Bike riding is a fantastic way to get outside as a family — with a little planning, you can even include younger kids who aren’t big enough to ride yet.
Wildlife can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Hiking can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Paddling can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Trails can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Trails can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Trails can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Trails can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Trails can happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
Trailscan happen no matter where you live. It’s a great way to explore a new place, and get some exercise while you’re at it.
To hike on the famous Texas Buckeye Trail, travel to the trailhead at Bexar Street. This important mile long trail takes hikers to a large stand of Texas Buckeye trees that bloom white in spring. The natural portion of the trail is well maintained by the North Texas Master Naturalists with interesting turns to the trail and arbors made of branches and other native materials. This portion of the trail ends at a stand of impressive Texas buckeye trees and a nice view of the meandering river.
In addition, there is a new concrete trail to take visitors to an overlook  (approximately one mile) slightly to the west of the Texas buckeye stand. There are large boulders for seating areas along this trail and an impressive canopy of old growth trees plus adequate signage to take hikers to the river.
Keep up with the news on the forest and the Trinity River Corridor Project at our website or sign up for My Trinity River News by dropping a note to us​.​​​​​
The L.B. Houston Park mountain bike trail (10 miles) is within the L.B Houston Greenbelt and the Elm Fork Greenbelt in Northwest Dallas near the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.
This is a beginner to intermediate trail with over 10 miles that is well-marked with markers signifying turns, hills etc. This trail is ideal for both endurance building rides and leisurely rides.
Features
L.B. Houston is 10 miles currently comprised of the following skill areas:
L. B. Houston Nature Trail Head – California Crossing
L. B. Houston Nature Trail Head – Wildwood Road
All trails are mostly in the trees. A number of areas of the trail come close to the edge of Trinity River, making for a very pleasant environment. This is a multi-use trail so please be considerate of all other trail users.
Trail Steward
Steve Baumgartner, DORBA
The Ronald Kirk Bridge and Felix H. Lozada, Sr. Gateway is a public space unlike any other in Dallas. With an up-close view of the river and its bridges, it offers something for everyone. See their website for a variety of scheduled events for everyone to enjoy.
The graceful Margaret McDermott Bridge, designed by renowned engineer and architect Santiago Calatrava, takes commuters and visitors across the Trinity River on one of the busiest and most beautiful bridge crossings in North Texas.
(Trail head at DART overflow parki​​ng lot.)
The Great Trinity Forest begins at the Santa Fe Trestle Hike and Bike Trail located across the Dallas Floodway near Corinth Street and Eighth Street. The 1.86 mile trail can be accessed from Riverfront Boulevard or on the west side of the levees at Santa Fe Street.Â
The concrete trail begins near the DART Rail Station at Eighth Street taking hikers across the floodway past seasonal wetlands, stands of trees, stunning vistas of the floodway, and glimpses of birds that live or migrate through the area. At the Santa Fe Railroad Trestle, most visitors are sure to stop and enjoy beautiful views of the Trinity River, the floodway and the City of Dallas.
The restored Santa Fe Railroad Truss once was a main route for trains crossing the floodway, today it welcomes only pedestrians and bikers. The bridge was originally built in 1879. It was rebuilt a number of times during subsequent years, and the Trinity Project has taken it back to its original splendor. The City worked closely with the Texas Historic Commission to update the bridge for today’s safety and aesthetic standards, while still preserving the majority of its original attributes.
Additions and restoration included:​​​​
Trinity Forest Trails​​
Trinity Forest Trails represent an eight mile loop that will be expaned to ten miles in 2016. The trail system is located in the Great Trinity Forest and it encompasses the AT&T Trail which skirts the Trinity Forest Golf Course (opening 2017).
The trail portion at Little Lemmon and Lemmon Lakes consists of two miles of 12 foot concrete trail adjacent to the road ot the Loop 12 boat launch. This particular segment ends at the City of Dallas’ Ecopark Facility parking lot on Simpson Stuart Road.
Simpson Stuart Area of Trinity Forest Trails
The trail consists of 2.5 miles of concrete trail continuing from the Great Trinity Forest Way section of the trail to Simpson Stuart Road and ending at the Trinity River Audubon Center. With this trail system, a new bridge across the Trinity River is installed and native plants and trees will be reintroduced along the trail system.
This 10.2 mile trail combines a 3.7-mile stretch from the put-in to the Dallas Wave along a channelized portion of the river with a great view of downtown Dallas with a 6.5-mile stretch along the natural wood-lined meandering river from the Dallas Wave to Loop 12.
