Phil Hardberger Park, San Antonio - Great Trails & Unique Land Bridge

San Antonio has so many inviting green spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy. That’s one of the great things about this beautiful city. Phil Hardberger Park, on the city’s east side near the airport, is a wonderful space with much to offer. Besides being a lovely place to walk or ride a bike, it’s got some unique features you won’t find elsewhere — like a land bridge over a busy 6-lane roadway that connects two sections of the park and was designed to help wildlife avoid calamitous crashes with vehicles. It also has a SkyWalk, an elevated walkway — that takes pedestrians up to eye-level with tree canopies — and will rise to the level of the land bridge. If you live in the area or are visiting, do yourself a favor and enjoy the beauty that awaits at Hardberger Park.

A couple walks along a dirt trail at Hardberger Park. — **The trails at Hardberger Park are mostly flat and perfect for walking or pushing a stroller.**

Contents

Admission

FREE 😃
Your leashed dog is welcome to join you. 🐶

A dirt trail leads through vegetation over a highway at Hardberger Park. — **A dirt trail leads walkers on a land bridge that spans Wurzbach Parkway; a white truck can be seen on the road below (on the right).**

A wildlife blind at Hardberger Park has decorative cutouts on its metal walls. — **This structure along the land bridge serves double duty: a wildlife blind and a public art installation.**

What You’ll Find at Phil Hardberger Park

two main entrances: the west entrance is on NW Military Highway; the east entrance is on Blanco Road.
a unique land bridge spanning Wurzbach Parkway. Opened in December 2020, the 150-foot land bridge can be reached along trails from either the west or east park entrances. One goal of building the land bridge was to reduce the number of vehicle/wildlife crashes. It is the largest wildlife crossing in the U.S. at the time of its construction. Cyclists must walk their bikes across the bridge.
a SkyWalk allows visitors to stroll along the elevated walkway, near the treetops, to the top of the land bridge.
public art installations, including 2 wildlife blinds on the land bridge that are visual treats; the sun shining through the decorative openings projects lovely images on the surrounding ground.
an overlook above Salado Creek (east end of the park).
a bird water feature that enables visitors to peer at birds visiting a rock water feature (east end of the park) without scaring them away.
well-maintained, well-marked mostly flat trails gently curling around trees and other vegetation. The trails are packed earth, pavement, or finely crushed stone ranging from .3 miles to 1.78 miles each.
playgrounds and picnic areas with tables and firepits/grills by each parking lot.
basketball courts and open fields for recreation near the west entrance
dog parks by each entrance.
restrooms by each entrance.
facilities for community education, including the Voelcker Homestead.

A view of an elevated skywalk that takes walkers above a park to the level of treetops. — **Walking along the SkyWalk at Hardberger Park takes you to the level of some tree tops. You can access the SkyWalk from trails from the west and east park entrances.**

A dirt trail splits into two sections in Hardberger Park. — **As you approach the land bridge along a trail from the west park entrance (from NW Military Highway), you can continue straight ahead over the land bridge or walk along the SkyWalk trail to the right.**

A sign leads pedestrians to the Skywalk at Hardberger Park. — **This is the entrance to the SkyWalk from a trail closer to the east park entrance (from Blanco Road).**

An outdoor playground with blue play structures sit under a pergola. — **This playground is near the park’s west entrance; there’s another playground by the east entrance.**

Location

There are two entrances to the park (as this park was divided by a roadway). The land bridge over Wurzbach Parkway joins the two park sections, so there is a west entrance and an east entrance. Check out the park map (below) for what you will find in each park section.

West entrance: 8400 NW Military Highway, San Antonio, TX 78231

East entrance: 13203 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78216

A person walks along Earth Trail at Hardberger Park. — **The trails gently meander around trees and vegetation and offer a balance of sunny and shady spots.**

Hardberger Park Map

A map shows the trails and amenities at Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio, Texas. — **Phil Hardberger Park**

Tips for Your Visit

The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
Arrive early on the weekends to beat the crowds. Fewer people make your time there more enjoyable.
Wear sunscreen and bug spray.
Wear comfortable walking shoes and a hat (for protection from the sun).
Using the All Trails app (free) can help while hiking. I use it to help me figure out how far along I am on a trail and where I am relative to other trails.
Bring water (and maybe snacks, too). There are no concession stands.
Restrooms, picnic tables, and playgrounds are near each entrance. There are no facilities on the trails.
Stay on the trails whether you’re walking or riding a bike.
Walk your bike over the land bridge and skywalk.
No glass containers or alcohol are allowed.

