Transforming Austin’s oldest Hike & Bike trail

Imagine walking or riding your bike on a continuous path from downtown Austin all the way up to the Domain.

The Vision

Currently the existing Shoal Creek Trail is 3.9 miles that follows the creek from 38th Street to Lady Bird Lake, providing a pathway for cyclists, walkers and runners. The Shoal Creek Trail Plan lays the foundation for major project improvements as well as extending the Shoal Creek Trail by nearly 9 miles to the north. Additionally, the Plan calls for connecting the Shoal Creek Trail to the Walnut Creek Trail, north of Highway 183 which ultimately will become part of a 30-mile continuous “Big Loop” of urban trails traversing the city from Lady Bird Lake to Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

The Shoal Creek Trail is important to the community because it gives people an opportunity to experience a green oasis in the middle of a bustling downtown corridor, thereby enhancing Austin as a place to both work and play. Among the many offerings that the Shoal Creek Trail brings to Austinites, one of the most useful is the option to take green transportation route through the city; allowing for a safe, bikeable and walkable commute route that also aids in taking cars off the road and bettering Austin’s infamous traffic problems.

Shoal Creek Conservancy envisions a continuous network of green spaces stretching throughout the watershed, connected by hike-and-bike trails in a healthy habitat. With more green space and a greener built environment, native plants and animals will flourish. Restored, enhanced, and celebrated, Shoal Creek will shine even more brightly as a central part of our city’s cultural heritage. The watershed will become a dynamic, safe, well-cared-for geographical area that improves the lives of residents and visitors.

Shoal Creek Conservancy partnered with the City of Austin’s Public Works Department and many community stakeholders to create the Shoal Creek Trail: Vision to Action Plan, which will lay the groundwork for making major improvements to the Trail and extending it northward past Highway 183.

Support the vision today with a donation to Shoal Creek Conservancy.

Plan of Action

The Shoal Creek Trail: Vision to Action Plan will guide the following efforts to transform the Trail:

Improve the existing Trail. The Plan identifies key locations for trail amenities such as mile markers, maps, drinking fountains, and restrooms, and identifies key gaps in City of Austin trail improvement projects currently underway. The Plan also provides a cohesive, community-developed vision for the Trail that will guide its overall look and feel and shape the design of priority projects.

The Plan identifies key locations for trail amenities such as mile markers, maps, drinking fountains, and restrooms, and identifies key gaps in City of Austin trail improvement projects currently underway. The Plan also provides for the Trail that will guide its overall look and feel and shape the design of priority projects. Extend the Shoal Creek Trail from Lady Bird Lake to the Shoal Creek headwaters near Highway 183. When complete, the Trail will span 13 miles and link destinations such as the Domain, Pickle Research Center, the University of Texas, and Downtown Austin. The new Trail will expand Austin’s urban trail network by connecting the Shoal Creek Trail to the Walnut Creek Trail to the north and to the Butler Hike and Bike Trail and the regional Violet Crown Trail to the south.

from Lady Bird Lake to the Shoal Creek headwaters near Highway 183. When complete, the Trail will span 13 miles and link destinations such as the Domain, Pickle Research Center, the University of Texas, and Downtown Austin. The new Trail will expand by connecting the Shoal Creek Trail to the Walnut Creek Trail to the north and to the Butler Hike and Bike Trail and the regional Violet Crown Trail to the south. Connect the Trail to the community. The improved Trail will create a green transportation coordinate that connects neighborhoods, schools and popular parks and major employment centers. It will provide opportunities for our kids and families to explore the natural world of Shoal Creek and connect people to the history of Austin, which can be told along the banks of the creek.

Although the official comments period is closed, we always welcome and appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

Thank you to the project team – the City of Austin Public Works Department, McCann Adams Studio, Siglo Group and Fermata, Inc. – and the Technical Advisory Group and Community Advisory Group for guiding the creation of this Plan. Thank you also to the generous project supporters: Downtown Austin Alliance, Jack and Carolyn Long, Constructive Ventures, Georgia B. Lucas Foundation Fund, St. David’s Foundation, The Powell Foundation, Charles and Betti Saunders Foundation Fund.

Public Input Process