Top 10 Outdoor Activities in Austin
Austin is one of the best cities for outdoor activities because of its multitude of swimming holes, well-maintained trails, camping sites, and lakes. In addition, Austin is dedicated to conserving its beautiful natural resources and lands. Preservation efforts and public-education programs attempt to strike a balance between thriving metropolis and natural beauty. It is almost there! Explore one of many hiking trails in Austin: the Town Lake Trail or the Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail! Paddle along Town Lake in your rented kayak! Lose yourself in Zilker Park’s 30-acre Botanical Gardens! Read on and discover these and more outdoor activities in Austin.
- Riverboat Ride
- Hiking
- Longhorn Caverns State Park Tour
- Swimming
- Biking
- Camping
- Kayaking and Canoeing
- Bat Watching
- Rock Climbing
- Golf
Lady Bird Lake – formerly Town Lake – is the scene for these in-city cruises. Lone Star Riverboat Company offers daily rides on Lady Bird Lake – as well as batwatching/sunset tours of the famous Congress Bridge bats. The Lone Star Riverboat is the largest electric powered paddle wheeler in the country! Other boats in their fleet include: the Little Star and the Southern Star. To see more about Lone Star Riverboat Company visit: http://www.lonestarriverboat.com/.
Lake Austin Riverboats is offers chartered rides on Austin Lake, hosting events like weddings, speakers or casino nights. The Lake Austin Riverboats are named the Commodore and the Commodore’s Pup. This longest-running riverboat company in Texas is a great option for memorable catered events. To see more about Lake Austin Riverboats visit: http://www.austinriverboats.com/.
You will not have too much difficulty finding hiking trails in Austin! Austin’s over 50 miles of well-maintained trails make it an outdoor-enthusiasts’ dream. Be sure to explore Town Lake Trail, a beautiful, winding trail that begins at Tom Miller Dam and ends at Longhorn Dam – leading you past the shores of the Colorado River. Be sure to check out the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens during your walk. This garden covers over 30 acres in beautiful Zilker Park and showcases a Japanese garden, rose gardens, a butterfly trail and garden, an herb and fragrance garden among many others! For shorter walks try the University of Texas at Austin’s grounds – being sure to stop by “the drag” where vendors hawk their handmade crafts. The top of Mount Bonnell offers spectacular views of the Austin skyline and Lake Austin. If you want a little education mixed in with your nature gazing, try a trail of trees. The most famous is located at the Austin Capitol Building. For more information about these and other hiking trails in Austin visit: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/traildirectory.htm.
Located about an hour outside of Austin, this State Park is worth the drive! These caverns were created over thousands of years of water wearing down the limestone. Take a daily tour or the Paranormal Tour to intensify your cave-viewing experience. The cave was also said to be the hideout of Sam Bass – a famous Texan bank robber on the run from the Texas Rangers in the nineteenth century. Don’t miss the breathtaking cave experience or the Fall Creek Waterfalls! For more about Longhorn Caverns State Park visit: http://www.longhorncaverns.com/.
It only makes sense that Austin’s 300 days of sunshine are spent outside! Swimming is one of the locals’ favorite outdoor activities in Austin. A visit to Zilker Park will give you access to Barton Springs Pool, a popular Austin swimming hole for years that was used by the early Native Americans who called them the Sacred Springs. Barton Springs Pool is spring-fed and maintains a constant year-round temperature of 68°. For more information about Barton Springs Pool visit: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm. Other swimming destinations in the city include the Deep Eddy Pool with a newly renovated bathhouse: http://www.deepeddy.org/, Hippie Hollow – the only nude beach in Texas: http://www.hippiehollow.com/, Bull Creek – surrounded by limestone cliffs: http://www.bullcreek.net/, and the picturesque Hamilton Pool Preserve with a 50-foot waterfall: http://www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/hamilton_pool.asp.
