Hiking Gus Fruh in Austin With Kids is the Best

Gus Fruh (pronounced “froo”) Trailhead on the Barton Creek Greenbelt is by far the best spot to climb rocks in Austin with kids. There are giant boulder along the shady trail that kids of all ages will love to climb.

Gus Fruh is The Best Spot To Climb Rocks in Austin With Kids

When you start off this greenbelt trail at the trailhead shown above, there is a short, easy path that leads down to the riverbed. It will eventually fork, but both ways end up at the same place. The path on the right is flat and smooth, sort of like a ramp. The left (or straight ahead) path is rockier and more like stairs. Either way, you will end up at the riverbed. In some years, there will be plenty of water to play in and even a rope swing! We went recently and it was completely dry.

Gus Fruh is The Best Spot To Climb Rocks in Austin With Kids

We crossed the riverbed and went up the stairs over to the Gus Fruh Trail. This side is very shady and you will most likely see people with official mountain climbing gear trying to scale the rock walls over here. There are plenty of giant boulders our kids love to climb in this area.

When the water level is high and the creek is flowing, you might see people jumping off the rope swing here. Here’s what it looks like when the water is high enough to jump into:

Make sure you wear water hiking shoes as the ground is very rocky and can hurt if you land on some rocks. Make sure you always check your surroundings for snakes and poison ivy as well!

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