Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail in downtown Austin Texas is the perfect inner-city getaway! A beautiful escape to nature without leaving the city – I often make a pit-stop for a quick walk by the water when I’m in-between client appointments. It’s the perfect place to get a little exercise and unwind. For any solo traveler this is a great place to go for walks, bicycle riding, kayaking or canoeing around Lady Bird Lake.
Lady Bird Lake (formerly known as Town Lake) is an Austin favorite for cycling, running, canoeing, kayaking, walking the dog, taking the kids out for some nature loving, bird watching, and just getting out to enjoy some fresh air and the beauty of nature.
And it’s one of the best free things to do in Austin!
Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail
The Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail was planned and envisioned by community leaders including Lady Bird Johnson, with the intention of beautifying the shoreline of Austin’s inner-city lake.
Originally name Town Lake the name was changed to Lady Bird Lake in 2007 in honor of the former First Lady of the United States and resident of Austin Texas.
Wildflowers bloom along the shoreline of Lady Bird Lake and springtime is welcomed by the vibrant blooms of the red bud trees and the fragrant wisteria blooms.
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The lake was created in 1960 due to the construction of the Longhorn Dam which is owned and operated by the City of Austin and the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The dam was constructed to create a reservoir for flood control, as well as a cooling pond for the Holly Street Power Plant, with the added bonus of creating an outstanding recreational area.
Turtles are abundant along the trail – sunning themselves on logs – if frightened they all dive into the water.
The largest urban bat colony summers at the Congress Avenue Bridge overlooking Lady Bird Lake.
From March to August people line the bridge and shoreline to view the bats descending from the bridge at dusk.
Approximately 1.5 million Mexican Free tailed bats – that’s more bats than people living in Austin! I even took my mom to see them – they’re quite an amazing sight.
Lady Bird Lake is a haven for all sorts of birds including the Great Blue Heron, Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Green-Backed Heron, American Coot, Mourning Dove, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Egrets, Mallard Duck, Wood Duck, Tufted Titmouse, Cliff Swallow, Bufflehead, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Double-Crested Cormorant, Monk Parakeet, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Red-Winged Blackbird, Belted Kingfisher, and the Pied-Billed Grebe.
With over 10 miles of trails Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail in downtown Austin is my favorite inner-city escape to nature. Mayfield Park takes a close second, with peacocks roaming free on the grounds of the park.
Do you have a favorite inner-city escape or nature trail?
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Your enthusiasme is absolutely catching. I should like to go and see the turtles myself!
Have a great week.
Wil
I love watching the turtles – they are very amusing! Enjoy your week too Wil!
I have a friend in Austin. yet another reason to visit!
ROG
What are you waiting for?! Haven’t you had enough of winter? Besides beautiful spring weather we have all sorts of great live music down here – you would find some great inspiration for your blog Roger.
Wonderful touch with nature and recreation to have in the centre of a city – I would stop often too!
It helps keep a city more livable as the traffic keeps increasing and more buildings go up – it’s very therapeutic to be around nature each day.
Very beautiful area !
Gattina
Thanks for stopping by Gattina!
Love the photo with the turtles basking! :D
Seems like a really nice park to go on a walk, …and canoeing! (I’ve never been but something about it feels so calm and relaxing)
I used to go canoeing around Banff and Lake Louise when I lived in Calgary but I haven’t been since I moved. It is relaxing but it can also be a good workout for the arms with all that paddling!
What a beautiful place. I would love to visit and see the bats too.
The bats are fun to watch, there are so many they look like dark clouds roaming through the sky. They eat up lots of mosquitoes for us too! There have been several bat colonies nearly killed off by a fungus in the past year. So far the Austin bat colony seems to be doing fine though.
It’s so good when large cities (and even small towns) plan for natural places within their boundaries. It’s so important to get away from the hectic place and have the quiet to reflect and relax. – Margy
It improves quality of life a great deal – I always feel relaxed & recharged after a hike around the lake or sitting in a park to just observe and enjoy nature. It’s cheap therapy :)
Looks the perfect place to recharge the batteries, what an amazing escape for the city dweller. I imagine there are lots of the winged variety of ladybirds too although I think you call them ladybugs.
Ladybugs! Lots of them around here some years – I haven’t seen any this year though. They are good little garden helpers!
What a perfect oasis in the centre of a bustling city, beautiful photography too.
Lady bird Johnson was quite a charismatic character and such a fitting tribute to her.
I live in a leafy suburb in a large city, there are lots of parks, gardens and woodland around, which are welcome retreat from city life, but nothing quite as spectacular as that.
Best wishes,
Di. from Liverpool UK,
Thanks Di, we are lucky to have such a great park in the city center. I bet you have some gorgeous parks in Liverpool – and without the intense heat like we have during Texas summers. Thanks for stopping by!