Mountain View Park in Spicewood Springs (northwest Austin)

About 1.5 miles from Northwest Balcones Park and Tanglewood Park is Mountain View Park, part of the upper Bull Creek area. This too is a City of Austin park that services the surrounding neighborhoods, but Mountain View is a couple of 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.  I imagine at one time, this spot would have been gorgeous without residential development nearby, but at least the visible homes are nice.

Though the park has large trees, there really is not shade where it is needed (for the kids), directly over the playscapes.  That said though, 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.)  All of the play structures are together except for the swings for older kids, which is separated from the rest of the playground.  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 sporting fields and courts are furthest 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 was clean and well maintained.  

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

 

 

 

 

Related posts:

1. Oakview Neighborhood Park (northwest Austin)
2. Northwest Balcones Park review
3. Tanglewood Park (northwest Austin)
4. Schroeter Park (northwest Austin)
5. Robinson Playground Park (northwest Austin)