City of Austin Park Rangers

10/30/2026

Austin pets p**p about 150,000 pounds of waste every day. That's a ...

10/30/2026

Have you registered yet? Austin Park Rangers have SEVEN projects for It's My Parks Day this fall. It's My Park Day is Austin Parks Foundation 's biannual, community-led day of service. Work alongside us to make your community a better place. You'll get free stuff, too: a T-shirt, treats, and discounts from Austin businesses. More importantly the feeling you get from giving back to your community can only be described as connected, together, thankful, recharged, included, empowered, and probably hungry and thirsty afterward.

What: It's My Parks Day
When: Saturday November 7th 9am-12pm
Where: An Austin Park Near You!
Who: You!

Click the link to register for one of our projects.
https://austinparks.givepulse.com/group/116293-Its-My-Park-Day-Fall?keyword=ranger

10/28/2026

Join Austin Park Rangers for a Guided Hike at Louis René Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary! For the first time ever, Park Rangers are opening up this wild space to the public for a guided hike and nature activities. Explore with us on Sunday, November 8th from 9:00am-11:00am. Please note the gate will be locked at 10 minutes after start time.

Here are the coordinates for the entry gate and parking. Copy/Paste these into your navigation app. 30.309034, -97.592068

Prepare for a 1.5-mile hike through tall grass and vegetation. This preserve does not have trails, so we highly recommend pants and boots. There are no facilities on site. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen and bug spray. We will bring a jug of water for refill. Sorry, no dogs.

9:00am Skins and Skulls - Gate Open
9:30am Guided Hike begins
9:40am Gate CLOSED
11:00am Guided Hike concludes Gate Open

See you there!

10/26/2026

Check this out: We worked with Austin Technology Services to create a couple of stunning virtual reality hikes. The 360 images were captured a little while ago but are still breathtaking. Especially through a VR headset. Feel free to navigate through your browser, too. We had a lot of fun making them. This one is from Zilker Nature Preserve and Eanes Creek. Take a few minutes and explore the preserve from your device.

Click the link to go to the Zilker Nature Preserve Virtual Hike.
https://cityofaustin.github.io/VR-ZilkerNaturePreserves/

VR Tour of the Zilker Nature Preserves in collaboration with the City of Austin Park Rangers

10/23/2026

Come spend the morning with the Austin Park Rangers for It’s My Park Day on Saturday November 7th from 9am to 12pm. Today's featured project is the Givens Giveback & Cleanup! Whether you’re a longtime neighbor or simply love Austin’s parks, we’d love to have you join us as we give a little love back to Givens District Park. Together, we’ll pick up litter, spruce up the park, and help make this special community space cleaner, brighter, and more welcoming for everyone. Come lend a hand, meet your neighbors, and show Givens some love!

Givens Giveback & Cleanup
It's My Parks Day
Saturday November 7th, 9am-12pm
3811 E 12th St, Austin, TX 78721
Meet near Martin Banks Pavillion

Register by clicking on the link below.
https://austinparks.givepulse.com/event/938015-its-my-park-day-givens-giveback-clean-up

10/19/2026

Join A Ranger Fishing! Get hooked! Ever wanted to learn how to fish but didn't know where to start? Join one of our FREE fishing programs this weekend! Saturday AND Sunday we'll be at Zilker Park with all of the gear you need to hook a big one. We're reel-y excited about this program. Catch us there!

Join A Ranger Fishing
Saturday and Sunday
October 24th and 25th
9:30am-11:30am
2105 Andrew Zilker Rd, 78746
Barton Creek, Zilker Park

We'll also have a knot tying activity and Backyard Bass at the Zilker Caretaker's Cottage.
This event is free and open to the public. All ages. Fishing License required for those aged 17 and up. We'll be on Barton Creek, down the stairs from the playground. See you there!

https://www.austintexas.gov/parks/programs/park-rangers

10/17/2026

We're very thankful to everyone who came out to our guided hike at Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt last Saturday! This greenbelt provides some great nature access along the trails in northeast Austin. We are happy to share it with you! Our next guided hike is on Sunday November 8th at Louis René Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary, further north and east. This preserve is usually closed to the public, but we're going to open it up for this special event. More details to come. Stay tuned!

https://www.austintexas.gov/parks/programs/park-rangers

10/15/2026

It will be perfect biking weather this weekend! Join us at the Zilker Caretaker’s Cottage on Saturday October 17th and Sunday October 18th for two fun-filled mornings of biking along the Butler Hike and Bike Trail and chatting with Rangers.

Park Ranger Bike Tours
BYOBike
Saturday October 17th and Sunday October 18th
9:30 AM- 11:30AM
Zilker Caretaker’s Cottage, Zilker Park
2105 Andrew Zilker Rd, 78746

Get ready to pedal through scenic trails and learn how our natural spaces influence the culture of Austin. This event is perfect for families, friends, and anyone looking for an active adventure. Grab your bike, pack some snacks, and get ready for a memorable ride…with us! We can't wait to see you there!

Know Before You Go:
Bring Your Own Bike - Helmet Required - 5 mile ride on shared trail - Mostly flat, decomposed granite trail - All ages.
Free and open to the public. Parking is currently free at Zilker Park.

10/14/2026

ACL is over. Tens of thousands of people use park trails to gain entry into the festival grounds in Zilker Park. This year, we gave out hundreds of gallons of water to incoming festival goers and provided some minor first aid. Folks dressed in festival garb chose shoes (including mud boots) that cause blisters and we were happy to provide band-aids to them. We had fun people watching and helping people get into the gates safely.

https://www.austintexas.gov/parks/programs/park-rangers

10/09/2026

We took our new class of Park Ranger Cadets from Akins High School to explore the Austin Nature and Science Center in Zilker Park. Some of them had never been there while others had grown up at ANSC summer camps. They really liked the live animal exhibits and we couldn't get them out of the Dino Pit. A big part of our work is introducing the cadets to opportunities for natural resources careers in the Austin area. We walked with them from the cottage all the way across Zilker to the Nature Center. That was so they could be acquainted with Zilker Park, since some of them might end up working with us as interns next summer.

Have you ever been to the Austin Nature and Science Center? Click the link to learn more about the Austin Nature and Science Center.
https://www.austintexas.gov/parks/locations/austin-nature-and-science-center