Austin's Last Cool Weekend Before 88° Returns Monday

It's 75°F in Austin this morning, the sky is clear, and the forecast says that doesn't last: the cool front camped over the city since midweek breaks Monday, when highs jump back to 88°F. According to ATX Things analysis of this morning's Open-Meteo forecast data for Austin, Texas, Saturday and Sunday are the last genuinely comfortable outdoor days on the books — and the Barton Creek Greenbelt's dry creek bed makes this the weekend to hike it, not swim it.

What the weather is actually doing

Open-Meteo's Austin, Texas station read 74.8°F at 7 a.m. Saturday, feeling like 82°F with the humidity. Today tops out at a mild 79.3°F with a low tonight of 73.4°F — a solid 10 degrees under where Austin sat most of September. Sunday holds at 78.2°F. Then the front lifts: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all carry forecast highs of 88–89°F, close to 15 degrees warmer than today. There's a modest 27% chance of a pop-up shower this afternoon and 17% tomorrow, heaviest in the midday-to-evening window — not enough to call off a hike, but worth a light rain layer if you're out past 2 p.m.

Why the Greenbelt is for hiking right now, not swimming

Check the creek before you check the trailhead. As of this morning, the three U.S. Geological Survey gauges that track Barton Creek through the Greenbelt are reading essentially dry: 1.08 cubic feet per second at Lost Creek, and 0.00 cfs at both the Loop 360 and Above Barton Springs gauges. That's not a drought emergency — Wikipedia's own entry on the Greenbelt notes the creek bed "actively flows only 1 to 2 months out of the year," and October is squarely in its quiet season. It does mean the swimming holes everyone asks about — Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls, Gus Fruh — are standing pools at best, not the flowing, jump-off-the-rocks Greenbelt of a wet spring.

What a dry creek bed is genuinely good for is walking it. The limestone creek bottom that turns to a slog in wet months is firm and dusty right now, and the shaded canopy over most of the trail keeps the 79° high from ever feeling like work. We flagged the Greenbelt running dry back in July, during <a href="https://austintexasthings.com/article/barton-creek-greenbelt-dry-where-to-swim-austin-heat-wave">that week's heat wave</a> — the creek hasn't changed since then. What's changed is the air: it's finally comfortable enough to actually hike it.

The hike: Barton Creek Greenbelt, Zilker to the Hill of Life

The Greenbelt runs 7.25 miles from the Zilker Park trailhead west to the Lost Creek neighborhood, managed by Austin Parks and Recreation since the land was set aside in 1974. It splits into three stretches — Barton Creek Wilderness Park, the Upper Greenbelt and the Lower Greenbelt — and the trail parallels the creek for the first 6.5 miles before climbing a steep, shadeless 0.75-mile push locals call the Hill of Life. Most people don't walk the whole thing in one go; the park has seven marked trailheads, and an out-and-back from any one of them is the normal move.

4.7★ from 4,517 Google reviews (as of today). One hiker, Keyon Sherman, put it simply in a recent review: "I went on a weekend morning to get a few miles in and spend some time outside without leaving town. The trail had a nice mix of shade, rocky stretches, and creekside areas, with limestone walls that make it feel tucked away from the city. It was busy." That last word is the actual tip: Greenbelt parking lots, especially Spyglass and the Zilker trailhead, fill by mid-morning on a cool, clear Saturday. Get there before 9.

If you want a quieter trail: St. Edward's Greenbelt

Up in Northwest Austin, this 80-acre, dog-friendly park trades the Greenbelt's limestone canyons for small waterfalls and ponds, and it draws a noticeably thinner crowd. It's rated 4.5★ from 1,181 Google reviews as of today. "The parking lot can come up quickly so make sure you don't miss it," one recent reviewer, Samantha Rivera, wrote. "The trails range from easy to more of a workout if you decide to cross the creek and go up the hill." Same advice applies: arrive early, and know before you go whether you want the easy loop or the climb. This is the same park where we <a href="https://austintexasthings.com/article/st-edwards-park-austin-hidden-swimming-hole">covered the rope-swing swimming hole</a> back in August — today's angle is the trail, not the water.

Want actual water instead? Barton Springs Pool doesn't care about the creek

Barton Springs Pool is spring-fed, not creek-fed, so the Greenbelt's dry gauges don't touch it — it holds a cool 68–70°F year-round regardless of what Barton Creek is doing upstream. Confirmed hours today, direct from the <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/services/visit-barton-springs-pool">City of Austin's own visitor page</a>: open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with guarded swim starting at 8 a.m. Admission is $5 for Austin-resident adults, $9 for non-residents, $2/$4 for kids 1–11, and free for honorably discharged veterans — current pricing checked this morning. It's rated 4.6★ from 10,946 Google reviews. We wrote a full guide to admission, crowds and the pool's reopening rules <a href="https://austintexasthings.com/article/inside-barton-springs-pools-2026-reopening-new-admission-fees-local-swim-secrets-how-to-beat-the-crowds">here&lt;/a> if you want the deeper playbook. If Barton Springs is too crowded for your taste, <a href="https://austintexasthings.com/article/reimers-ranch-park-austin-swimming-hole-alternative">Reimers Ranch on the Pedernales</a> is this desk's standing alternative for an actual swim this weekend.

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"I love this spot. The parking lot can come up quickly so make sure you don't miss it." — one Google reviewer, St. Edward's Greenbelt

What else is on today

If a full hike isn't the plan, Austin's own Oktoberfest-style beer garden, AustOberfest, runs today at Scholz Garten downtown from noon to 10 p.m. — sausage, polka, and indoor bowling lanes if that 27% shower chance turns real. It's a separate event from the St. Elmo/Bangers Oktoberfest weekend we covered in late September, so it's new ground for this desk.

What locals should know

• The creek is dry, and that's normal for October — not a story on its own, but it means hike, don't plan a swim-hole trip.
• Barton Springs Pool is unaffected — it's spring water, not creek water, and it's open full hours today.
• Arrive before 9 a.m. at any Greenbelt trailhead if you want an actual parking spot.
• Heat returns Monday — 88–89°F highs hold Monday through Wednesday, roughly 10 degrees above this weekend.
• Download a trail map first — Greenbelt markings thin out past the first mile or two.

FAQ

Is the Barton Creek Greenbelt flowing right now? No. USGS gauges read 0.00 cfs at the Loop 360 and Above Barton Springs stations and 1.08 cfs at Lost Creek as of this morning (Oct. 3, 2026) — see the live readings at <a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/USGS-08155300/">USGS's Loop 360 gauge page</a>. The creek bed is normally dry most months; it typically flows for only 1–2 months a year, per the Greenbelt's own <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_Creek_Greenbelt">park history</a>.

Is Barton Springs Pool open today? Yes, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. with guarded swim from 8 a.m., per the City of Austin's official hours. The only short day is Thursday, when it closes 9 a.m.–7 p.m. for cleaning.

When does the heat come back? Forecast highs jump to 88°F Monday and hold in the high 80s through Wednesday, per Open-Meteo's Austin forecast pulled this morning.

Is the Greenbelt hard to hike? It varies by stretch — mostly shaded and moderate along the creek, with one genuinely steep, exposed 0.75-mile climb (the Hill of Life) near the Lost Creek end. Most hikers do an out-and-back from one of the seven marked trailheads rather than the full 7.25 miles.

Where should I park? Spyglass and the Zilker Park trailhead are the two most-used access points and fill first on a nice Saturday — arrive before 9 a.m., or expect to park on the street.