Lady Bird Lake

Two words: Absolutely beautiful.
Great for hiking, bike riding, running/​jogging, sightseeing, SUP, kayaking, canoeing, picnicking, and much more!

Perfect place to run, walk, bike, or even get in the lake to kayak, water bike, etc.
I personally always run, it’s beautiful, about 6 miles total if you run from the Driskill Hotel, do the whole lake loop, then back to the hotel. There is also a shorter loop that ends up at around 4miles.
Pretty view and nothing beats an outdoor workout… now, go!

Getting up and going for a run in the morning can be a dreary thing sometimes. It’s just as much of a workout to get out the door than it is to actually run. The resistance doesn’t come as often when I’ve got new terrain to explore, in this case it was Lady Bird Lake Park.
I’m not sure which entrance Unilocal would take you too, I entered the name of the park in Google Maps and ended up on a side street right next to the entrance of the power plant. Just a head’s up if you look closely there is a small foot path entrance next to that. Google didn’t do you wrong, it’s there. There is free street parking on the residential street too.
Lady Bird Lake Park is gorgeous. I ran on north side of the lake that resembles a river as far as I’m concerned, on a mostly dirt path, paved in spots here and there. In some parts I was under big wispy trees and other running through small fields. Under big cement bridges for cars and over and along small pedestrian bridges that bring me back to my childhood in the woods. The lake changes it looks depending on where your view is from creek, to river, to lake. Whatever it really is, people even get out there with paddles (paddle-​board, kayak, canoe, whatever). I even saw a place you can row in a static position on a deck overlooking the water (I suppose you can pretend you’re on the water and its lower impact than the real deal?) The edges of the river lake bed weave in and out, from crisp to completely unclear while the dirt runs right into the water, leaving you perplexed in some parts as to where the creek (or is it a river?) begins and the dirt ends.
There are a few docks where the line is clear, you can back your truck or boat trailer up and drop your kayaks, paddleboards or whatever it is you’re planning to steer.
Obviously this park was exciting, entertaining, scenic and fun. I would highly recommend it for a short 5-​Mile run.

Dont get confused with the picture. There is nothing to view

Lady bird lake is one of Austin’s best assets. Noting beats an urban lake! Day or night, it’s beautiful. There are some parts of the trail that get pretty congested. Word to the wise: no NOT text and walk/​run/​bike. Pay attention, please.

Just went kayaking for the first time down Lady Bird Lake! Awesome day outside. 2 hrs of kayaking done. Ready for some good Austin food!

This is one of my favorite things about Austin! You have a city feel and college down mixed with outdoorsy fun! You can kayak or water bike at the lake. Maybe go for a run or walk along the lake. Site see and snap some photos. If you’re an early riser, come see the sunrise! Or maybe you want to see the bats fly out from under the bridge! People line up around the bridge but you’d have a better view if you’re on a boat tour!
A trip to Austin isn’t complete without coming here!

We Austinites are so lucky to have such a big, beautiful lake circled by fantastic walking/​biking/​running trails. It’s the perfect place to reset, reflect, etc…
Today I needed to go on a long walk, so I grabbed my best buddy, and we walked a pretty big chunk of the trail including the new Boardwalk. As usual, I had a great experience, and was blown away by the beauty of our city. Lemme tell ya, Austin was looking mighty fine on this gorgeous Spring day.
I wish someone would direct me to some maps where I could easily navigate the best 3k loop on the Eastern portion of the trail without having to cross 35.

Phenomenal, nice and long biking route along the water, beautiful with tons of scenery, wildlife and fit people.

One of the best places to visit in Austin! If you want to get things verbing, it’s a great place for biking, hiking, walking, running, rowing, sightseeing… it’s an endless list of things to do.
The best place to find parking for me is at Stephen F. Austin High School. There is plenty of free parking here, and you can hop onto the trail immediately.
Stephen F. Austin HS
1715 W Cesar Chavez St
Austin, TX 78 703
The length of the trail is 10.1 miles (according to Wiki), if a person were to loop the entire trail, it would be 20 miles easy. Have a great time enjoying the great urban outdoors!

It always seemed more of a river to me than a lake, but if I say that in front of any native Austinite…
Lady Bird Lake is the star of Austin. It is iconic and adds a breath of nature and fresh air to the crowded city that is constantly industrializing.
Whether you’re walking around it, kayaking in it, riding a boat through it, paddleboarding atop of it, or watching bats fly out from under the bridge-​this is definitely on the must-​see, must-​do Austin list.
It ain’t the beaches of California, but it’ll do, Austin, it’ll do.

This place is really gorgeous. However, if you leave the main walking road, there is a lot of trash in the wooded areas, which was disgusting. Also, we got stuck returning through this way at night, it’s not that well lit in a lot of places. And bikes share the same road and almost ran us over a few times.

We are really lucky to live really close to this park. We love it. And my dog enjoys very much every time we go there. If you have a dog and you want your pup enjoys a «puppy party» this is your spot. You can find so many different types of dogs and they can enjoy either swimming or running around. However if you prefer to do exercises this park offer spaces for wither run, ride bikes or just walk. It’s really safe and it has amazing views from downtown.

