by JEN BIUNDO

Morgan Eason, wife of Buda Parks & Recreation Director Jake Eason, enjoys the waterworks at the new Stagecoach Park with her children Cali and Jaxon. (Photos by David White)

Running nearly two years behind schedule, Buda’s Stagecoach park is finally and officially open.

Originally scheduled for completion in May of 2008 – the first of five target opening dates – the 52-acre nature park nestled against Onion Creek was plagued by delays related to contractor issues, lawsuits and weather. City officials cut the ribbon on the park in December in conjunction with the Trail of Lights event, but Stagecoach remained closed for nearly three more months as the city completed work on the parking lot.
But as of last week, Stagecoach is officially online.

The gravel path running around the perimeter and the inside of the park is easily accesible to most everyone.

“It has been nothing but hip hip hooray that we finally got it open,” said Parks Director Jake Eason, who stepped into the position midway through the park development. “I’ve heard great feedback and how much people appreciate the trails and the openness and the attention to nature.”

Unlike more manicured parks with ball fields and paved basketball courts, the heavily wooded Stagecoach Park is a peaceful, rugged space to experience nature. The new park features lengthy hike and bike trails, a large fishing pond, a windmill attached to a splashing water cistern, a boy scouts fire pit and camping area, a pavilion and playscape.

Stagecoach Park is named for the stagecoach stop that sits in the front of the property, behind another historic home. Dating to the 1850s, the small stone building served as a rest stop for horse-drawn mail carriers between Austin and San Antonio.