I was at a pretty low point in my life a few years back. I felt stuck in a loop of repetitive things and actions that had no meaning to me anymore. This loss of direction in my life, supported by always present, never-ending anxiety about my job, constant feeling of instability/insecurity, and piercing loneliness […]
My father Samuel Patrick Black loved Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake)! It was his happy place for 40 years. He moved to Pecan Grove so he could walk/run before and after a long day at work. I remember as a kid we would race across the bridge near Austin High. He was a runner and […]
My then boyfriend, Rob, and I ran the trail together every week – it was the best place to have big talks and settle disagreements. It’s amazing how much more productive that environment is! Even though Rob was getting over an injury, we’d planned to run the morning of Saturday, May 9, 2011. I’d gotten […]
I’ve been playing my saxophone on the Trail for eight wonderful years, usually on a Sunday afternoon…and always where the Trail goes under the IH-35 bridge! The bridge does all the heavy-lifting….adding a resonance and echo and mystery to it all. The bridge makes me sound better than I really am…someone once said, “How silent the...
When I moved to Austin in 2006 I was enamored with walking the trail around Town Lake, as it was called then. The running store located right near the trail provided large coolers of water and paper cups for trail users. That was so impressive. I have loved the trail ever since.
Walking on the trails around the Lake was a morning ritual for me. Awake at 5am, a cup of coffee, and a quick drive down So. First, into free parking at the bridge, I walked about 30 minutes and turned around. The highlight of the walk was watching the sun rise over Austin. From the […]
I had just gotten off the City Council and I got a phone call from Mayor Roy Butler…and he says Mrs. Johnson wants to build a trail around Town Lake and she wants you to head up the Committee to raise the money and build it….and I said “what”….OK…I will do it for Mrs.J. so […]
Some years ago now, but still flashbulb vivid in my mind, I’d just turned my car into the lot off Stratford Drive under the Mopac bridge, preparing to run the Trail, when I got the call that my dear friend had passed. The news was not unexpected but it still took my breath away, and […]
In 1978, I returned from a year as an infantry company in Korea, and began an assignment as an AROTC instructor at the University of Texas. A friend suggested I should try running the trail, and I was hooked immediately. I ran the Capitol 10K in 1979, and followed it with the Texas Relays Marathon. […]
I have always been a frequent visitor of the trail. I have grown up in Austin and I also used to live walking distance from the trail, so it’s never been a strange place to me. I would even take my oldest daughter on daily walks there when she was first born. However, my deep […]
Kids on Bikes in Parks is a free cycling event presented by Violet Crown, The LeadOut Foundation, and The Trail Conservancy. We have a closed course of 1000 ft of grassy parkland for children ages 5-15 to ride their bikes on. We will have open track time with experienced cyclists present to teach lessons and at the top of every hour, we will have timed laps for kids to test themselves and track their progress.
Location: 1920 E Riverside Drive, Suite A-120 PMB 223 Austin, TX 78741
Phone: 1-855-44-TRAIL
The Trail Conservancy is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Tax ID: 87-0699956.
Join us for the 20th Annual Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita 5K Fun Run on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
Purchase your tickets now and save! Prices increase on May 8.