For Agents Jeanne Parker and Julie Mack, Barton Creek Is What Keeps Austin Wild
by David Hay
October 2025
Barton Creek runs for 40 miles southwest of Austin before emptying into a widened section of the Colorado River known as Lady Bird Lake, right in the heart of the Texas capital. But just before it reaches its terminus, the creek passes through a series of pipes beneath another Austin landmark.
A three-acre pool fed by natural springs, Barton Springs is one of the most famous swimming meccas in the U.S., drawing aquatic enthusiasts from around the country (me included) to enjoy its wistful, bucolic charm, sheer size, and well-designed stone facilities. This is where you come to exercise and luxuriate in an abundance of pure, fresh water. (The late Robert Redford learned to swim here and maintained a keen interest in this natural treasure throughout his life.)
Although Jeanne Parker is a fourth-generation Austin resident, she has never swum Barton Springs (she insists it is too cold—often well below the purported year-round temperature of 70 degrees). But the veteran real estate professional and agent for Douglas Elliman is fully immersed in the vibrant residential market of the Barton Creek neighborhood just to the west.
As the cofounders and principals of the Jeanne and Julie Residential Group, Parker and her fellow Elliman agent Julie Mack have established themselves as specialists in this enclave of lush, wooded hills and parks that is home to some of Austin’s most iconic and luxurious homes.
What’s not to like about this mostly preserved piece of nature? With Austin still expanding, especially North Austin, the site of the city’s new bustling tech enterprises, Barton Creek and nearby Sunset Oaks promote a quieter, more family-friendly atmosphere—one very much in union with nature and a true rarity in our increasingly developed world. That includes the Barton Creek Country Club, with its four golf courses, each different from the other, including a links-style course designed by Austin native Ben Crenshaw.
Parker and Mack are focused now on two large, wooded properties that sit directly on Barton Creek. The one at 11949 Overlook Pass, asking $13.55 million, comprises 24 wooded acres of what you would call classic Texas Hill Country: it boasts of century-old live oaks, its own small creeks and ponds, all not far from the 4,000-acre Barton Creek Habitat Preserve.
“This is Hill Country outside your bedroom door,” says Mack, and she’s not exaggerating. It’s much more than a home: it’s a natural sanctuary, a rare private escape. The main house, almost 8,000 square feet with its six bedrooms, is perfect for a large or extended family. And the site—perfect for hiking, barbequing, and embracing nature—is truly a rare one.
Its proximity to the creek is a real find for the kinds of nature enthusiasts who live to paddle the waterway via kayak or canoe—or simply float via inner tube. Mack pointed me to LCRA Hydromet, the Lower Colorado River Authority’s system of more than 275 automated river and weather gauges throughout the lower Colorado River basin in Texas. It enables the paddlers and tubers to look at the differing water heights of the creek and estimate how long it will take to float down the creek from their starting point to their end point.
“We have been told it takes 12 hours to float from the house on Overlook Pass to Zilker Park at Barton Springs—minus an hour or so for wine and cheese!” says Mack. “There are rapids at 60 cubic feet per second, but 80 would be the best.”
The other hot property among the team’s listings is half a mile down the road at 11941 Overlook Pass, which is also directly on the creek. Completed in 2022, this eight-acre estate is an homage to Texas’s Spanish heritage, albeit cleverly adapted for the current century. The main house, 4,000 square feet with four bedrooms, is complemented by a well-appointed guest house and a separate bunkroom. A patio area touts “resort-style amenities” including a poolside pizza oven and “Barefoot Bar,” outfitted with a 36” Evo grill, rotisserie, fridge, and sink.
From here, you get to look over the hills and dense forest surrounding Barton Creek. After that you can step down to a dammed-off portion of the creek below, ideal for swimming—your very own Barton Springs. It’s a paddle boarder’s dream. Or really anyone looking for a break from the increasingly urban Austin life.
Parker and Mack are genuinely proud of Barton Creek and grateful for the community’s efforts to protect this natural wonder: a slice of Texas that was once endangered if not underappreciated. While I was preparing this story they showered me with newspaper stores of famous people who’d come here, the small children who’d explored the length of the creek in either kayaks or on paddle boards, the legions who’ve celebrated this still largely undiscovered “urban treasure.”
It made clear why they are so genuinely excited about the two homes on Overlook Pass. Both natural wonders. Both opportunities for an all-too-rare style of living. Both waiting for the right buyers to enjoy it all.
David Hay is a well-known architectural writer and playwright. His stories have been featured in The New York Times, Dwell and New York.
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