Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve - Nature preserve in Austin - 805 N Capital of Texas Hwy, USA

Wild Basin is an absolutely delightful nature walk. There is visual interest with the trees and mental engagement with the terrain. There is an adorable small waterfall and a scenic overlook. The trails are well marked and offer mostly easy paths but there are plenty of roots, steps, rocks and rock stairs. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

Review for Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve: Do not bring your dogs as this is a persevere. I had an amazing experience during my recent hike at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve! From the moment I arrived, the staff greeted me with warmth and enthusiasm. They generously showed me around the preserve and provided a helpful map of the trails, which was also available for virtual download. The well-maintained trails were a delight to explore, surrounded by the beautiful wilderness. I appreciated the dedication and care put into keeping the preserve in top shape. During operating hours, the creative research center is air conditioned, offering a pleasant retreat to cool off and take a break with clean bathrooms Overall, I highly recommend Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve to everyone, whether you are a seasoned hiker or a newcomer to the outdoors. The preserve offers a perfect blend of friendly hospitality, well-maintained trails, and beautiful scenery. It’s truly a hidden gem that should be on every nature lover’s bucket list. I can’t wait to return for another memorable adventure!

I really enjoyed this trail! First off, I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Elvis at the check in booth, but the lady that did check me in was really friendly and helpful. There is ample parking and assuming since this is by reservation only you will always have a spot to park. There are restrooms at the trail head, but I did not see any water stations throughout the entire hike. You may want to bring some because you will probably need it. I imagine this trail is brutal during the summer (there is a good bit of shade on the trails though). On a 80-degree day it was definitely perfect! The trail was very clean and very well maintained. I did not see one piece of trash anywhere. You don’t see any dogs since they aren’t allowed and I only ran into others hiking a couple of times. It was as if I had the trail to myself! I prefer challenging trails and at first, I thought this was going to be too easy for my liking. When I got about halfway through, though, I saw the steep grades more and then knew it would be harder than I thought which was good. Still wasn’t terribly difficult but my legs do feel it now hours later. There are a good bit of steep grades so you will have to pick up those hammies. I kept on the outskirts of the trail and then I realized that there are off shoot trails which take you in the middle from one side to the other. I found these trails to be fun so don’t miss those. Everywhere along the trails made for great pictures. I didn’t see any wildlife or snakes (thank God) and only saw a handful of Texas Yellow Stars. There are several benches throughout so, if you do get too tired you can always stop and take a rest. The creek was nice and there was actually a good bit of stream water today. Of course, this also set up for a beautiful waterfall which I greatly enjoyed sitting and listening to for a while. Even though you can hear the cars on the highway it was still a serene hike. I tried to take a good pic of the waterfall but where you have to stand to view it or snap a pic there is a tree limb conveniently sagging which obstructs your view. Where’s my chainsaw when I need it! Lol. At the end of your hike, they have a Research Center however, they were not open for some reason. Overall, for the $5 I paid for just myself it was well worth it! Also, please donate which can be easily added to your cost of the ticket. It’s easy and worth it!

Super friendly team helped us through our first visit. Paid entry for parking - nice knowing it helps the preserve the area. Walked to the waterfall and did a loop. Relatively easy hike up and down hills. Beautiful trees and view. Thanks 🙏

I like that the trail options are interconnected loops so there are many distance options for hiking and if you get tired you can choose to come back on a shorter loop. The trails are on an incline so keep in mind that the return hike is uphill. It was not very busy when we visited on a Tuesday afternoon and we got a personal welcome to the nature center. The security guard was very helpful and informative and he found my lost wallet and returned it to me.

We were looking for a place to go on a walk/hike before heading to the airport and this is where we chose. What a nice Preserve. The trails are well maintained and marked. We did a loop that included going to the waterfall (we only had an hour). There were a couple creek crossing that could be problematic for some and the trail was steep (as warned by signage) in one part. I wish we had more time to walk on all the trails, maybe next time. Monday thru Friday there is no cost to enter. The security guard, Elvis, was friendly and informative. Unless I missed more parking, there isnt a whole lot but there are constructing a bathroom and maybe spaces were being taken up by that.

Now the nature here is beautiful, but the best part of the experience came from the security guard that was working when I pulled in. I had never been here so I asked him to run through the preserve for me, he launched into an incredible overview of what they had to offer full of character and charm! It was honestly an incredible sales pitch and if he were trying to sell me a membership to hike there, I probably would have bought. That level of helpfulness and friendliness from security staff is so rare and it made the experience great! The hike itself offers about as much variation as the Austin area nature has to offer. There's good elevation change, some nice rivers, and an advertised waterfall that is small but cute.

It was a lovely, serene experience. I appreciated the entry control on the weekend/public holiday to ensure the trails didn't get overcrowded. Mr. Ingram in security was kind, good-natured, and informative.