Ascent of Mount Bonnell on 2015-06-03| Other People: | Solo Ascent
| | Date: | Wednesday, June 3, 2015 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Mount Bonnell | | Location: | USA-Texas | | Elevation: | 780 ft / 237 m |
Ascent Trip ReportThis was my second hike in the Austin area and again, I wanted to maximize the vertical and horizontal so I parked at the parking lot and then hiked back down the north side of Bonnell Mountain Road. This winding steep road has sketchy shoulders and many blind curves so I had ot be sure to re-position myself on the correct side so that I could see cars coming and they could see me. My plan to hike down and grab Water Edge Drive and start at the Colorado River was thwarted by a typical fence and no trespassing (private road) so at that intersection, I turned and headed back up the winding hill. Near the top of the hill I saw a small footpath that was not part of the main hiking trails at the top of Mount Bonnell and they headed to the west steep cliff slopes of limestone and overlooking the river. These appear to be local trails as the amount of beer cans was substantial. I found a nice steep class 2 to 3 limestone wash that I followed all the way down to the residential neighborhood below and realized I had gone as far as permitted to reach the river once again.
I turned and hiked/scrambled my way back up the limestone wash to the trail that winds around the shelf on the west side of the feature and then found a trail to the main summit trail back again on the east side of the feature near the parking lot. I hiked up and found the main trail system accompanied by many day hikers and a few joggers. I took some photos of the river form the overlooks. Then headed down to the car. The place was fairly crowed for a hot weekday morning
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| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 340 ft / 103 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 190 ft / 57 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 1.4 mi / 2.2 km | | Grade/Class: | 1 and some 3 opportu | | Quality: | 3 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Maintained Trail, Unmaintained Trail, Scramble | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 330 ft / 100 m | | Gain Breakdown: | Net: 220 ft / 67 m; Extra: 110 ft / 33m | | Loss on way in: | 110 ft / 33 m | | Distance: | 1.1 mi / 1.8 km | | Route: | Bonnell Mtn Road to unmaintainted trails down west | | Start Trailhead: | intersection of Bonnell Rd and Water Edge Dr 560 ft / 170 m | | Descent Statistics | | Loss on way out: | 80 ft / 24 m | | Loss Breakdown: | Net: 70 ft / 21 m; Extra: 10 ft / 3m | | Gain on way out: | 10 ft / 3 m | | Distance: | 0.3 mi / 0.5 km | | Route: | stairs to parking lot | | End Trailhead: | Parking Lot 710 ft / 216 m |
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