Rick from Best Hike was recently in San Antonio, Texas, and did himself a little urban hiking on the city’s famous River Walk.

San Antonio by JarkkoS.

Despite looking like just a fancier version of one of those fake lazy-river urban faux villages, the River Walk actually has a pretty interesting history. Around the same time the Army Corps of Engineers was gleefully getting ready to pour concrete over the Los Angeles River, groups in Texas were aiming to pave over the San Antonio River in the name of “flood control.”

A lone developer held out, proposing a plan that would provide flood control, but leave the river open to the city’s residents in a new shopping and walking district. He eventually won, using a grant from the WPA in ’39 to get the ball rolling. Here in L.A., we’re getting ready to spend $5 billion and 20 years to fix our former mistake.

Are there any other urban hiking or walking routes you’re particularly fond of? When I lived in Boston, I’d walk the Freedom Trail on a regular basis. It was completely different than hitting the trails in the San Gabriels, but wholly satisfying in its own way.

Tags: Boston Freedom Trail, L.A. River Revitalization, San Antonio River Walk, urban hiking