Austin - Mt Bonnell and Westside Hills

[Complex01]

Great looking pics. I love hills, very nice job...

[TexasBoi]

The Capital of Texas highway is probably one of the best rides of Austin. We always get off of I-35 and head west to go through the city just to take in the scenery of that area of the city.

[Mopacs]

Originally Posted by arbeiter

Another thing about Austin's terrain that confuses many people is that the hilliest parts are below the escarpment line, meaning you can't really see them from many parts of the city. It's more of a drop off, then a valley (where Lake Austin is), then it rises back up again.

Very true, particularly for those originating from the Jollyville Plateau. Other than gentle rises in elevation here and there, no evidence of hills are apparent. That is, until you hit the edge of the escarpment... case in point, the 2222 dramatic drop-off at "Tumbleweed Hill", as well as the 620 drop-off at Comanche Trail (approaching Lake Travis). Also, there are very few spots within the plateau where downtown is visible, even a hint of it.

[arbeiter]

Originally Posted by Mopacs

Speaking of ashe juniper/cedar trees, such vegetation is thought to be explosively flammable in nature. One longtime fear is the threat of very destructive wildfires in the eastern Hill Country where hillside/valley developments have become plentiful. Its really not a matter of if, but when this will occur. I would hope that the ongoing Southern California wildfires will draw some attention to our local risks.

I imagine there are risks, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as California, or it would have happened already. I've heard of a few minor fires here and there, but I can't think of anything happening in central Texas in the past 10-20 years that would even remotely approach what's essentially becoming cyclical and routine in SoCal.

A few things working in the Hill Country's advantage: we have a two-peak rainy season, late spring and early fall. also, we get rain year round, and while it is becoming more common to have drought-like summers with little rain, it's still not common - nothing like the cyclical nature of california's almost rainless summer-fall. also, we're quite humid, and we're not all that windy in times of year with high heat (it's very stagnant when it's hot - but very windy when cold fronts push through). all of that sets up a much better environmental picture.

[dharper6]

Originally Posted by arbeiter

Kevin, where the hell is Mount Lucus? what an uninviting name. Travis Peak is interesting, it's on 1431 as you go towards Marble Falls, and there's actually a sign - for a moment, if you squint your eyes, you could be in California.

Another thing about Austin's terrain that confuses many people is that the hilliest parts are below the escarpment line, meaning you can't really see them from many parts of the city. It's more of a drop off, then a valley (where Lake Austin is), then it rises back up again.

That is so interesting that you mentioned that. I have met people who have lived in Austin for a year and didn't know that the west side was so hilly, for the reason you state. They had not had time to drive in that direction from their part of town. It really sneaks up on you as you reach the edge of the plateau. My favorite place to take business visitors is to the end of Greystone Dr., take a left, and then another left, and the world falls out from under you, and you're still right in Austin. Most are incredulous when we reach the edge. Of course, if you cross the river on Mopac Expwy heading southbound and look to the right, you can't miss the spectacular views of the hills and bluffs, and you're just west of the edge of downtown at that point.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yes, The Oasis Restaurant sits on Comanche Peak, or at least part of that same ridge. The Oasis is an amazing place. It's actually the 4th largest restaurant in the US with seating for 2,000 people on 40 decks overlooking the lake.

The lighthouse sitting on the hill is actually part of a private mansion. This gives some idea of scale since the lighthouse is supposedly 72 feet tall.

Originally Posted by arbeiter

Kevin, where the hell is Mount Lucus?

Mount Lucus is northwest of Mount Bonnell. Mount Bonnell is the most southeastern of three peaks. Mount Lucus, Mount Barker, and then Mount Bonnell. In this shot of Mopacs', you can see Mount Bonnell to the right with that outcropping of rocks just below the top. To the left of it is Mount Barker. You can't see Mount Lucus here, but it's to the left of Mount Barker. If you open up GoogleEarth and switch on "Geographic Features" under the layers section, you can zoom in on Mount Bonnell, Mount Barker and Mount Lucus. If you can find Mount Bonnell, you can find the other two. Just zoom in enough so that it shows the names.


