Winding through trees, bridges and more along the shores of the Colorado River, the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail (formerly called Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail) stretches from the Tom Miller Dam on the West side to the Longhorn Dam on the East. The trail's 10.1 miles are some of the most popular in all of Austin. It is great for all sorts of outdoor activity including walking, jogging, biking, and kayaking on the water.
A host of all athletic levels commingle peacefully along the mostly crushed granite trail. Only 2.5% of the Hike and Bike trail has more than an 8% grade so it is flat enough for beginners but long enough to challenge the most frequent runners. There are many access points and bridges along the trail, including the famous Congress Avenue Bridge, home to the Congress Bridge Bats. This allows you to easily vary the lengths of your run and get a change of scenery by trying the other side of Town Lake or starting a different point. Be aware that the trail breaks, connecting via city sidewalks on the South shore of Town Lake on either side of IH 35.
Along the trail are several mile markers. The 0 mile marker is located between South 1st Bridge and the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. And along with these mile markers, there are many Austin attractions along and near the Town Lake trail. Among these are Zilker Park, Capital Cruises Kayaks Rentals and Bat Watching Tours, Austin Rowing Dock, Barton Springs, Auditorium Shores, Austin High School (with tennis courts), Deep Eddy pool, Eilers Park, Downtown YMCA, Fiesta Gardens and Festival Beach. The trail also connects to many other hike and bike trails both North and South of Town Lake.
It is hard to believe that you are just seconds from the downtown of a large, vibrant city like Austin while you are enjoying Town Lake and the natural beauty of the outdoors. And this beauty can be enjoyed practically year round because of Austin's mild climate and sunny skies.
View the skyline from the walking path.
Cool Things To Do on Lady Bird Lake
Capital Cruises Bat Watching Tours Capital Cruises Austin is home of the Largest Electric Paddle Wheel Boat in the Country and the now famous Sunset Bat Watching excursion. This tour fills up nearly every night during bat season some times a few days in advance. Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for kids. You need to arrive about 30 minutes before sunset for this one and buying tickets in advance is frequently required.
Live Love Paddle Congress Bridge Bat Watching Tours Paddle a kayak to see and learn about one of the World's Largest Urban Bat Colonies in Austin Texas! We will meet up at our office in the AMLI South Shore apartments on Lady Bird Lake and then kayak up the lake to see the bats at the Congress Avenue Bridge. Live Love Paddle is the only company in Austin that does this in kayaks! Prices are $45 per person.
Arriving in Austin during covid, Wonderspaces offers 28,000 square feet of art installations to dazzle every corner of your mind, like Hoshi By NONOTAK Studio (pictured above.) An exquisite fun hou...
October is here and locals and visitors alike will enjoy the dark, spooky style of Haunted ATX hearse limo and van tours. One of the more unique experiences in Austin that is seriously keeping Aust...
There are two large river boat operations on Lady Bird Lake that are super packed during warmer months taking people on bat watching tours. When they bats leave, they still offer great sunset, sigh...
One of the first tours to show visitors around town and the only land and water tour available, Austin Duck Adventures is one of the most popular tours in town. The tour starts at the Austin Visito...
Located downtown next to the Austin Visitor Center, this is the #1 escape room in Austin. You and your friends will work together to find clues and overcome challenges to ultimately complete a miss...
Do you believe in furry tails? Indulge your kitty fix or adopt your new family member with a visit to the newest, coolest, chic lounge in Austin...Purrfecto. This is the only cat lounge in Austin a...
A uniquely Austin activity that usually takes about an hour, visiting the Texas State Capitol is both enjoyable and educational. Who knows, you might get lucky and bump into Alex Jones protesting a...
One of the most exotic Austin things to do, Unchartered Adventures features a variety of high octane activities. Originally they featured a Rage Room full of breakables, suited up guests in protect...
Everybody has a friend that claims their city has the most restaurants per capita. You hear that from Austin locals all the time. While it may not offer the most restaurants per capita, it's defini...
Fed up you can't help stop the drug war? Every time you shut down a lab, another pops right up. Do your part with Paniq Room's Cartel Crackdown. They also feature rooms called Isane Asylum, Wizard ...
