Arbor Trails Track

This is such a great little neighborhood tail. Perfect if you’ve woken up to late to go all the way to town lake to run or bike!

1 mile loop. Nice wide path in a shaded setting. Lots of dogs, people and scenery! Close proximity to other trails adding opportunities for varieties of walks!

Great place if you live near by or want a change of view from the hike and bike trail downtown. Now there is newly laid gravel on the trail that does wonders for your joints. This trail is awesome for a solo run, and run with a partner and/​or with your dogs. Plenty of shade will keep you cool and going for maximum effort. The downside of this trail is that part of it you will be walking/​running through the entrances for the shopping center that the trail goes around, the real life game of Frogger will keep you on your toes while getting your exercise. On the plus side, there are plenty of good eats around to replenish your lost energy.

The track at Arbor Trails is a real blessing if you live nearby and like to walk, run, or jog. It provides a scenic, meandering course which is tree-​shaded for much of the distance except the frontages along William Cannon and Mopac. The thoughtful landscaping adds to the natural beauty of this once working ranch turned shopping center – just don’t get too caught up in lala with your iPod and watch out for the prickly pear that periodically dot the course!
One of the other blessings – and perhaps it’s a mixed curse, is the course surrounds the retail center, which offers a variety of temptations to ruin your healthy habits – places like Kerbey Lane, Torchy’s Tacos, Cheddar’s, Chuy’s, YoWay, Firehouse Subs, and Double Dave’s. On the bright side, if you plan well, you can dovetail your trip to Costco with a low-​impact exercise plan.
The only downside – and it’s a huge one – is that the track is often rendered inaccessible and inhospitable by the apparent negligence of the property management company. They have, at best, poor control over the sprinkler system, which can often be seen watering the grounds all day long on days when they’re not allowed to water and even during downpours, thus turning much of track into a swampland from time-​to-​time.
In some cases, ponds actually form around the sprinkler heads, creating natural fountains throughout the course. This, in turn, causes hazards on the trail where the course is badly rutted by ankle-​twisting shallow arroyos that have formed due to runoff from the excess irrigation. All told, the situation makes it hard to plan an exercise regimen around their benign neglect, because you never know exactly when their irrigation system will turn Arbor Trails into Arbor Swamp; then, you’re left with having to wait days for the water to subside and make the course semi-​usable again.
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UPDATE
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Arbor Trails uses recycled runoff water to water the grounds. Therefore, they are not subject to City water waste restrictions. That explains why, during and after the recent torrential rains, they were able to continue running their sprinkler system non-​stop for a solid week. Apparently there is no ordinance against egregious use of water to flood your property so long as you don’t use City water to do it! Thanks once again to Austin’s mayor and council for creating laws that penalize homeowners, but not businesses for overwatering. Businesses are free to run amok as long as they exploit all of the built-​in loopholes in the water conservation ordinances.

Great trail if you live in the neighborhood. It tends to be well-​let and maintained all year long. I lived in the area for about two years, and I visited this trail often. If you decided to visit make sure to be aware of cars going in and out of the driveways, especially in the morning/​evenings. This shopping center has lots of traffic.

Arbor Trails is a well maintained track around a shopping center in SW Austin. I live down the street and run here daily with my dogs. The track is 1.42 miles so 2 loops is a nice almost 3 mile run with mile markers, a few benches for stretching, dog poop bags and trash cans, plus lots of nature to enjoy and photo opportunities along the trail. The west side of the trail along appropriately named Brushy Creek Rd is shaded by Ash Juniper plus lots of wild flower ground cover this time of year while the east side has lots of blooming Cacti and a sinkhole that runs into Edwards Aquifer.
Yes you will be running, walking, biking next to busy roads and the smells coming from Chuy’s, Torchy’s etc might defeat your workout plans — for me I enjoy the smells and the landscape beats my neighbors yards (see photos) any day. AND I never see off leash dogs here! unlike my neighborhood, the greenbelt and even Dick Nichols Park. While my dog is fine with random dogs running up to her more often than not I will have a new foster dog in tow who is not a fan of off leash dogs in his/​her face. So, just another bonus in my opinion. And if you do have a friendly dog most every restaurant with a patio is dog friendly!