Your Next Adventure
Your Next Adventure
Austin & Texas Hill Country Bike Tour
Trip Overview
Austin, Texas, has evolved into one of America’s premiere cities, with a vibrant downtown area and top-notch outdoor activities. The town sits on the edge of the Texas Hill Country and provides an excellent launch point for bicycle adventures. This new tour connects biking in the Hill Country with biking and exploring some of the best areas of Austin.
In the Hill Country, you spend three nights in iconic Fredericksburg and enjoy some of our favorite routes in the area … This plateau region is unique for its fusion of Spanish and German influences on food, beer, architecture and music that form a distinctively local “Texan” culture.
On the way from Fredericksburg to Austin, you bike the spectacular Fitzhugh Road, which has two stop signs in 30 miles of twisting country road. After visiting Pedernales Falls State Park, enjoy more quiet roads and a special lunch, followed by a short transfer to Austin.
In Austin, you enjoy bike paths and lanes through a vibrant city – and some of our favorite local restaurants. Your hotel is downtown but also near the lakes, bike paths and bike lanes that make Austin a hub for outdoor recreation. In addition to exploring the town by bike, there is an option for a kayak or SUP ride on Lady Bird Johnson Lake … and a chance to see the famous bats from the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Itinerary
From start to finish, check out the route.
Meet on Day 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Austin Airport for a shuttle to Barons Creekside. Then gather for a welcome lunch, bike fitting and orientation. You go on an afternoon ride through Fredericksburg and out into the Hill Country, then settle into your cabin at Barons. Enjoy a wine tasting and dinner at the Club at Barons Creekside.
Today features some of the most scenic riding in Texas — along with lunch at a classic Texas hill country restaurant. Start with a ride from the Inn to the small village of Willow City, then descend into a remote canyon on the famous Willow City Loop, a scenic winding road. In spring, the area is known for fields of bluebonnets and other wildflowers. Quiet roads along and through farms and ranches bring you back to the highway, where you shuttle to the Hilltop Cafe. After lunch, you can jump onto another famous local loop on Pecan Creek Road, or you can ride the short distance back into Fredericksburg and spend the afternoon exploring local wineries and museums. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Today’s ride features a loop to iconic Luckenbach. The ghost town of Luckenbach was made famous when Jerry Jeff Walker recorded a live album there in the 1970s, and it remains a colorful symbol of the Hill Country. The ride crosses the Pedernales River and then traverses quiet back roads to Alamo Springs and the Old Tunnel State Park. You can take a short hike here. Lunch is included at the quirky burger restaurant at Bankersmith. Then you roll along Grape Creek to Luckenbach, where you can stop and listen to the daily live music on the stage and explore the “town.” You finish with smooth back roads all the way to Barons Creekside. Shorter mileage options include stopping or starting at Luckenbach. The final dinner at Barons includes live music.
Today’s ride begins with a shuttle to the western end of Fitzhugh Road in Johnson City. You ride along Fitzhugh and down into Pedernales Falls State Park. Optional hiking along the falls and a snack are followed by more quiet miles of riding. You have a lunch and tasting stop at the Texas HIll Country Olive Oil Company, with more optional miles to the eastern end of Fitzhugh. After the riding, take a short shuttle to the edge of downtown Austin and the Carpenter Hotel. For those interested, there’s an optional stop at Austin’s Barton Springs Pool near the hotel. Before dinner tonight, go to the nearby Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset to see the spectacular emergence of the brown bats – this is the location of the largest urban bat colony in the world, which is estimated to be 1.5 million bats. Tonight’s dinner is at one of our favorite local Tex-Mex restaurants.
Today starts with a ride along the nearby Lady Bird Johnson Lake and into quiet neighborhoods. After cycling along Lake Austin, spin along bike trails to return to downtown Austin. Following a lunch stop on Congress Avenue, you can choose between exploring Lady Bird Lake by kayak or SUP, or an optional ride along the Colorado River into east Austin. Another option to swim in Barton Springs Pool ends the afternoon of your second day in Austin. Tonight’s dinner is at a famous local BBQ restaurant.
Today’s ride is through the South Austin neighborhoods and back along the lakeside trails. Alternatively, you can go on a hike along Barton Springs Creek and see the limestone bluffs and winding waterway right in the center of Austin. After hotel check out at 11 a.m., you have a final lunch together at a local South Austin restaurant and a return shuttle to the Austin Airport.
Map
Dates & Pricing
Prices are per person based on double occupancy (2 people in one room). Single supplement for private room is listed at the top of this page. A deposit of $500 holds your reservation for most tours. For weekend tours, the deposit is $300.
What’s Included
5 nights’ lodging, 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners, park entrance fees, National Museum of the Pacific War entrance, shuttle at one time from/to hotel near Austin airport at start/finish. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus use of a bike and helmet. Airfare is not included.
Dates & Pricing
Prices are per person based on double occupancy (2 people in one room). Single supplement for private room is listed at the top of this page. A deposit of $500 holds your reservation for most tours. For weekend tours, the deposit is $300.
What’s Included
5 nights’ lodging, 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners, park entrance fees, National Museum of the Pacific War entrance, shuttle at one time from/to hotel near Austin airport at start/finish. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus use of a bike and helmet. Airfare is not included.
Inns
Where you stay along the way.
Gallery
Images from this tour. Click each to see it larger.
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