Barton Creek Greenbelt

The Barton Creek Greenbelt located in Austin, Texas is managed by the City of Austin's Park and Recreation Department. The Greenbelt is a 7.25-mile (11.67 km) stretch of public land that begins at Zilker Park and stretches South/Southwest to the final section commonly referred to as "The Hill of Life" which ends in the Woods of Westlake subdivision. The Barton Creek Greenbelt consists of three areas: the Lower Greenbelt, the Upper Greenbelt and the Barton Creek Wilderness Park and is characterized by large limestone cliffs, dense foliage, and shallow bodies of water.

Located in Austin, Texas, the Barton Creek Greenbelt has a humid subtropical climate characterized by hot summers and mild winters. The Greenbelt receives 30 to 35 in (760 to 890 mm) of rain, with the majority of the precipitation coming in the spring, and second-highest in the fall.³ Small bodies of water can be found at all times of the year throughout the Greenbelt, however the creek bed that runs along the spine of the Greenbelt actively flows only 1 to 2 months out of the year depending on precipitation levels. Watershed from Barton Creek, a tributary that feeds the Colorado River in Central Texas, is responsible for the area's highly concentrated vegetation.

With its diverse terrain, the Greenbelt is a popular location for adventure-loving locals. The large limestone cliffs that line portions of the Greenbelt make for excellent rock climbing. Hikers and bikers can be found year round, although during the wet season mountain biking is more challenging as the biking trails crisscross the creek bed, making it difficult to cross when it is full. During years of heavy rainfall the water level of the creek rises high enough to allow swimming, cliff diving, kayaking, and tubing (recreation). During the annual "Tubin the Belt" parade hundreds of individuals tube the greenbelt on a Saturday in Spring.

Barton Creek Greenbelt is also a popular site for cavers, owing to the presence of Airmen's Cave, which, at two miles (3 km), is the longest cave in Travis County, Texas. After many novice spelunkers became lost exploring the cave and required rescue, the entrance to the cave was sealed by a locked steel grate. It has scheduled openings for guided exploration arranged with Austin area spelunking organizations.

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Wikipedia