Welcome to Mormon Mill Nature Park
The playscape of Mormon Mill Nature Park has standard playground equipment, like slides and swings, but it also has a rope net climbing feature and a unique set of gourd-shaped hideaways. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Mormon Mill Nature Park is the newest addition to the public park system of Marble Falls. The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 12-acre green getaway on May 1 amid a torrential downpour, but DailyTrib staff returned during clearer skies to inspect the unique outdoor space.
The new park lies at 2600 Parkview Drive, at the intersection of Parkview and Park Ridge Drive, about a quarter mile from its namesake Mormon Mill Road. It includes a large playground, a half-mile nature trail, bird watching stations, restrooms, a wetlands preserve, picnic areas, open fields, and untouched wild spaces. It was designed with nature, and meeting the wants of the community, in mind.
“I hope the park does exactly what we heard from citizens during the public meetings for the project — enhance people’s ability to enjoy the natural elements of the space while also adding convenient amenities and fun elements for kids,” said Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Director Lacey Dingman in a written response to questions from DailyTrib.com.
Dingman explained that the park had been in the works since at least 2016, with a solid vision forming between 2022 and 2024 as the city held community stakeholder meetings that informed the end-result design of the park.
“We received feedback through two dedicated public design meetings, surveys, Parks and Recreation Commission meetings, and additional joint Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council meetings,” Dingman said. “The community provided thoughtful input on everything from playground equipment and trail materials to parking and accessibility.”
In the end, the park was built for around $1.5 million, with $726,207 coming from a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant and the remainder coming from city funds.
The Playscape
While Mormon Mill Nature Park has a standard playground and swings, it also has other unique equipment.
The most striking feature of the park’s playscape is the cluster of large, green, gourd-shaped structures suspended above the ground. They are hollow and have ropes hanging from inside, offering a challenging climbing experience for kids.
Meadowlakes resident Corey Unrein was visiting the park with her young sons when DailyTrib visited on May 13. Her seven-year-old and two-year-old were hard at work, climbing in and out of the gourds on the day.
“We were really excited for another outdoor park and a new space for kids to play,” she told DailyTrib. “I think it’s great, it’s a different style of park than we have in Marble Falls. My kids love to climb and jump and this gives them ample opportunities to do that.”
There is also a large climbing net, artificial turf, and a series of platforms that emit different musical tones as they are stepped on.
Nature
The park sits on 12 acres, and most of that is undeveloped, but that means that there is an abundance of wildlife, wildflowers, and green space that are all relatively accessible to visitors.
Dingman said that one of her favorite aspects of the park was the half-mile walking trail system that blends in with the natural character of the land.
The partially-paved walking trail winds around a wide open patch of wetlands that was left intact throughout construction, with the intention of inviting birds and other animals to the site while retaining soil moisture for the landscape. It then weaves through a thicket of native trees, shrubs, and flowers before remerging on the other side of the park.
Informative signage lines the trail system, helping visitors identify birds, flowers, trees, and more that they may see on the jaunt.