This unique urban forest is a 116-acre green space on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Groundwork Dallas has transformed this area from a favorite spot for illegal dumping to the site of a public recreation area featuring trails and canoe/kayak access to the Elm Fork.
Spring Trail Park is located along the Campión Trail, and features equestrian trails, a river overlook and restrooms.
The Luna Vista Golf Course is for golfers of any skill level to play. It will challenge you while providing a relaxing, picturesque backdrop and testing your accuracy with our fairways, water hazards and sand traps.
This 58 acre park features picnic tables, a large pavilion, a river overlook, and a trailhead for the Campión Trial, with a dedication marker and gateway monument for that trail. Restrooms and water are available.
MoneyGram Soccer Park is located west of IH-35E on Walnut Hill Lane. The soccer park features nineteen athletic fields (fourteen full-size fields and five junior fields), walkways, picnic areas, and a large pavilion, all part of a 120-acre complex.
Eloise Lundy is a 3.3 acre community park, established in 1915.
Emma Carter Park is a 6.3 acre neighborhood park, established in 1977 and featuring a playground, outdoor basketball court, picnic tables, and grills.
This 111-acre wooded preserve lies along a winding segment of the Trinity River in the southeastern portion of Dallas. The river in this area has numerous serpentine bends, and over the years, it has undercut its chalk banks and has created a small-scale canyon.
Moore Park is 24.6 acre community park, established in 1938, featuring a baseball field, basketball court, picnic tables and pavilion, playground, soccer field, tennis courts and trails.
Mountain Creek Preserve is a 62.9 acre recreation area located on the West Fork of the Trinity River with trails accommodating walking, running, biking, and equestrian activities, a canoe launch, a cricket pitch, basketball court, playgrounds, and more.
Oak Cliff Founders is a 16.1 acre neighborhood park, established in 1938 and features a disc golf course, trails, picnic tables and a pavilion.
This park is located on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and is the beginning of the southern section of the Campión Trail. To access this park by car, park at Trinity View Park and walk north on the Campión Trail.
South Central is a 3.1 acre neighborhood park in Joppa, established in 1960. The park includes picnic tables, a playground, outdoor basketball court, and is well shaded with trees.
At Texas Horse Park, people of all ages can enjoy a break from city life as well as a rare glimpse into the early days of Texas ranching and farming along the Trinity River. Located on 302 acres, deep in the heart of the Great Trinity Forest.
Trammell Crow Park is located near the Sylvan Avenue Bridge and offers parking, soccer fields, Crow Lake, Trinity Skyline Trail and Trinity Levee Top Loop Trail (6.2 miles), stone cow sculptures, a boat launch with trailer parking, and beautiful views of downtown Dallas.
Trinity Overlook Park serves as a neighborhood “pocket park” with great views of downtown Dallas and the Margaret McDermott Bridge. Also adjacent to business districts, it’s great for hiking, biking, picnics, photography, and casual family outings.
Trinity Forest Trails represents a ten-mile loop within the Great Trinity Forest. It encompasses the AT&T Trail which skirts the Trinity Forest Golf Course. The trail portion at Little Lemmon and Lemmon Lakes consists of two miles of 12-foot concrete trail adjacent to the road to the Loop 12 boat launch.
This 160 acre park includes: Drinking Fountains, 3 Football Fields, 4 Picnic Shelters, Grills, 65 Benches, 3 Playgrounds, 4 Restrooms, 12 Baseball Fields, 11 Soccer Fields, and 4 Adult Softball Fields.
The beautiful plaza-style entryway features a pavilion, 25 foot overlook, and an elevated walkway to the terraced grove of red oak trees. There is a memory wall and icon tower highlighting the outdoor performance amphitheater with stage and sloped lawn for seating. A new bridge across Cedar Creek connects the 80 year old Moore Park to the Santa Fe Trestle Trail. The area features parking, athletic fields, mature tree groves, and views to the creek.
The beautiful 900-acre William Blair Park offers a manicured park with a pavilion, fishing pond, parking lot, and picnic areas, and, behind the Rochester Levee, rolling meadows, stands of trees and natural-surface hiking trails.
The Ronald Kirk Bridge and Felix H. Lozada, Sr. Gateway is a public space unlike any other in Dallas. With an up-close view of the river and its bridges, it offers something for everyone. See their website for a variety of scheduled events for everyone to enjoy.
