Texas heat cramping your outdoor walking routine? Try these shady strolls for hot days.

Yahoo

27-05-2025

"Jogging in this midday heat? Are you a crazy person?"
Admit it: You've screamed this invective (silently) in the general direction of some ultra-fit runner during Austin's six months of extreme heat.
For most of us, if we have not already retreated entirely to air-conditioned houses or vehicles, we run — or at least walk — outdoors strictly before 8 a.m. or perhaps at dusk.
Walking during the middle of the day, however, can be less than utterly hellish if one sticks to the shady side of the street. For that matter, it can be downright pleasant if one seeks out the deep shade of mature trees in public places.
With that in mind, we've chosen an escalating set of outdoor walks for Central Texans to try during daylight hours this summer. Remember: Wear hats, drink water, monitor your vitals.
The well-tended grounds of the 1888 granite Texas Capitol were designed to serve as a gathering place for celebrating or protesting, often at the same time. They also function as a green space or grand public park. (Cattle grazed around the more modest 1853 limestone Capitol that rose at the same location.)
Enormous live oaks shade many of the curving pathways, and sycamores, replanted during the 1990s renovation of the Capitol Complex, line the formal processional walk to the south of the baroque domed structure. On the grounds, take time to examine the many monuments, some of which recall darker chapters in the state's history. The newish Capitol Mall to the north of the grounds currently broils in the sun, but should cool off once the landscaping matures.
When the Austin Dam on the Colorado River collapsed in the 1900 flood, city leaders realized that without a major source of electricity, Austin was destined to remain a government and college town rather than a manufacturing center. It became instead the "Home City," or "City of Homes."
Thus civic energy was applied — unevenly — to the leafy hoods within walking distance of Central Austin.
Take to the sidewalk or, if safe, the streets. Shade will guide your way through Holly Street, Hyde Park, Tarrytown, Old West Austin, Foster Heights, Bouldin Creek, Travis Heights, Old Austin, Zilker, North University, Cherrywood, Pemberton Heights, Hancock, Guadalupe, Clarksville, Windsor Park, French Place, Harris Park, Aldridge Place, Hemphill Park, Heritage, East Cesar Chavez, Old Enfield, Travis Heights East, and the original parts of West Campus and Central East Austin.
The inner ring of suburbs, built rapidly after World War II, tells a different story, however, because developers planted quick-growing, quick-dying species. The mature shade today is spottier. If you live farther out, try the historic centers of your community.
You are not free to wander aimlessly around schools and colleges. Times being what they are, public safety demands tight security on some campuses. Yet a great number of public activities — sporting events, museum exhibitions, musical and theatrical performances, celebrations and receptions, readings and nonacademic research — happen on more than 10 shady Central Texas college campuses. You should tour, for instance, the University of Texas' first-rate collection of public art, overseen by the award-winning Landmarks program. Long ago, UT Regent Lutcher Stark ensured that the 40 acres would be shrouded with Gulf Coast live oaks from his home region in Southeast Texas.
Central Texas is blessed with numerous parks, greenbelts and nature preserves. They are not always right where we might want them to be, and scarce public funds mean their improvements are often made possible by do-good groups such as the Parks Foundation, Trail Conservancy, Pease Park Conservancy, and in the case of the rapidly expanding Violet Crown Trail, the Hill Country Conservancy. (A new entryway for that 30-mile trail is under construction at Barton Springs.)
Make your summer plans carefully. Austin manages more than 150 miles of trails and many hundreds of acres of parkland. Map out your walks or even hikes — which are like walks, but hiking requires that you pay more attention to your path — carefully based on what you learned about your body from the shorter summer excursions. Take water and use sunscreen. Consider packing bug spray and trail mix.
Now you are ready for the crown jewel: The Butler Hike and Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake.
While some segments of the 10-mile loop are open to the sun, much of it runs through protective shade. Points of entry are numerous.
Construction continues on the "wishbone" bridge that will allow trail lovers to skip the Longhorn Dam, named not for the UT teams, as one might assume, but rather for a Colorado River ford used by cattle drivers on the Chisholm Trail. If it functions like the previous stretches of boardwalk, the bridge will make us see our city differently.
More: There are gators in Lady Bird Lake? 6 cool facts about wildlife on Austin's urban trail
You are not required to walk the entire 10 miles. Several other bridges allow one to cut back to your original point of entry if so desired. This is a popular path, so practice trail etiquette, which can be boiled down to remaining alert, respectful and kind.
The Butler Trail weaves our city together — north, south, east and west. As with almost all other social aspects of Austin, it is seen and employed differently by different individuals and groups.
Now, even in the shade, the Butler Trail gets hot. A breeze off the lake helps. Still, early morning or very late afternoon are best times to stroll during the six hot months.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Avoid Texas' excessive heat with shade at parks, trails, hoods, more