What Classen-Steubing Ranch Park's Construction Adds, and Which Trails It Leaves Alone

The fencing and equipment at Classen-Steubing Ranch Park, 20202 Hardy Oak Blvd., belong to a City of San Antonio contract worth up to $2,399,399. Most of that money goes to getting people into the park and moving them around once they're inside. On April 2, 2026, the City Council agenda described the work as three new parking areas, trees and irrigation, soccer-goal back screens, accessible walks, an overlook, and a water pollution abatement pond. Jerdon Enterprise, LLC submitted the lowest responsive bid out of six.

If you've been hoping for pickleball courts or a dog park, they aren't in this contract. What it pays for is less exciting and probably more useful day to day. It also explains why some trails are fenced off while others haven't changed at all.

The contract versus the wish list

The money comes from a $5,000,000 park item that voters approved in the May 7, 2022 bond election, plus $125,000 from the City's Tree Preservation Fund, for a total project budget of $5,125,000. Before anything went to bid, the City asked the public what to build first. In the City's 2023 survey, 186 respondents ranked 15 possible items. Shade over the Mitchell's Landing playground came in far ahead of everything else, with an average rank of 1.41. A new trailhead came in second at 5.69, and new parking third at 6.01.

Here's how those survey items line up with what is actually being built.

The playground shade was the top request, and it's already in place. A City project sheet dated June 12, 2025 lists the playground shade, playground infrastructure and the fence around the quarry area as complete. That same sheet listed sport courts as a possible bid alternate. The contract that went to council in April 2026 includes "Sport Court parking" as an alternate, which is parking near the sports court area. It does not include building the courts. The other two alternates are the overlook and parking at the front of the park.

Why so much of the budget is paving and a pond

Classen-Steubing exists because of water, and that shapes what it can become. In 2023, the San Antonio Report's Trailist column explained that the City bought the first 165 acres for $6.3 million in aquifer protection funds. It bought the remaining 39 acres for $3.8 million after voters approved them in the 2017 bond. The column describes land over sensitive Edwards Aquifer recharge areas and an earthen flood control dam on Mud Creek almost 2,000 feet long, built in 1982. Water held behind the dam soaks into the aquifer through cracks in the rock. From the park, you can also see the two big tanks at SAWS' Agua Vista Station across Hardy Oak Boulevard, where the Vista Ridge pipeline ends.

That background explains the pond. When the City put the project out to bid on October 10, 2025, it described the base work as a parking lot with a water pollution abatement pond, a walkway to the restroom, pavilion and play area, soccer-ball screens, and more walkways. In other words, the pond comes with the new pavement. On this land, adding parking also means adding a way to handle what runs off it.

The rest of the base work follows from that. The new parking is near the playground, and the paved walkways link it to the restroom and pavilion. Most of the 204 acres stays natural area. The construction is concentrated where cars and people already gather.

The park was built with separate trails for separate users

The construction affects some visitors and not others because of how the park was laid out from the start. When the first 44 acres opened in May 2023, the San Antonio Report listed a baseball field, two softball fields, two soccer fields, pavilions, restrooms, trails and parking. The Trailist column noted that hikers, runners and mountain bikers each have their own areas. The bike trailhead and its parking sit near the park entrance. The hiking-only trails start from the main lot by the sports fields.

Here are the trails on the City's Classen-Steubing trail map, last updated November 5, 2025:

• Classen-Steubing Ranch Park Trail, 1.00 mile, paved. The City says its paved trails meet ADA accessibility standards. Part of the loop around the open play fields is closed for construction.
• Ranch Loop, 0.76 mile, natural surface and hiking only. The Trailist called it the park's most scenic trail. It crosses an oak savannah and then loops through shaded woods. It is not on the closure list.
• Prickly Pear Loop, 0.34 mile, on the north side of the paved path. Closed for construction.
• Sotol Descent Trail, 0.55 mile. Closed for construction.
• Caracara Circuit and Karst Loop, the mountain bike singletrack along the property's northeastern edge. Volunteers with South Texas Off-Road Mountain Bikers, or STORM, built these trails under a formal trail-building agreement with the City. They are not on the closure list.

The closed trails are the short loops and the paved section near the fields and playground, which is where the new parking and walkways are going. The longest dirt hiking trail and the bike trails, which start from their own trailhead by the entrance, are on the parts of the park the contract doesn't list.

In 2023, the Trailist also described a route out of the park. The trails drop to the usually dry bed of Mud Creek and go through a gap in the fence into the southern end of Stone Oak Park. From there, a paved path runs 2.2 miles north under Evans Road and Stone Oak Parkway. That description is three years old, so check it in person before planning a long walk around it.

The October date on the closure notice

The City's park closures page was updated October 21, 2026. It lists Prickly Pear Path, Sotol Descent and part of the paved trail around the open play fields as "Closed through October 2026" for construction. October is now over, and that page hasn't posted a reopening or an extension. The parks department says its social media accounts have the latest closure information, so look at the SA Parks and Rec Facebook page before you head over expecting the full loop.

Expect some fencing to stay up after the trails reopen. The overall project runs longer than the trail closure, and the City's own documents disagree on the end date:

1. June 2025 project sheet: finish in December 2026.
2. April 2026 council memo: begin in Spring 2026 and finish by Spring 2027.
3. Current project page: construction from Spring 2026 to Winter 2027. The City defines Winter as January through March.

The two most recent documents both point to early to mid 2027. That is when the new parking lots, front-of-park parking and overlook should be ready to use. The project contact listed on the City's project page is Mark Wittlinger, (210) 207-2874.

While the work continues

The basic rules haven't changed. The City directory lists the park as open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, and alcohol is not allowed. The trail map allows pets on a leash. Bikes are not allowed on the two hiking-only trails off the main paved path. After rain, STORM's guidance for riders is to turn back if mud sticks to your tires and ride pavement until the dirt dries. The City's closures page adds that trails may be muddy or covered in debris after storms and that you should never cross a trail that is under water.

Mitchell's Landing, the inclusive pirate-themed playground, is still listed as an amenity, along with the ballfields, multipurpose field, picnic tables, restrooms and water fountain. Its shade, the top request in the survey, is already finished. The next things on this side of the park are the parking spaces and walkways that make it easier to reach.

Most of my work in Stone Oak involves helping people figure out what's changing near home, and a new parking lot or overlook at a park down the street counts. If you're curious about other public projects near your street, or want to talk through what they could mean for your home down the road, JoHelen Clark is glad to talk. Let's Connect.