Boerne's Cibolo Creek Trail Is Open This Fall. Its Shade Is the Slow Part.
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
The Cibolo Trail in downtown Boerne stayed open through the city's September creek cleanup. The trees along it are a different matter. The July 15 flood uprooted or badly damaged many large cypress trees and other species along Cibolo Creek. City staff have said replacing them will be planned over months, and in some places over years.
That makes this a strange fall for anyone who knows the creek walk well. The paths, piers and picnic spots came back quickly. The canopy will come back last. For the next few months, most of Boerne's tree and plant work is happening away from the creek, at the Cibolo Nature Center, Herff Farm, a natural area along the Old No. 9 Trail, and a new park on the north side of town.
Boerne Parks and Recreation set its first goal right after the flood, and Parks and Recreation Director Lissette Jimenez explained it in the city's September 16 update:
"The first priority following the flood was making sure we could safely reopen our parks and trails and restore access to these spaces for the community. Now we can turn our attention to the longer-term work, which will take place over several months, and requires caring for the creek corridor, removing trees that cannot be saved, and planning how we restore the areas that were most heavily impacted."
Boerne City Lake Park shows how fast that first phase went. On July 15, water covered the restroom building, the pavilion and the playground to a depth of five to six feet. It came within a short distance of the park entrance road. Crews cleared debris from the 150-acre park and reinstalled the floating boat ramp, which had broken loose. They also put in a new septic pump at the restrooms. The park reopened Saturday, August 1, just over two weeks after the flood, with all of its amenities back. That includes the fishing pier, frisbee golf, the walking trails, and kayak and paddleboard rentals from Hill Country Paddle Sports.
City Lake is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Boerne residents get in free with a lake pass, a current Boerne Utilities bill or a property tax receipt. Nonresidents pay $10 Monday through Thursday, $15 Friday through Sunday and $20 on holidays.
Downtown, the city's first assessment on July 17 found uprooted and damaged trees along the Cibolo Trail near Waterworks Terrace that would have to come out. The same report said River Road Park had only minor damage and "should be open by the weekend." We couldn't find a later notice confirming each downtown park by name. The September update does say the trail stayed open while heavy equipment cleared debris from the creek. That work was expected to take about seven to 10 days.
Before the flood, the San Antonio Report's Trailist column walked the whole Cibolo Creek Trail. It made the creek sound healthy even downtown, with native trees and shrubs along the banks. The route itself is the same 1.75 miles it was then.
The last stretch, from River Road Park to Main Plaza, runs right along the creek downtown. That's where the city says the work ahead is focused. Over the coming months, Parks and Recreation will assess the areas with the most tree loss, remove damaged trees, fill in soil disturbed by the flood and the cleanup, and set a replanting schedule for Cibolo Creek downtown. The city says it will pick tree species based on site conditions and long-term health. It hasn't published a planting date or a species list yet.
Assistant City Manager Kristy Stark described the timeline plainly. Recovery has meant looking at "what needed to happen immediately and what will be needed months and even years from now." A large cypress takes a long time to grow, so the shade along this part of the walk will be thinner for a while, even with every bench and pier open.
We didn't find any public volunteer event this fall for replanting along the creek itself. Meanwhile, the city, The Cibolo Center for Conservation and the Boerne chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas have filled October with native-plant work and time on trails nearby.
The Cibolo Nature Center's visitor page lists more than six miles of trails, including the ADA-accessible Marsh Loop boardwalk, open daily from dawn to dusk. We didn't find any report on whether the flood affected those trails, so check current conditions with The Cibolo if you're planning a longer walk.
The clearest sign of how Boerne plans to handle trees is on the north side, near Alder and Toepperwein roads. That's where Boerne Heritage Volkspark is under construction. City Council voted unanimously in June 2026 to rename the nearly 40-acre site, formerly Northside Community Park. The new name nods to the town's German roots and calls it the people's park.
The $17.25 million project is the largest parks investment the city has ever made, according to City Councilman Ty Wolosin. The plan keeps more than 96 percent of the existing trees, adds nearly 100 new ones, and leaves several acres untouched. Stormwater will run through bioretention areas and native plantings before it reaches the detention basins. The Native Plant Society's Boerne chapter will be able to use a 5,500-gallon rainwater tank near the food truck area to water nearby landscaping. The city says this is the first time features like these have gone into a public green space in Boerne or Kendall County. If you want a preview, look at the native-landscaped drainage strip in the Patrick Heath Public Library parking lot.
Phase one will include:
The city reported construction nearly 50 percent complete in mid-August, with a grand opening and dedication planned for spring 2027. That means the town's next big shaded walk should open while the downtown creek is still waiting on its replanting schedule.
For more about the town around the trail's Main Plaza end, see our recent look at how Boerne's Main Street filled in its morning-to-evening loop, or browse our Boerne neighborhood guide.
Mature oaks and cypress take decades to grow back, and that holds for private lots as much as for Cibolo Creek. If you've wondered how the trees on your own Boerne property figure into what it's worth, Sunrise Realty Group can help. Get your instant home valuation and talk with our team about the details a generic estimate misses.
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