60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Dallas, Fort Worth: Includes Tarrant, Collin and Denton Counties - Softcover

Sanchez, Joanie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0897326490 ISBN 13: 9780897326490

Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press, 2007

Synopsis

This detailed guide by experienced local Joanie Sanchez presents the best, most scenic day-hikes in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Covering everything from open prairies to rolling hills to lakeside beaches, the book shows hikers where to follow ancient dinosaur tracks, enjoy a secluded pecan grove, and experience Texas’s vanishing blackland prairie. Like all the guides in this series, this one is based on cutting-edge GPS data, with up-to-date maps and hike profiles.

About this title

About the Author

An avid hiker, camper, and traveler, Joanie Sanchez first fell in love with the outdoors when an opportunity came to work one summer with the Youth Conservation Corps in Yosemite National Park. That led to her serving as a leader of the group the following year, teaching and mentoring as she shared her passion for nature. Since then her adventures have taken her backpacking across Europe, on a state-to-state bike tour across New England, and hiking through the Caribbean islands. She has traveled extensively throughout Mexico and has written an adventure guidebook to Mexico’s Gulf Coast. A graduate of Yale University, Sanchez grew up and lives in the Dallas area. She spends her free time showing fellow hikers the beauty that Texas trails have to offer.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Katy Trail

Length: 5.64 miles

Configuration: Out-and-back

Difficulty: Easy

Scenery: Trees, city views

Exposure: Mostly sunny, some shade

Trail traffic: Heavy

Trail surface: Concrete path

Hiking time: 1.75 hours

Access: Free; open daily, 5 a.m.–midnight

Wheelchair traversable: Yes

Special comments: If you can’t find a spot near the trailhead, try parking at one of the parks adjacent to the trail.

Supplemental maps: katytrailDallas.org (click “Download a Map” on the home page)

Driving distance from major intersection: 1.4 miles from Woodall Rodgers Freeway and I-35E

In Brief: Popular with a young, urban crowd, this linear trail creates a pedestrian-friendly corridor between downtown Dallas and the Mockingbird DART station and has become a place to see and be seen. Always lively, this trail will appeal to those who don’t mind a constant bustle of activity.

Description: No trail is more well known in Dallas than the Katy Trail. Without question, it is one of the most popular trails in the Metroplex. Crowds of people overtake it on weekends and holidays, offering the adventurous visitor an always lively experience. And if you think you can avoid the crowds by visiting during the scorching summer months―well, think again. This trail is always hopping, thanks in part to its easy accessibility in highly populated areas of the city. In fact, according to the Friends of the Katy Trail, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the trail’s expansion and development, more than 300,000 people live within 1 mile of the trail.

To accommodate the many folks who live in the area, the trail has a number of access points along its length. In addition, it passes several city parks and intersects a couple of major streets, affording further access. Because of its popularity, you’ll encounter a wide assortment of outdoor types along its length: expect to share the trail with other hikers, walkers, joggers, bikers, dog walkers, skateboarders, and inline skaters. The trail is about 5.6 miles out-and-back, stretching from the American Airlines Center to Airline Road, near the Southern Methodist University campus.

In recent years, a massive publicity campaign to promote safety along the trail has been implemented with the help of names such as former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman (a high-profile user of the trail). In particular, the campaign focuses on trail etiquette and safety awareness so that visitors know how to share the trail when there is both biker and pedestrian traffic.

The trail’s history dates back to the late 1800s, when the Missouri–Kansas–Texas (MKT) Railroad began operating a passenger and freight line into Texas, connecting it with states to the north. The MKT, nicknamed the “Katy,” eventually connected St. Louis with Dallas and Fort Worth and extended as far south as Galveston. In the late 1980s, to avoid financial losses, the MKT merged with the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, part of the Union Pacific Railway. Dallas’s Katy Trail owes its existence in part to Union Pacific, which donated the abandoned tracks to the city. In Missouri, another old abandoned section of the Katy Trail has been similarly donated and forms a 225-mile trail known as Katy Trail State Park.

The trailhead for this hike is in Victory Park behind the American Airlines Center, across the street from the facility’s parking lot. A plaque identifying this entrance point as Victory Promenade marks the trailhead. If you prefer not to drive into downtown Dallas and the West End, other entrance points for the trail include Reverchon Park (see Hike 13, page 69), David’s Way Plaza, and the Dallas Theater Center.

From the Victory Park trailhead, the path ascends a small incline to reach the elevated trail bed, from the top of which you have a decent, though slightly obstructed view of the Dallas skyline if you turn around. Because of its old railway status, the trail from here to the end is relatively level, having only a few gentle turns. The scenery is mostly a thick curtain of trees obscuring the highways, streets, and autos only a short distance below. If you’re interested in orienting yourself, the trail runs roughly between Oaklawn Avenue and Stemmons Freeway to the left, and the busy Central Expressway to the right. Surprisingly, the sounds of urban life do not overwhelm, and at many points you’ll even be unaware that you’re hiking through the busiest part of Dallas.

The trail is about 12 feet wide and divided into two lanes―one for bikers, the other for pedestrians. You’ll find the division of lanes a welcome feature, as the trail is always heavily trafficked. The path is very nicely maintained; you’d be hard-pressed to find any litter, or even a spot where the grass comes close to encroaching on the path. The trail developers have also done an excellent job marking the trail: when you cross a highway or pass a park, you’ll see signs telling you exactly where you are.

You won’t find much wildlife along the path, though you may spot a few squirrels scurrying in front of you or a stray cat walking along the path’s edge. The backyards of condos and homes abut the trail at various spots along the way, serving as a reminder of the trail’s urban location.

At 0.6 mile, just after you pass over Harry Hines Boulevard and McKinnon Street, look for Reverchon Park (conceived as Dallas’s version of Central Park) to the left. The park is named in honor of James Reverchon, a renowned botanist from the late 19th century who lived nearby.

From here, the trail passes over Maple and Cedar Springs roads. At about 1.6 miles, just after you cross Lemmon Avenue, pass Turtle Creek Park on the left. As you continue northeast, you’ll reach the Highland Park area. The intersection of David’s Way and Travis Street, at 2.8 miles, is a good turnaround spot. If you need to cool off or grab a drink before the hike back, a couple of restaurants and a convenience store are just within reach. To extend the hike, you can continue straight another mile, where the trail ends at some bike lockers not far from SMU and Mockingbird Station.

Nearby Activities: The West End is a pedestrian-friendly walking district with several restaurants. Once the hub of Dallas’s commercial activities, today the renovated warehouses make up one of the city’s main entertainment areas. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the West End is also the home of Dealey Plaza, where John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963.

Edition details

• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0897326490
• ISBN 13: 9780897326490
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 293