A cut-out in a bird blind shows a rocky structure for birds to drink water. — **Peeking through the bird blind allows visitors to watch birds gather to drink water undisturbed.**

A deer stands along a wooded trail in Hardberger Park. — **A deer enjoys the trails as much as humans do.**

Brief History of Phil Hardberger Park

The park’s land was originally a dairy farm owned by the Voelcker family. (Their homestead is still standing and is open to the public for special events.) The city purchased the property in 2007. The park is named after Phil Hardberger, the San Antonio mayor from 2005-2009, who spearheaded efforts to build the land bridge after the city acquired the land.

An area along the Water Trail at Hardberger Park has benches for resting under a tree's large canopy. — **There are places to rest along the trails — like this one shaded by the nearby tree canopy.**

Nearby Attractions

Hardberger Park is a beautiful park with many amenities. However, there are plenty of other parks and greenways to enjoy in San Antonio. Consider some great nearby parks and downtown San Antonio. So many choices!

Comanche Lookout Park

Comanche Lookout Park is a 96-acre, dog-friendly park with historical roots and about five miles of hiking, walking, running, and biking trails that wind up and around a hill. Atop the hill is a 30-foot-high medieval-style stone tower built in the 1920s and some interesting public art installations that honor the native people who lived on the land thousands of years ago.

Eisenhower Park

Eisenhower Park is 9 miles away and has a variety of paved and unpaved trails through the Texas landscape — you’ve got plenty of walking/hiking options. Plus, there’s an observation tower to climb and gain great views of the surrounding Texas Hill Country.

A wooden observation tower sits along a park trail. — **The observation tower at Eisenhower Park**

Friedrich Wilderness Park

Friedrich Wilderness Park is 14 miles away and offers plenty of walking and hiking trails — choose mostly flat trails or more challenging ones with rocky and hilly terrain. What sets this park apart is that it’s a nature preserve dedicated to conservation and providing sanctuary to endangered species. You’ll find lots of natural, wild Texas landscapes here.

Government Canyon State Natural Area

With over 40 miles of hiking and biking trails, Government Canyon State Natural Area has lots of natural Texas landscape to trek through along with dinosaur tracks dating to over 110 million years ago. There are plenty of trail options that offer varying ability levels.

A small brown sign with an image of a dinosaur footprint indicates there is one more mile along the trail until hikers reach the dinosaur tracks. — **Only one mile to go to get to the dinosaur tracks at Government Canyon State Natural Area!**

Downtown San Antonio

Head downtown for some more fun exploring! Consider the River Walk, The Pearl, the Alamo, the other Spanish missions from the 1700s, the museums, the botanical garden, and the other great parks. Use this guide to help plan your time in San Antonio.

A picture of the exterior of the church at Mission Espada in San Antonio, Texas. — Visiting the San Antonio missions provides an interesting perspective on the lives of the Spanish missionaries and the native folks in the 1700s. This is Mission Espada. A great little visitor center includes artifacts and handwritten notes about life in the mission school by some of its past students.

Final Thoughts

Hardberger Park is unique in its design, with the land bridge spanning two park sections. Its abundance of amenities makes it the perfect place to spend a few hours in the great outdoors. I especially enjoyed some of the other special parts of the park, including the bird blind (by the east entrance) and the public art along the land bridge. I’m used to hiking through parks and enjoying the natural scenery. Hardberger has plenty of that, plus other visual amusements for visitors. There was definitely a lot of thought and planning that went into developing this park. And there are a lot of thankful folks who appreciate those efforts while spending time at this delightful spot in San Antonio.

A screenshot of an All Trails app map shows a location in Hardberger Park. — This screenshot of my All Trails app (free) shows my location while walking through the park. I use this app on almost every hiking outing. It sometimes helps me decide whether to add another trail to my hike!

Comments?

Please share your experiences and/or suggestions for fun outdoor spaces in San Antonio. Your ideas could be helpful to other travelers. Thanks! 🙂

Lauren

May 12, 2023 at 6:08 pm

My kids like to go here to play then eat dinner at El Mirasol or Blanco BBQ.