One of our most favorite things about living in San Antonio are the many outdoor spaces and walking trails. We live in hill country/Leon Valley and in this area alone there are so many places to choose from. Although they are similar in a lot of ways, most are unique in their surroundings and offerings. Most trails are paved for walking, skateboarding, biking, skating, etc and almost all of them also have pet friendly extras (waste bags and watering fountains). Some have playgrounds and picnic areas while others are more secluded. You really never know what you might find as you explore each one- We’ve seen warnings to alert you to wildlife and others warning of flooding areas. However, no matter which park we choose there are always lots of people (of all ages and sizes) enjoying themselves.
One of the first parks we found was Dwight D Eisenhower park. It is probably the furthest from us, but it is a nice park. There are miles of trails, play areas, picnic spots and plenty of shade. This was Frodo’s first park to explore in San Antonio. There were so many new smells and new places to check out. His doggie grin at the end told us he was quite happy. We specifically chose San Antonio for the winter due to the milder temperatures, so we didn’t have to watch for scorpions and snakes, but it is something to be aware of during the warmer months for curious pets. Frodo was quite happy to have more freedom to explore without getting bitten or stung poking his nose about.



After that we next explored Fox Park. This park was only six and a half miles from us, so it was easy to drive to. It is also right next to the University of Texas at San Antonio campus. That makes it a very popular hiking and biking trail. This was probably the busiest park as far as the variety of people. The paved trails are used by lots of joggers, hikers and bicyclists. There are also plenty of unpaved walking paths and off road bike paths that criss-cross all over the park.There is also a nice bridge that spans the Leon Creek when it is flowing with water.




If we had to guess we would say that Panther Springs Park is Frodo’s favorite park. This is a true dog park. They have gated areas for large and small dogs along with miles of paved hiking/biking paths. There are water fountains for people and dogs as well. We know Frodo loves this park the most because he sleeps ALL night long after playing with his friends in the park.




All of that leads us to our favorite hiking trail. It is a little outside of the San Antonio city limits in a cute town called Boerne, TX. I will probably make a separate blog post about Boerne, because I love the town that much, but for now I will just say that it is our absolute favorite spot. Since we live in the northwest section of the city, Boerne is only about 15 minutes away. That makes it an easy drive after work to go for a walk along the banks of the Cibolo Creek. This is a magical mile and a half path that runs along the bank of the creek and connects two different sections of the city.



One additional fun aspect of this trail is all the ducks that hang out in the creek. They are beautiful creatures. Plus, they provide an endless supply of laughs for us as Frodo tries to figure out what they are. He is always surprised when they take flight and also land on the water- the look of confusion and surprise is always a good laugh.



We would like to add an honorable mention to one last area we have enjoyed walking: the famous Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio! This is not a true park, like the others, but it is hard to beat with the winding waterway weaving through the downtown area. It helps makes San Antonio one of the most beautiful downtown areas of any city we have visited. Add in the artwork, shops and bars/restaurants along the walk way and you have a wonderful way to enjoy yourself all day or evening. The Riverwalk also deserves its own blog post, so I will add a few teaser photos for now and follow-up with more at a later date.



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