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Vote for the Butler Trail in this poll

Vote for the Butler Trail in this poll

by | Feb 4, 2021 | Blog

The boardwalk is part of the 10-mile loop of the Ann and Roy Butler Trail in downtown Austin. Pam LeBlanc photo

If you’re a regular on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail that loops around Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, you know it’s much more than a path – it’s like the city’s collective family room.

Walk or run the 10-mile trail and you’ll get views of rowers on the Colorado River, towering cypress trees that shade its northern side, Barton Creek, and the sleek metal and glass outline of the city’s core. You’ll also probably run into a friend or two.

Now the trail has been nominated as one of the country’s best recreational trails in the USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Choice Travel Awards.

Trees arch over a section of the Butler Trail near Zilker Park. Pam LeBlanc photo

When I checked today, the trail was holding third place of the 20 nominated trails. Voting is open through Feb. 15, and you can vote once per day.

At the moment, the 130-mile Chuck Huckelberry Loop in Tucson, which is open to pedestrians, equestrians, cyclists and skaters, was at the top of the list. The 19-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail that follows an old railroad bed along the Reedy River in Greenville, South Carolina, was in second.

Also on the list of nominees? Buffalo Bayou in Houston, the Atlanta Beltline, the High Line in New York City, the Katy Trail in Missouri, the Rio Grande Trail in Colorado and the Maricopa Trail in Phoenix.

Want to see our local trail win? Go here to vote.

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The Trail Foundation’s gala goes socially distant this year

The Trail Foundation’s gala goes socially distant this year

by | Aug 22, 2020 | Blog

The Trail Foundation’s biggest fund-raiser of the year is adopting an in-person, socially-distant look this year.
The Twilight on the Trail gala will take place in three outdoor sessions Nov. 1, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Tables of various sizes will be arranged on the lawn, with plenty of space between them.
Guests can stroll the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail before or after their session to enjoy pop-up performances from the foundation’s Austin Black Artist Music Series. Food and beverages will be served table side to avoid crowds at bars or food stations, and guests will be required to wear masks when not seated.
Sessions are scheduled for 3-4 p.m., 4:30-5:30 p.m., and 6-7 p.m. outside the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Boulevard
The event helps raise funds to protect and enhance the trail.
Tables for two, four or six people are available, starting at $500 for two, and can be purchased here. Those who don’t want to attend in person can have food and drink delivered on the same evening. Sponsorships are also available.

The Trail Foundation’s Twilight on the Trail fund-raiser (show here pre-pandemic) will take place in three outdoor sessions this year. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

About Pam

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Butler Trail updates: New bathrooms, a new deck, floating islands and cheese for a cause

Butler Trail updates: New bathrooms, a new deck, floating islands and cheese for a cause

by | Jul 9, 2020 | Blog

A new deck and rain gardens has opened near the Four Seasons Hotel. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

And now, some updates about the Butler Hike and Bike Trail, which for the moment remains open …
• First, you’ve got one more spot to pee, people. The new Festival Beach restroom has opened, replacing a crappy (sorry) facility at Edward Rendon Sr. Metro Park.
• You’ve also got a new place to take a different kind of break. A new deck has opened on the north side of the river, next to the Four Seasons Hotel. The unofficially-named Brazos Bluffs area features bench seating, rain gardens and behind-the-scenes infrastructure to prevent erosion. The project cost $438,000, according to Heidi Cohn, executive director of The Trail Foundation.
• Antonelli’s Cheese Shop will host a virtual cheese tasting on July 17, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Trail Foundation. The “Cheese 1010: The Seven Styles of Cheese” class will costs is $40. Participants will pick up their cheese plates curbside the day of the event. (Wine pairings are also available.) The hour-long class will be followed by a 15-minute question and answer session, all done via video conferencing.
• Notice those floating islands of vegetation at the east end of Lady Bird Lake? Those aren’t lily pads, they’re wetland structures that provide habitat for plants and animals, and help with carbon sequestration, water quality and temperature regulation. The foundation installed the structures in February.

A new restroom has opened on the Butler Trail at Fiesta Gardens. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

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Someone is trashing the new one-way signs along the Butler Trail

Someone is trashing the new one-way signs along the Butler Trail

by | Apr 20, 2020 | Blog

The Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail was converted to a one-way route last week. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

Not everyone agrees with the new temporary, one-way direction of the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail.

The city of Austin Parks and Recreation Department converted the trail to a clockwise-only route last week, in an effort to minimize face-to-face contact among users.

Simple, right? Not that hard to follow, if you’re going to go against recommendations to steer clear of the trail during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trail Foundation, the non-profit organization that maintains and enhances the 10-mile loop around Lady Bird Lake, spent $6,000 to make and install more than 300 signs noting the change. At the same time, the foundation has asked people to avoid the trail right now, because it’s difficult to maintain a 6-foot distance from other users at pinch points along the route.

Somebody has been removing and trashing the one-way direction signs installed on the trail. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

According to Trail Foundation counters, about 85 percent of trail users have heeded the one-way rule, which went into effect last week, but many of the directional signs have been reversed, ripped in half or left by the trash.

Come on, Austin, we’re better than this.

Now, foundation staff members are asking anyone who does use the trail to put back up any downed or misplaced signs. And remember, if you do use the trail, please wear a face covering.

“It’s been a struggle for us because it’s against our grain and mission to discourage people from coming. We love this place and it offers wonderful access to nature, but in this moment, it also presents some hazards,” said Heidi Anderson, CEO of The Trail Foundation.

Come on, Austin. We’re better than this.

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The Trail Foundation: Please don’t use the Butler Hike and Bike Trail right now

The Trail Foundation: Please don’t use the Butler Hike and Bike Trail right now

by | Mar 24, 2020 | Blog

The Trail Foundation is discouraging people from using the Butler Hike and Bike Trail right now. Pam LeBlanc photo

Technically, the Butler Hike and Bike Trail remains open, but please don’t go there.

That’s the message today from Heidi Anderson, the executive director of The Trail Foundation, the non-profit organization that works to maintain and protect the beloved loop around Lady Bird Lake.

The foundation sent out an email blast recommending that trail users exercise closer to home and “let the trail rest,” noting that it’s impossible to practice social distancing – a spacing of at least 6 feet between humans – on some sections of the trail.

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Trail users have not been practicing proper social distancing recently, according to The Trail Foundation. Pam LeBlanc file photo

f you do decide to use the trail (and please don’t), the organization recommends warning others of your presence by calling out “on your left” when you pass people, and stepping aside when someone zooms by you. Before and after visiting the trail, wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.

Exercise stations along the trail are closed, and while restrooms and water fountains remain open for now, the public is discouraged from using them.

According to The Trail Foundation, trail usage has not decreased in the last two weeks, and too many users are not practicing social distancing.

Not sure how to maintain your fitness without Austin’s favorite running and walking trail? Go for a walk or run in your neighborhood. Tune into an online workout. (Camp Gladiator is live-streaming free fitness sessions, and Peleton is offering new users a free 90-day subscription to its app, no bike needed.) Go for a bike ride close to home, or get to work yanking weed and trimming overgrown plants in your garden.

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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