HIGHEST -- Point in Austin TX: Mount Bonnell
Posted by: 
Tygress
N 30° 19.269 W 097° 46.407
14R E 617919 N 3355009
While parts of the Jollyville Plateau are about 300 feet higher, at 775 feet above sea level, the summit of Mt. Bonnell is the highest point in the historical AUSTIN city limits.
Waymark Code: WMA9NQ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/09/2010
Views: 22
Up, up, up 100 stone steps
Puff your way up for spectacular views
Up, up, up -- hey! Are we THERE yet???
That this spot tops Austin is common known news!
At 775 feet above sea level, the summit of Mt. Bonnell is generally credited with being the highest point in Austin. These days this would be the City of Austin, not the Austin Metro -- if you're a stickler for detail. In Travis County, it's the 2nd highest point -- the over 1100 feet summit of the Jollyville Plateau winning those laurels.
As Austin Explorer says ( (
visit link) ): "Mount Bonnell is generally considered the highest point in Austin at 775 feet, a fact which may or may not be true in the future as Austin expands in all directions." Certainly it was the highest point in the city when Frank Covert donated the property.
A popular picnic spot for millennia, reports of excursions date back to the mid 1800s. 100 stone steps lead the roughly 190 feet from parking [N 30 19' 16.12" W 097 46' 22.33"] to the summit pavilion. It's worth the huffing and puffing -- for the summit provides a nearly unparalleled vantage for viewing the city of Austin, Lake Austin, and the surrounding hills.
If you're a glutton for detail, rather than repeat myself here, I point you to Waymark WMA9NG under "Wikipedia Entries."