Mt. Bonnell has served as a popular attraction since the 1830s. Considered a more rural part of Austin then, picnics and outings were popular at the site, as well as entertainment, such as when Hazel Keyes, trailed by her monkey, slid down a cable stretched from the top of Mt. Bonnell to the south bank of the lake below in 1898. Today thousands of visitors ascend the 106 stone stairs to the summit to take in sweeping panoramic views of the lake, downtown, and the western hills of Austin.
