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River Place Nature Trail Little Fern Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 63 Google reviews · Running trail in Austin, Texas · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Boardwalk
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from River Place Nature Trail Little Fern Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Park featuring a moderately challenging hiking trail with a 4-mile round-trip distance.
What runners say about River Place Nature Trail Little Fern Trailhead
“The trails here are beautiful, but you need to know exactly where you are going to avoid being misled at the gate.”
The trails here are beautiful, but you need to know exactly where you are going to avoid being misled at the gate. The Good: The Little Fern Trail section is an absolute 5-star experience. It’s scenic, peaceful, and most importantly—it is a public park and FREE to access.
Love this hike! And the section that walks you up to Little Fern Trailhead (~.25mi) is really a gorgeous piece of the trail. However, I would not suggest parking here. It's at the top of a steep hill, and the road is more narrow here than at other trailheads.
Great trail. I really had a great hike...offered some steep spots, water crossings, a narrow trail with cliffs, and some wider level areas.
Great place to get out into nature for a rigorous hike in the Austin area. Parking is rather undesirable and it's not a loop, so somewhat inconvenient from that perspective.
Trail conditions & character
“Parking is rather undesirable and it's not a loop, so somewhat inconvenient from that perspective.”
“The trails here are beautiful, but you need to know exactly where you are going to avoid being misled at the gate.”
“offered some steep spots, water crossings, a narrow trail with cliffs, and some wider level areas.”
“The attendant at the bottom (Boardwalk/Little Fern entrance) was not honest during my visit.”
Plan your run at River Place Nature Trail Little Fern Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceBoardwalk — flat and scenic, and slick when wet, so watch your footing
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Websiteriverplacelimiteddistrict.org
Hours
| Monday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Thursday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Friday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Saturday | 6 AM–9 PM |
| Sunday | 6 AM–9 PM |
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