Most recently I have enjoyed kayaking here. I launch from under the IH-​35 bridge or just a bit east at the boat ramp. Remember slow traffic keeps out of the middle. No swimming either. Can’t wait to try out the new pedestrian path from riverside to Congress.

One of the hazards of my job is having to be at work early, meaning that, if I want to go for a run, I have to do it (usually) before dawn. I hate treadmills and I don’t have the best of luck with traffic lights so I was looking for a running trail in the area. My hotel’s concierge recommended the trail around Lady Bird Lake. It all sounded so great until I told him I’d be running super early and he told me that it’s not a lighted trail.
Hmmm…well, how bad could it be? There’s got to be some light, right? Yeah, no, there are no lights. I will say that it’s passable, though. The lights from the street and the moonlight were just enough to see where I was going in most places. The only places I had trouble were the parts that were set away from the road and with a lot of tree cover. Luckily I had my phone’s flashlight, you should definitely bring one if you plan to be out after dark.
I was thankful that the trail was very well maintained. Since I couldn’t see all that well, I appreciated that the trail was flat and smooth so I didn’t have to worry about tripping or twisting an ankle. There are also lots of water fountains available along the way. Best of all, there were no sketchy people out there, just a few other crazies like myself trying to get a workout in.
I got a little nervous when the lightning started but definitely had to hop off the trail when it started to downpour. The trail ends up with some pretty good puddles in the rain. It occurred to me that being in huge puddles with every electronic device I own under a bunch of trees in the lightning was definitely not a great idea. I appreciated that the path has lots of exits to the road and that there are plenty of overpasses that cross the lake so you don’t get stuck on the wrong side.
Overall it’s a great trail. If it had lighting, it would be perfect.

I love taking in a nice afternoon breeze walking my dog down the trails! Even on a hot day the trails are covered and about 10 degrees cooler!
People are friendly and you see them running, walking, biking, etc. up and down the trail! Plus how can you beat the view, places to sit and take in some scenery or let your dog take a quick dip in the lake!
This is definitely a zen place I go to for stress relief and exercise!

LBL is THE heart of DT ATX!
This is seriously the city’s playground as anything you want to do here, you can!
The running/​walking trails around the Lake are fantastic, especially if you come early enough to beat the weekend troves! From the 1^st bridge parking area to the I-​35 bridge and back is almost exactly a 5K, so if you are looking for a good training trail with nice elevation differentials, then you are welcome!
The watersports here are also great! You can kayak til you can’t with several rental outlets scattered along the shores. You can also kayak from Barton Springs out onto LBL. There are also paddleboarding and waterbiking options. Or, if you are not feeling athletically inclined, then you can do a narrated cruise and learn some skyline funfacts and you might even luck out and be on the water when the pontoon Pirates are roving the waters and ready to pillage with a water balloon onslaught!
If you have a canine friend, the doggie water park is where it is at! You can also bike the trails, but beware, the cyclists on the trails do not share them well with the walker/​runners and I have on several occasions almost gotten knocked over by an entitled cyclist.
The other highlight is of course the Congress Street «Bat Bridge» that houses the largest urban bat population in the world and from as early as March to as late as November you can see the 750k-1.5mil bats emerge from beneath the bridge at dusk in a breathtaking spectacle, which is something to see whether a native, townie, or tourist.
Also, you can pay homage to Stevie Ray Vaughn at his statue on the banks of LBL with the skyline behind him and to amplify the experience go for one of the many spectacular Austin sunsets.
Town Lake aka Lady Bird Lake is the crown jewel of the Austinite way of life, to be sure!

Twas not the time to take a hike. Austin has not seen such cold weather since Sam Houston was alive (I jest). I mean it was probably 20 degrees outside!
I can only imagine how lovely this trail would be during spring and summer. In essence this is a man made lake with a trail around it… the trail is a work in progress so you have to walk, run, or bike on some street areas: some very busy and loud streets.
However the parts near the lake were really nice and peaceful.
Once all the work is done this will be purty awesome. I must come back in the spring!

I can’t give anything less than five stars to the lake that made me finally fall in lurve with Austin during my final semester in college. Yup, I’m a die-​hard H-​town gal, but it wasn’t until I started hitting up this running trail — religiously, losing 10lbs — that I truly appreciated all the outdoor beauty Austank has to offer a broke ass college student, like myself.
Whether it’s the endless running trail, playing fetch with the pup, picnicking with friends, kayaking, rowing, or taking stale bread and crackers to feed the ducks and freakish-​looking (and agressive) swans — Lady Bird Lake is an amazing way to find some inner peace.
Locals or visitors, take your running/​hiking shoes and enjoy! Oh, and try your best to book a hotel along the lake for easy access to the trials. There are also numerous free parking spots, but I prefer to park right under the South Congress bridge along W Cesar Chaves/​East 1^st.

I decided to go on a walk. I was headed to a spice shop I heard about, but decided to take the scenic route.
As I walked around Lady Bird Lake, I was drawn in by the beautiful scenery, native plants everywhere and the trail. It was really beautiful.
I found myself taking a little extra time to take pictures, sit on park benches and just enjoy the park itself. The beautiful big blue lake is the perfect back drop.
I had to bring my guy back for a walk along the waterfront on another day, it was just another excuse for a beautiful walk in the park.