Central Austin Sightseeing Bike Tour

This is a 22-mile bike tour through central Austin that I’ve mapped in such a way as to make it easy to take shortcuts or add a few miles if you want. When doing similar routes in a group, we usually stop for coffee & carbs somewhere along the way. There are some very short sections where the traffic’s a little heavier, but 99% of it is low-speed/low-volume traffic. I recommend a road bike with slick tires for this route.

Here’s the route map (with elevation profile & cue sheet):

Here’s a list of the sights along the route (in order of appearance):

• Zilker Park
• Lady Bird Lake
• Lady Bird Lake Hike & Bike Trail (many joggers)
• Deep Eddy Pool
• Shoal Creek Hike & Bike Trail
• Shoal Creek Blvd Bike Route
• Mt. Bonnell
• Laguna Gloria Art Museum & Park (closed Mondays & Holidays)
• Views of Lake Austin
• The University of Texas
• Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum (and IMAX theater)
• The Texas Capitol
• The (Congress Ave.) Bat Bridge (700,000 to 1.4 million bats emerge en masse each dusk from late spring through mid-autumn)
• Liz Carpenter Fountain at Butler Park
• Barton Springs Pool
• At many points along the way: Coffee Shops, Bike Shops, & Restaurants

CAVEAT: Ride at your own risk and obey all traffic laws. I make no representation as to the safety of this route or any other. I recommend that you wear a helmet, keep your eyes and ears open and alert for traffic dangers, and I strongly urge you to take a road cycling safety course. I highly recommend “Traffic Skills 101” as developed by the League of American Bicyclists. In the Austin metropolitan area, this course is currently offered twice-monthly and is organized by the Austin Cycling Association.