About 1.5 miles from Northwest Balcones Park and Tanglewood Park is Mountain View Park, part of the upper Bull Creek area.
Mountain View Park
Mountain View Park is also a City of Austin park that services the surrounding neighborhoods, but it is a few acres bigger than Northwest Balcones. I expected a view like Mt. Bonnell from its name, but all you get here is a view of the hilly neighborhoods.
Park Features
Although the park has large trees, there really is no shade where it is needed (for the kids), directly over the playscapes. That being said, this park would be a great place for playgroups to meet because of the large covered pavilion with patio tables and restrooms. (The pavilion may be reserved through Austin’s PARD, or it is free for anyone to use when unoccupied.)
Play Structures
All of the play structures are in one area, except for the swings for older kids which are separate. This playground is best suited for toddlers and preschoolers. The bigger playscape is easy to get on and off, and my one-year-old preferred the bigger tube slide to the smaller playscape. My kids probably had the most fun on the single, bright yellow tire swing hanging all by its lonesome. The playground is relatively close to the pavilion.
The Rest of the Park
The sporting fields and courts are farthest away from the pavilion and parking lot. There is a baseball field, basketball courts, and several tennis courts. If you wanted to come here to stroller the kids for some exercise, you would get a decent workout since the trail is somewhat hilly. The path is relatively smooth so a sturdy, non-jogging stroller would be fine. The park is clean and well maintained. The path leads down to the street that you can cross over and find the Spicewood Valley Trail.
The address indicates Middlebie Rd, but to access the parking lot, travel down Westerkirk Dr. instead. The parking lot is at 8700 Westerkirk Dr. The parking lot is small, maybe for a dozen cars, but this park is tucked far into the neighborhoods that I doubt it would be crowded at any time unless there was a party scheduled there.
Mountain View Park
9000 Middlebie Dr.
Austin, TX 78750
Republished with permission from Little Austinite.
