The starting point for our hike was under the MoPac bridge on the southern side of Lady Bird Lake. I've started doing the Ann & Roy Butler hike-n-bike trail on the south side of the lake, starting E of I-35 at the Roy G Guerrero Park. To report E Scooters, call 3-1-1 and submit info here. When you have eliminated the JavaScript , whatever remains must be an empty page. A memorial at Auditorium Shores honors the late bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan. Lady Bird Lake's trail does provide a few feeder trails that are ripe for exploration. If you're looking for pleasant, mostly flat, walk with several excellent views of downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake, then Lady Bird Lake may fit the bill. (Photo by, Topo maps provided by MyTopo.com (buy now! Trail is still the same great trail no matter what the name. Just learned they changed the name of the lake from Town Lake to Lady Bird Johnson Lake. From MoPac, take the Bee Caves Road exit (Hwy 2244). Copy link You can gaze at the downtown skyline from a series of photogenic boardwalks on this scenic 10-mile trail, which loops around Lady Bird Lake. I-35 contains a separated pedestrian crossing which gets you back to the north side of Lady Bird Lake. The Trail is … Floods, common in the Hill Country at that time, regularly swept trees and brush away. This tower was used as part of an effort to quarry clay from the Zilker Park area. Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. A prized feature of the Austin landscape, this paved trail features phenomenal views of the lake and the downtown skyline. It will result in a plan for conserving natural spaces while offering the highest quality visitor experience on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. at this spot, in case you're thirsty. Shorten the loop by crossing the lake on one of several bridges. No guide to hiking in Austin would be complete without featuring the incredible 10-mile hike-and-bike trail on Lady Bird Lake! You can see the construction going on at the waypoint marked, "New Bridge". There's also a water fountain Enter through the arches of the Mexican American Cultural Center to join the Ann & Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. is ample parking around and under MoPac bridge and this is right next to the hike and bike trail. Enable JavaScript to see Google Maps. ). The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail has been nominated as Best Recreational Trail in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel awards! Now the trail heads west and we're back to trees and grass and not cars and streets. The trail becomes more tree-covered from this point through the waypoint marked, "Lou Neff Point". The trail on the other side of Congress is less used and will eventually run into an apartment complex at the point marked, "Trail End". clay from the southern shore of the Colorado river. used to have sidewalks for pedestrians, but several accidents caused the sidewalks to be closed and a new pedestrian bridge being built. On November 3, 2011, the Austin City Council, in recognition of Roy Butler's civil service and contributions to the community and City of Austin, including the revitalization and improvement of Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake), approved a resolution naming the "hike and bike trail" surrounding Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin as the "Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail." Take a U-turn at the light and head back towards Zilker Park. The High Line - New York. This section of the trail is less used and provides a bit more peace and quiet than further west. The second indicates that on that spot, the first use of Barbed Wire took place. Seeing more than 2.6 million visitors per year, the 10-mile Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail is recognized as one of Austin’s most popular recreational areas, and with the Boardwalk extension, which closed the 1.3-mile gap in the trail near I-35, the trail facilitates safe and continued access to those sections east of the Interstate. And if you're a woman hiking alone, those crowds do represent safety, so that's a plus as well. View All Photos, started out early, problem is most of the bikers do not tell you they are coming up on a walker, .. and still dog owners let their dogs crap and not pick it up. Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake is ranked #6 out of 21 things to do in Austin. This is the only tower remaining of three originally built and was in use from 1902 - 1942. Make a onto the trail to head west towards the Congress Bridge. Lady Bird Lake cuts through the heart of downtown Austin. The … On a few occassions you can see the soccer fields to the right. But the trail is REALLY popular, to a degree that can be rather off-putting. The waypoint "Clay Tower" marks the point of a large concrete and iron structure that was used to ferry By this point, the hike is all but over. 10 miles of trails border Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin and serve as a social hub for runners, walkers and cyclists. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, formerly the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail, creates a complete circuit around Lady Bird Lake. A memorial at Auditorium Shores honors the late bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan. Upon passing the Zilker Botanical Garden on the left take the next left. The trail is easy, mostly granite gravel with a few paved parts. Town Lake was renamed … SmartTripsAustin.org Turn-by-Turn Directions From Mexican American Cultural Center 1. Is the Hike and Bike Trail open? All that remains is to cross Town Lake on the pedestrian bridge under MoPac and the circle is complete. This has a couple of advantages: (1) It's a heck of a lot less crowded than the main stretch of the trail, east of Mopac, with a somewhat more chill vibe. The solution: a stroll along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk, which hugs the south shore of downtown-adjacent Lady Bird Lake for 10 miles. When approaching congested areas, please slow down. Start at Auditorium Shores ARBOR DAY TREE BIKE TOUR 2017 Head West on the Ann & Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail Left on the Ann & Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail through Butler Shores at Town Lake Continue on Ann & Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail across Toomey Rd Turn Right on Barton Springs Rd and stop at the pedestrian light to cross the road Quick Facts About the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail: Access: The trail can be accessed at several points – the northeast corner of the American-Statesman parking lot, off the Riverside Drive sidewalk at Blunn Creek, from the northeast corner of the Riverside and IH35 intersection and at International Shores Park (1820 S. Lakeshore Boulevard) Getting there: We're describing a way to get to the parking under the MoPac bridge here because at the time of the hike all of the parking around Auditorium Shores were taken up by construction. When planning your own trip, you may want to note that the boardwalk portion doesn’t open until 5 a.m. (and closes at midnight). Map of Austin’s Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake I don’t discriminate when it comes to the time of day that I bike the trail. View photos of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail on TrailLink. 7. Not a lot of shade, but for an after-work walk, that's not so important. The new boardwalk was not open yet when I did my 2014 loop (that was in February), but I read online it will be open June 2014. There are some good views here, a water fountain and strip of waterfront just to the south where people like to feed the ducks. Only showing last 10 log entries. All pets must be on a leash 6 feet or less in length, I love this trail; it was the first I hiked when I came to Austin back in 2002 and it's always nice to come back, even just for a short section, either for a run or a ride or a walk! The first is an indication that on that spot the 5th military district was headquartered after the Civil War. Lady Bird Lake has not always been a recreational site. We're showing you almost the complete trail here, including the lesser used portions of the trail to the east of Congress Avenue. Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail - Austin. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake is one of the most visited and beloved spaces in the Austin area – it truly is the heart of the city! It's not the end of our hike though, as we work our way towards Riverside Drive and continue to head east to I-35. Needless to say, this isn't a place to go for solitude, but I like it because it's fun to see everyone out enjoying the area differently (walking, running/jogging, biking, boating). Cookies are used for measurement, ads and optimization. You can get an ~4-mile walk between Guerrero Park and East Bouldin Creek, including some really nice lake and city views. 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