Mount Bonnell
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Covert Park at Mount Bonnell
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View of Lake Austin from the summit of Mount Bonnell
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 Mount Bonnell
Mount Bonnell
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| Location | 3800 Mount Bonnell Rd Austin, Texas 78731 |
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| Coordinates | 30°19′16″N 97°46′25″W / 30.3210°N 97.7736°WCoordinates: 30°19′16″N 97°46′25″W / 30.3210°N 97.7736°W |
| Area | 5.36 acres (2.17 ha) |
| Built | June 2, 1939 |
| NRHP Reference # | 15000619 |
| RTHL # | 6473 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 17, 2015 |
| Designated RTHL | 1969 |
Mount Bonnell /bəˈnɛl/, also known as Covert Park, is a prominent point alongside the Lake Austin portion of the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. It has been a popular tourist destination since the 1850s. The mount provides a vista for viewing the city of Austin, Lake Austin, and the surrounding hills. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1969, bearing Marker number 6473, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Mount Bonnell is located at 30.3210°N, 97.7736°W (WGS 84 datum). Although the mount is often described as the highest point in Austin, the elevation at its peak (about 780 feet above mean sea level (AMSL)) is less than that of the Jollyville Plateau (max. elevation about 1100 feet AMSL [1]).
A historical marker was placed at Mount Bonnell in 1969 by State Historical Survey Committee. The marker reads:
Rising 775 feet above sea level, this limestone height was named for George W. Bonnell, who came to Texas with others to fight for Texas independence, 1836. Was commissioner of Indian affairs in Republic of Texas under President Sam Houston. Moved in 1839 to Austin; there published the "Texas Sentinel", 1840. Member Texan-Santa Fe expedition, 1841. Was captured but released in time to join Mier expedition, 1842. Was killed in camp on Rio Grande, Dec, 26, 1842. Frontiersman W.A.A. "Bigfoot" Wallace killed an Indian he met face to face while crossing a narrow ledge 50 feet above river, 1839. He also took refuge in a Mount Bonnell cave to recover from "flux", but was missing so long his sweetheart eloped. In the mid-1800s Mormons built a mill on the Colorado river at foot of Mount Bonnell. Mill was destroyed by flood and the Mormons moved on west. Mount Bonnell was site of picnics and outings in 1850s and 1860s. As it is today. Legend has it that an excursion to the place in the 1850s inspired the popular song "Wait for the Wagon and We'll All Take a Ride". As a stunt in 1898, Miss Hazel Keyes slid down a cable stretched from the top of Mount Bonnell to south bank of then Lake McDonald below.
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