, the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler nests only in the oak-juniper woodlands of Central Texas. Each spring, these neo-tropical songbirds migrate from southern Mexico and Central America to breed exclusively in the Ashe juniper-oak forests of the Hill Country. They use the bark of mature Ash junipers, aka cedar, to build their nests. An indicator species, the vitality of this little bird tells us much about the ecological health of the watershed and habitat it relies on for survival.

Courtesy of Wild Basin and photographer, Greg Lasley
Courtesy of Wild Basin and photographer, Greg Lasley
50x1200 wave separator

Volunteer Info

Save Barton Creek Association

City of Austin Wildland Conservation Division

Austin Parks Foundation

Keep Austin Beautiful

TreeFolks

City of Austin Watershed Protection Department

Educational Resources

Field Trip/Education Program Info

Download the PDF

50x1200 wave separator

Explorer Gallery

long skinny block color tweaks