Map of bike paths / walking paths in the Dallas area

Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling around Dallas, Texas

The City of Dallas is located in North Central Texas. Dallas, and its surrounding communities, have an ever expanding system of recreational trails for cycling, walking, running, exploring nature, commuting and access to outdoor recreation areas. There are over 100 miles of paved trails and many of the parks and open spaces have unpaved trails for hiking and experiencing the natural environment.

Other communites in this area include: Irving, Carrollton and Mesquite.

There are trails that go for miles along creeks and greenbelts. Other trails follow roadways for commuting to work or school more safely. Many of the local parks also have paved trails. The climate of North Central Texas is such that locals and visitors can make use of these trails and pathways year round.

Visit the maps for the surrounding cities to locate other trails in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

White Rock Creek Trail and White Rock Lake Trail

White Rock Creek Trail and the White Rock Lake Trail create a very popular 26.5-mile long paved recreational trail system located to the northeast of Downtown Dallas. The White Rock Creek Trail is 17 miles long and extends from just south of Spring Valley Road to the north end of White Rock Lake. The White Rock Lake Trail is a 9.5-mile paved pathway that wraps all the way around the lake, from E. Mockingbird Lane to Garland Road. The trails also intersect with other recreational trails along its route. These are multi-use non-motorized trails for bike riding, walking and running.

This trail system is used by commuters during the week, for those heading to and from the Downtown Houston area. The Preston Ridge Trail ends on S. Coit Road to the northeast of the White Rock Creek Trail and not far from the north end of the Cottonwood Trail. The Cottonwood Trail starts at Spring Valley Road in the north and feeds into the White Rock Creek Trail at a point just north of Royal Lane. The Santa Fe Trail connects at the south end of White Rock Lake and heads straight into the downtown area.

The White Rock Creek Trail and White Rock Lake Trail are used by families, tourists and outdoor enthusiasts on week-ends for the beautiful lake scenery with views of the downtown skyline, shady wooded stretches, picturesque bridges, bird-watching, access to fishing spots and for access to the several parks along the route.

Read more about the White Rock Creek Trail

Santa Fe Trail

The Santa Fe Trail is a 4.5-mile paved trail that starts in the north at the south end of White Rock Lake and connects to the White Rock Lake Trail near Winstead Drive. The trail drops to the south at this point, then takes a big loop to the west and heads toward Downtown Dallas. The pathway for the Santa Fe Trail is along an abandoned railroad bed. It goes under E. Grand Avenue and passes by Lindsley Park and Randall Park.

The southwest end of the Santa Fe Trail is at Hill Avenue, just west of the I-30 HOV, to the northeast of the downtown area.

Katy Trail

The Katy Trail is a 3.5-mile paved trail located in the heart of Dallas, Texas. The trail follows a historic railroad corridor through the Highland Park and Northeast Dallas neighborhoods to the north and northeast of Downtown Dallas.

The Katy Trail starts along N. Houston Street near the American Airlines Center Sports Arena and the Victory Promenade in Downtown Dallas. It then takes a big loop to the north with overpasses for the Dallas North Tollway and McKinnon Street. It runs alongside the Turtle Creek Parkway and has an overpass for N. Fitzburgh Avenue.The north end of the trail is located at the North Central Expressway near Airline Road and Beverly Drive.

Read more about the Katy Trail

Ridgewood Trail

The Ridgewood Trail is a 1.9-mile long paved pathway that spans between Worcola Street and Fisher Road to the northeast of Downtown Dallas. The southwest end of the trail is located near the Mockingbird DART Station. At its northeast end, the trail connects to the Union Pacific Trail.

Preston Ridge Trail

The Preston Ridge Trail is a 5.8-mile long paved trail placed along the greenbelt of an electrical transmission line right-of-way on the north side of Dallas.. The trail extends from the President George Bush Turnpike at Hillcrest Road to S. Coit Road north of Spring Valley Road. The trail wiggles a bit and does have a number of street-level road crossings, but for those commuting by bike to work or school, it offers a safer alternative to riding along the streets. The trail connects several parks and travels near multiple schools.

Read more about the Preston Ridge Trail

Northhaven Trail

The Northhaven Trail is a 2.5-mile long paved pathway located north of Downtown Dallas. It follows an east-west powerline easement a few blocks north of Royal Lane and extends from Preston Road to a point just west of Highway 75.

Trinity Forest Trail

The Trinity Forest Trails are an 8-mile long system of paved trails located along the Trinity River in the southeastern section of Dallas, Texas. These trails are located to the south of S. Great Trinity Forest Way and east of Interstate 45. The trails wander through the wetlands and thickly forested areas within the Joppa Preserve and the McCommas Bluff Preserve and wrap around by the Trinity River Audubon Center. This area is rich with bird life and other wildlife and the trails travel well away from traffic and congestion.

Read more about the Trinity Forest Trails

Trinity Strand Trail

The Trinity Stand Trail is currently a 2.5-mile long paved trail located along Turtle Creek to the west of Downtown Dallas. The winding trail lines between Inrving Boulevard and Interstate 35E. The pathway stretches from Farrington Street to Oak Lawn Avenue. There are plans in the works for a connector trail to the Katy Trail. This trail expansion will provide access to downtown and rach as far north as Mockingbird Lane. There are also plans to make a loop out of the Trinity Strand Trail with a new extension of the trail into the Medical District and near Infomart.