Austin is a great city for biking! The Austin Bicycle and Pedestrian Program attempts to make bicycling and walking viable modes of transportation alongside automobiles. The Bicycling for Transport in Austin website strives to inform residents of the benefits of biking. These programs help to show how biker-friendly Austin is. With over 50 miles of well-groomed crushed granite trails, Austin is a biker’s paradise! Try biking the Barton Creek Greenbelt trail. The lush vegetation, trickling waterfalls, and limestone outcroppings make this a beautiful trail year-round! Another trail to try: Town Lake Trail. This trail will take you past the roaring Colorado River on a winding tree-lined path. The Town Lake Trail – at an 8% grade – is easy enough for beginners, but advanced biking enthusiasts can switch it up by biking longer or harder. To see these trails and other outdoor activities in Austin visit: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/traildirectory.htm.
There are lots of opportunities for Austin camping. Emma Long Metropolitan Park offers full amenities: restrooms, hot showers, camping sites with electricity and water, and tent sites. The Park also has a sandy beach, boat launches, and volleyball courts. This is perfect for the visitor that doesn’t want to go outside of the city for a wonderful camping experience. For more information about Emma Long Metropolitan Park go to: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/emmalong.htm.
McKinney Falls State Park is also located in Austin on 700+ acres and offering opportunities for camping, fishing, biking, swimming, hiking, and picnicking among other activities. For more information about McKinney Falls State Park please visit: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/mckinney_falls/.
Just because you are in the city doesn’t mean you can’t experience nature! You can rent a kayak or canoe at the Texas Rowing Center at Town Lake and glide through the water noiselessly, watching the Austin skyline slip by. At the Texas Rowing Center you can also take rowing lessons and learn to scull. For more about the Texas Rowing Center visit: http://www.texasrowingcenter.com/. You can also rent boats through Zilker Park Boat Rentals. For their website visit: http://www.zilkerboats.com. If you already have your own water vessel, then strap it onto your car and head down to Zilker Park or Emma Long Metropolitan Park and launch your boat. Experience these and other outdoor activities in Austin!
Join the hordes of locals and tourists watching the nightly bat flight of approximately 1.5 million Mexican, free-tail bats. Every dusk from March to November, these bats light off from their home under Congress Bridge to hunt, blanketing the sunset-drenched sky. Park your car, bring a blanket and sit on the grass in site of the bridge and watch the miraculous event! Best of all: it’s free! To find out more about the Congress Avenue Bridge bats visit: http://www.austincityguide.com/content/congress-bridge-bats-austin.asp.
Rock climbing is a great choice of outdoor activities in Austin. There are numerous sites for rock climbing depending on what you want to do – some of which are outside of the city. There are great crags for sport climbing including: Reimers Ranch (30 miles SW), Pace Bend State Park (30 miles W), Austin’s Greenbelt, Bull Creek Boulders, and McKinney Falls State Park. If you truly want a challenge, try the Gus Fruh wall at Austin’s Greenbelt. If you want a more refreshing climb, head to Pace Bend State Park with its deep freshwater pool. If you want to practice before you head out to do the real thing, check out Austin Rock Gym’s two indoor climbing facilities. For Austin Rock Gym’s website please visit: http://www.austinrockgym.com/.
If you like to golf, then Austin has got you covered! Boasting over 20 golf courses, putting is a great outdoor activity in Austin. The River Place Country Club is a scenic course with lots of variations in elevation and blind shots. The creek cuts across the 9-hole course, which adds difficulty. For the River Place Country Club visit: http://www.riverplaceclub.com/golf_homepage.
Barton Creek’s Fazio Foothills is another scenic, challenging course. You can see some beautiful historic homes from the fairway, and some holes are decorated with waterfalls. Fazio Foothills is more prestigious than the River Place Country Club and harder to book. Another Barton Creek Resorts course worth mentioning is the 18-hole Canyons Course. This course is excellently maintained and offers great variety for you to try out your new driver. Barton Creek Resorts courses was listed 26th in Golfweek’s “America’s Best Top 100 Resort Courses” in 2009 and 24th in 2008. To check out Barton Creek Resorts’ Courses visit: http://www.bartoncreek.com/golf/.