Trinity Forest Golf Club resembles many of the great old courses of the Northeast and Great Britain, featuring a links style course on a rolling meadow with tall native grasses. The course was designed by Coore & Crenshaw. Native Texans Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore established the company and design courses throughout the world.
The AT&T is a 3.5 mile trail running from Elam Road to the Trinity River Audubon Center. Great for biking, running, or hiking, it is part of the Trinity Forest Trail system that will eventually be an 10 mile loop through the Great Trinity Forest.
Coombs Creek Greenbelt is 4.2 acre linear park, established 1997.
Joppa Preserve is a 318.5-acre park established in 1986 and featuring picnic tables, pavilions, and trails along the Great Trinity Forest and Lemmon Lake, connecting the Trinity Forest Trails.
The Lower Chain of Wetlands are comprised of half a dozen wetland “cells” that extend from the I-45 bridge south to Loop 12. When the river floods the Wetland Cells absorb much of the excess water creating a buffer for areas downstream. Dallas’ unique biodiversity can easily be seen and enjoyed here.
The Great Trinity Forest Gateway and Horse Trails is adjacent to IH-20 and includes a fishing pier, pavilions, a half mile of multi-purpose concrete trail around the fishing pond, prairie vistas, and a wide variety of native tree species. There is also horse trailer parking and access to four miles of soft surface forest trail.
Emma Carter is a 6.3 acre neighborhood park, established in 1977.
The Santa Fe Trestle Trail begins near the DART Rail Station at Eighth Street, taking hikers across the floodway past seasonal wetlands, stands of trees, far-reaching vistas of the floodway, and glimpses of birds that live or migrate through the area.
At Trinity River Audubon Center, you’ll get to know the diverse community of plant and animal species native to this unique mix of bottomland hardwood forest, wetland, and prairie habitat. The Center’s 130 acres occupy a reclaimed haven for a vast array of birds and other wildlife.
The Trinity Skyline Trail is a hard-surface trail that brings visitors close to the Trinity River while offering views of downtown Dallas. At 4.6 miles, it’s perfect for hiking and biking and will connect to the Santa Fe Trestle Trail near 8th and Corinth Street.
The Trinity Strand Trial is a 2.5 mile non-motorized hike and bike trail along the original Trinity River watercourse. This trail connects the Katy Trail to the Trinity River at Sylvan Avenue.
At Trinity River Audubon Center, you’ll get to know the diverse community of plant and animal species native to this unique mix of bottomland hardwood forest, wetland, and prairie habitat. The Center’s 130 acres occupy a reclaimed haven for a vast array of birds and other wildlife.
This trail is currently in the design phase and not yet built. The Trinity Forest Spine Trail will follow White Rock Creek, south of White Rock Lake, to its convergence with the Trinity River, which it then follows southeast to IH 20.
This gateway area, invites visitors and neighbors to the Trinity River providing a glimpse of the Great Trinity Forest and the natural meanders of the Trinity River. Immediately south of the bridge and adjacent to the river is the Upper Chain of Wetlands. This important flood protection project provides a continuous pathway for floodwaters during heavy rain to travel from just below Moore Park all the way to Great Trinity Forest Way (Loop 12), where the water then rejoins the main channel of the river.
MLK/Cedar Crest Bridge Gateway has enhanced gateways on both ends of the bridge with parking, walkways, decorative lighting, and landscaped areas. These entrances on either side of the bridge serve​ as small pocket park-like places for people to easily walk or bike to the Trinity Outlook located near the center of the bridge. On the east side, the gateway is adjacent to a small park with basketball court and game tables.
A portion of the maintenance road is complete coming from the Lower Chain of Wetlands to the Upper Chain. Once all the bridges and accesses are complete, hikers and bikers can traverse through the Lower Chain of Wetlands to Moore Park and the Santa Fe Trestle Trail to the north and to Great Trinity Forest Way (Loop 12) and the southern portion of the Trinity Forest Trails network. the Texas Horse Park, Trinity River Audubon Center, and Trinity Forest Golf Course are situated in this beautiful area of the forest.
The Trinity River passes by California Crossing near Rochelle Road in Dallas. This is one of the public access points for the Trinity River above and below the low water dam at that location. Established in 1956, this is part of a 390.3 acres park along or near the Trinity River in Irving and Dallas, Texas.
This 34.7 acre park was established in 1956 and is located at a historic crossing of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The park features a river overlook, boat launch, and trails.