Trinity River Skyline Trail

The Trinity River Skyline Trail is a 4.6-mile long paved trail constructed within the Trinity River Greenbelt Park west of Downtown Dallas. The trail extends from Sylvan Avenue to W, Commerce Street and travels along both banks of the river.

There is also another mile long completed section of the Trinity River Skyline Trail from N. Cliff Street heading southeast to Santa Fe Avenue. This section connects to the Santa Fe Trestle Trail which then crosses the river and ends at S. Riverfront Boulevard.

Santa Fe Trestle Trail

The Santa Fe Trestle Trail is a 0.9-mile long stretch of paved pathway that crosses the Trinity River using an historic trestle bridge. The trail will be part of the completed Trinity River Skyline Trail and connects to one short completed section at this time. This is a scenic route with views of the Trinity River and the Dallas Skyline. It also passes through a portion of the Great Trinity Forest.

The south end of the Santa Fe Trestle Trail is located at the DART station at 8th Street near Corinth Street. This is also the location of Moore Park. After a large bend in the trail, there is the intersection with the Trinty River Skyline Trail that heads to the northwest.  The Santa Fe Trestle Trail then dips down to the rivers edge where there are other walking trails accessible from the end of Santa Fe Avenue. From here the trail crosses the river using the historic trestle bridge once used by trains heading into Downtown Dallas.

The trail wraps around to the west and ends at a parking area at the end of S. Riverfront Boulevard. Commuters can then ride along S. Riverfront Boulevard and turn on Corinth Street to reach the downtown area.

Campion Trail North and Campion Trail South

These greenway for these trails is located in Irving, just west of its boundary with Dallas.

Campion Trail North is a 6.5-mile long paved trail that travels through the greenbelt of the Elm Fork Trinity River. The northend of the trail is at Valley Ranch Parkway E where it connects with other local trails coming from the residential neighborhood of Irving. The trail goes through Sam Houston Trail Park, T. W. Richardson Grove, Keenan Crossing Trail Park, Spring Trail Park, Bird's Fort Trail Park and California Crossing Park. The south end of the Campion Trail North is at the intersection of E. Las Colinas Boulevard and Riverside Drive.

Campion Trail South is a 5.7-mile long paved trail that travels along the greenbelt of the Elm Fork Trinity River as well. The north end of the trail is located in River Hills Park, north of Irving Boulevard. The paved trail heads to the south, crosses under Irving Boulevard and wraps around Twin Wells Golf Course. This section of Campion Trail South goes through Mountain Creek Preserve on S. Nursery Road. The trail has been extended to MacArthur Boulevard near W. Hunter Ferrel Road.

Read more about the Campion Trail

Roy Orr Trail

The Roy Orr Trail is a 3.6-mile long paved trail located on the south sde of Dallas. The trail follows alongside Tenmile Creek and goes through the greenbelt between residential areas. The west end of the Roy Orr Trail is located near N. Westmoreland Road at Mirkes Parkway. The trail crosses under Hampton Road and through Ernie Roberts Park. The trail crosses E. Pleasant Run Road at street level, but goes under N. Polk Street. The route takes a jog at The Meadows Parkway and heads down alongside Plantation Drive. The south end of the Roy Orr Trail is located at Murphy Hills Park at the end of Alpine Drive.

Duck Creek Trail - Garland

The Duck Creek Trail is located in Garland on the east side of Dalles. It consists of 5.7 miles of paved pathways that follow the greenbelt along Duck Creek. The trail system stretches from E. Centerville Road to Interstate 30 Frontage Road. At the frontage road you can ride the paved pathway over to the Mesquite Heritage Trail, which makes for a 7.5 mile long ride in total. The Duck Creek Trail goes through Bass Park and connects to Audubon Park on W. Oates Drive.

Mesquite Heritage Trail - Mesquite

The Mesquite Heritage Trail is a 4.3-mile long paved trail located in the City of Mesquite on the east side of Dallas. The trail provides a safer and more pleasant route for crossing from the north side to the south side of the city.

The north end of the Mesquite Heritage Trail connect to the trail along the I-30 Frontage Road which connects to the Duck Creek Trail.

The route of the Mesquite Heritage Trail extends from the interchange of Interstate 30 and Northwest Drive to the intersection of Town Centre Drive and Franklin Drive. Along its route the trail passes by Porter Elementary School, Kimbrough Middle School, Beasley School Park and Beasley Elementary School.

Furneaux Creek Blue Trail

The Furneaux Creek Blue Trail is a 4.25-mile long paved pathway located in Carrollton, Texas to the north of Dallas. The route spans between Old Denton Road to the north of the President George Bush Turnpike to E. Hebron Parkway to the east of N. Josey Lane. The trail runs through the Nob Hill Greenbelt past several ponds. There are underpasses for crossing the major roadways and access paths for the residential neighborhoods along the way.

Read more about the Furneaux Creek Blue Trail

---

Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails for bike riding, walking and running in the Dallas, Texas area.