Kerrville's River Trail Turns the Guadalupe Into a Front Porch

The Kerrville River Trail is the public edge of the Guadalupe. It is a 10-foot-wide concrete path built for walking and biking. Trailheads sit at Kerrville-Schreiner Park, G Street, Lehmann and Monroe Park, and Louise Hays Park. They also sit at Riverside Nature Center, Lowry Park, and the Dietert Center.

This was not a quick weekend project. The trail idea dates to the 1970s. Voters put bond money behind planning in 2002, and the master plan was finished in 2009. A segment from Riverside Nature Center to Tranquility Island was dedicated in 2012. Louise Hays Park to Kerrville-Schreiner Park followed in 2015, Lowry Park in 2016, Lowry Park to the Dietert Center in 2018, and the Schreiner University link in 2020.

The river still sets the terms. Much of the route sits in the floodplain, so high water can close pieces of it, and barricades go up when a section is unsafe. On a clear day, though, the path gives Kerrville its river-town rhythm: cypress shade, park lawns, bicycles, strollers, and a town arranged around the water rather than hiding from it.