Vote for the Butler Trail in this poll

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.