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.
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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...
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