As for the fire risks, I think we get enough rain that we don't have that problem of extreme drought with big fires popping up in the hills. Our climate is more humid than their's. Most wildfires here involve grass fires. We also lack the extreme dry air and high winds that Southern California gets thanks to the desert there. Areas west of Austin are dry, but they aren't as dry as a true desert. We do get wildfires though, in fact there was just a grass fire in Bastrop and Caldwell Counties that burned 30 acres. The cause of that apparently was when a tow truck had gotten a flat and started throwing sparks off the rims into the grass. With that last cold front that came through the air dried out, it's been hovering around 30 percent for a few days now. Also it's been windy in the wake of that front with winds blowing 20 to 30 mph. Those things contributed to the fire. Still, we don't get as dry as Southern California, the air is more humid most months out of the year even during droughts, and the wind never blows at 50 to 80 mph through the hills and canyons here as they do there with the Santa Anna winds. That's a good thing too, because as Mopacs mentioned, our Mountain Juniper and Cedar is rather flammable. Believe me, we used to have property out in Bastrop County and we'd clear and burn brush to clean the place up. That stuff would burn like gasoline.

[Western Spaghetti]

Hey, those are nice pictures. I never realized Austin was so green and hilly.

[BG918]

Very nice area. I went boating on Lake Austin with some friends and couldn't believe how many nice homes there were along the shores and then up in the hills.

[Mopacs]

Thanks again for the comments guys! I'm glad those not familiar with this area are surprised at the scenic terrain of Austin.

Also, I have known several college kids at UT who don't even realize it is hilly in Austin either. Some were here for at least 2 years. Reason being, they really don't travel that far off campus, nor do they venture off to the west very often.

[Mopacs]

FYI, this shot was taken in Jonestown, along the northshore of Lake Travis. The Sandy Creek arm of the lake is visible in the foreground. There is a really nice city park located along that stretch.

[TXLove]

beautiful photos!!!!!

[ATXboom]

ahh... this is why I live here!

Most beautiful part of TX IMO.

Check out the elevation of the peak in Lakeway... or actually between Lakeway and Bee Cave. It is about 1300 feet. Google earth also confirms this. This is the highest point in Travis county. Further west in the hill country the elevation reaches 3000 ft.

Very green... lots of water and lots of fun terrain for those of you that have never visited... and very close to central city. It shocked me when I first moved here from Miami and Dallas prior.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by arbeiter

Travis Peak is interesting, it's on 1431 as you go towards Marble Falls, and there's actually a sign - for a moment, if you squint your eyes, you could be in California.

I haven't been able to find Travis Peak. Using GoogleEarth, I went along 1431, but couldn't find it. I typed in Travis Peak, Texas, and it found a spot, but it wasn't it. The highest point I found was 1,342, but Travis Peak is supposedly something like 1,440 feet.

[arbeiter]

hmm - well i do know that you will find it if you drive 1431.

[Mopacs]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

ahh... this is why I live here!

Most beautiful part of TX IMO.

Check out the elevation of the peak in Lakeway... or actually between Lakeway and Bee Cave. It is about 1300 feet. Google earth also confirms this. This is the highest point in Travis county. Further west in the hill country the elevation reaches 3000 ft.

Yep, that is a very high point... tremendous views of the river valley up there. 620 traverses the peak near Lake Travis High School.

From 620...



View toward the river



This shot lookes west toward the peak (620 in the foreground)

[Rainier Meadows]

great shots

[MNMike]

I go to that park everytime I am in austin, love it over there....though 2222 and some of the other nearby roads can be a bit scary at times!

[DruidCity]

It's great to see this thread living on in the form of more photos and information.

Hills + water =

[TXAlex]

I really want to see the inside of this hill country palace.

[KevinFromTexas]

Actually, there was an article in the newspaper about it around a year ago. They did go inside and interviewed the guy who owns it. He lives there, and is an art collector. The place was covered with art. He even had an authentic entire piece of knight armor. I kind of a got a Bruce Wayne/Batman vibe from the article.