Austin East Side Lake Run and a Bouldering Project Day Pass
Updated October 3, 2026
This 10.3 km out and back from the Springdale climbing gym follows Govalle sidewalks and side streets and the Pleasant Valley Road sidewalk to Longhorn Dam. It then runs the east end of the lake trail past Fiesta Gardens to Edward Rendon Sr. Park.
East of I-35, the lake trail is quieter than the downtown stretch. Austin Bouldering Project's Springdale gym in the Govalle neighborhood makes a good base. Although it is a climbing gym, the day pass also covers its weight room and fitness classes. Leave a small bag in a changing-room locker, but ask the desk about locker size first. Ask too whether you can head out for the run and come back in, since some day passes allow one entry. Sign the online waiver before you arrive. As of October 2026, Bounce has Austin bag storage from $2.25 a day if you need more room.
Navi is a text-based AI assistant that helps you keep your trip on track
- Text this plan to Navi with the button on this page.
- Tell Navi your flights, or the day and time you start.
- Navi fits the stops to your real times and texts you when it is time to move on.
The run: Springdale to Festival Beach and back
Past the dam, the lake trail is calm, with open lawns at Festival Beach and long views west toward downtown over the water. About 5.6 km is on trails and paths, and about 84 percent of the run is on trails, paths or sidewalks rather than streets. Every busy road is crossed at a signal or a marked crosswalk, and the side streets are quiet. Parts of the lake trail are crushed gravel, and the run is nearly flat. Turning at Rendon keeps you east of the I-35 work, which reroutes the trail near the interstate.
- Distance
- 10.3 km (6.4 mi)
- Start
- Austin Bouldering Project, Springdale Road
Cross Springdale Road at the marked crosswalk by the gym and run west on the Govalle Avenue sidewalk. Turn left down the Gunter Street sidewalk, cross Gunter at the marked crosswalk and follow the Neal Street sidewalk to quiet Cherico Street. Take the Lyons Road sidewalk west, cross Tillery Street and then Lyons Road at the marked crosswalks, and run south on the Tillery sidewalk over Boggy Creek. Follow quiet Prado and Ramos Streets, cross Garwood Street and stay on the Ramos sidewalk to a paved path. It crosses the Capital Metro rail line at grade, so look and listen for trains, then runs under the 7th Street bridge to Pleasant Valley Road. Run south on its sidewalk through the signals at 5th, 2nd and Cesar Chavez Streets, then take the marked crosswalk over the turn lane onto the short Pleasant Valley Road Trail. Use the push-button signal at Longhorn Dam to reach the lake trail, cross the Wishbone Bridge, head west past Fiesta Gardens and Festival Beach, turn on the trail in Edward Rendon Sr. Park, and come back the same way.
Open the route mapNewly renovated locker rooms come with showers, saunas, cold plunges and towel service, and the day pass includes the weight rooms, fitness areas and every scheduled yoga and fitness class.
- Price
- As of October 2026, $25 for an adult standard day pass, ages 21 and up
- Showers
- Yes
- Hours
- Mon to Fri 6 am to 11 pm, Sat and Sun 8 am to 10 pm
Text Navi for navigation assistance
Navi can help you plan trips, monitor traffic and weather in real time, and get you from place to place on time. There's no app to download, just a number to text. There are many other everyday use cases for Navi that you can check on textnavi.com. The team has spent several months building Navi and we're excited to be launching in public beta. Please send any feedback you may have to feedback@textnavi.com.
Want Navi to run this plan for you?
More guides for Austin
FitnessAustin Lady Bird Lake West Loop Run and a Castle Hill Fitness Day Pass
This 8.1 km loop follows the Shoal Creek Trail down to Lady Bird Lake and circles Auditorium Shores by the South First Street and Pfluger bridges. It then runs the north shore to MoPac and climbs home on the Johnson Creek Trail and Old West Austin streets.
6 hoursHow to Spend a 6 Hour Layover in Austin: AUS to Rainey Street and the Lake
A 6 hour layover at AUS fits one compact corner of Austin, and Rainey Street is the closest. See free galleries by the lake, walk a block of old bungalows turned into bars and eat homemade sausage in a shady garden.
8 hoursHow to Spend an 8 Hour Layover in Austin: AUS to UT Campus Art and Rare Books
An 8 hour layover at AUS leaves time to take the bus straight to the University of Texas. Greet Daniel Johnston's painted frog, see a Gutenberg Bible for free, then step into Ellsworth Kelly's glowing stone building.
12 hoursHow to Spend a 12 Hour Layover in Austin: AUS to East Side Franklin Barbecue
A 12 hour layover at AUS is long enough to brave the morning line at Franklin Barbecue. Eat the brisket, explore the Carver Museum's stories of Black Austin, then see one of the city's oldest houses at the French Legation.
3 hoursHow to Spend 3 Hours in Austin: The Capitol, Congress Avenue and the Bat Bridge
Three hours covers the grand stretch of Congress Avenue from the Capitol to the river. Take a free tour under the dome, step into an 1886 cattle baron's hotel, then reach the bridge at dusk, when the bats fly out from about March to October.
4 hoursHow to Spend 4 Hours in Austin: Texas History Down Congress Avenue
Four hours lets you trace Texas from a 1686 French shipwreck to its barbecue. Start at the Bullock Museum, walk down Congress Avenue to Mexic-Arte, then pick your meat straight off the pit at Cooper's.