ABOUT THE PLACE

If this attraction wasn't so overcrowded I'd have given it a 4 flag rating, but due to Austin's population explosion this trail is just too jam-packed these days. The Hike & Bike Trail is a 10 mile trail that goes from Zilker Park all the way to downtown Austin, all along Town Lake. It is a very well maintained trail and there are historical points of interest along the way including the Congress Street Bridge where the bats fly off and the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue.

Lots of people bring their dogs to go jogging here. I tried that once - he nearly got run over by a few bicyclists. All in all, I would recommend doing this once just to say you've done it, and on a clear Spring day it can be quite nice.

Town Lake itself is a very pretty lake to look at, however, this is not a body of water you want to swim in. There are signs posted around the trail warning about toxic fish. Scary. You can rent non-powered boats on this lake, but my recommendation is to just watch from the shore.