Palette of Images

Discovering your Town Series: Rockledge Park

Rockledge Park is a unique park in the Dallas Fort Worth area. This park hugs the banks of Lake Lewisville and has a very unique topography that is reminiscent of woodlands of the the east coast. The park's 22 miles of trails run beside the beautiful cliffs and bluffs that provide stunning vistas year round. Many of the trails are used actively for off-road biking but walkers and runners share the trails amicably.

There are several different trails in the park. We walked the Northshore trail which runs for about 10 miles from Rockledge park to Twin Coves Park. This trail is surely one of the best trails in the DFW area. It runs through forested land with tall trees and dense undergrowth and meanders along the shore, providing beautiful cliff views.

You can get on the trail at Murrell park or Twin Coves without paying an entrance fee. The Rockledge park entrance requires a fee.

Do visit this park and make some beautiful family memories.

Discovering your Town series: Legacy Trail, Plano

Legacy Trail in Plano is another one of those gorgeous oasis in the middle of the urban jungle. A part of this trail is right next to the very busy Preston Road. As you walk this trail alongside Preston Road to the east and horse ranches to the west, you will pass large grassy areas filled with wildflowers and a variety of birds like scissor tail flycatchers, blue jays, and barn swallows.

The trail meanders along Whiterock creek where you can watch many kinds of shorebirds like egrets, herons, killdeer, and sandpipers. It is truly a birder's paradise and a must visit during any season. It's a fairly popular trail and is always filled with walker, joggers and birders.

The trail beyond Tennyson Parkway opens up onto a lake and there are several spillways that have beautiful views that transport you to a different place.

The trail has been slowly expanded to 4.4 miles and I am looking forward to the remaining connectors that will complete the trail from McDermott Road upto Spring Creek Road.

Here are some pretty images of the trail:

Discovering your Town Series: Dayspring Nature Preserve, Allen

If you are looking for a wooded greenbelt and trees that evoke images of the East coast, you should explore Dayspring Nature Preserve in Allen. This is a 26 acre wooded preserve along Watters Creek. The City of Allen has done a superb job of building neat bridges, lookout points and well placed seating spaces to sit and enjoy the greenery, the sounds of the creek and the majestic trees.

The entire route is not wooded - parts of the trails pass through local parks, along backyards, and along a quiet road for a short stretch. The stretch of the trail that runs behind Boon Elementary is, hands down, the prettiest part of the trail.

In Fall this stretch has gorgeous fall colors and evokes memories of the north east with its towering trees, boardwalks, and thickly wooded areas.

This is a lovely trail that everyone's sure to enjoy!

Discovering Your Town Series: The Trail at the Woods, Allen

It's easy to miss the entrance to The Trail at the Woods if you blink too fast. The entrance is in a suburban residential community, right off of a main thoroughfare into the community.

The trail starts off Rollins Dr, between Longwood and Belhaven Dr. You are plunged right away into a dense hardwood forest. The homes are just a stone's throw away but the dense, lush forest simply transports you to a faraway place.

The trail is a wide paved path but halfway through, you can stroll through smaller, dirt paths that are basically interpretive trails. These are well marked and have informative signage that identifies the trees and plant life in that area. These rough trails are the best part of the Trail at the Woods as they take you deeper into the woodlands and close to Rowlett Creek. There are several lookout points to take in the pretty creek views.

The Wetland trail snakes through swampy land that is important to the ecosystem of this area. There is a small, rough hewn amphitheater with chunky stone benches - a great place to have a campfire if you want to venture out for a night hike and experience the woodlands after dark. Another interpretive trail is the Pecan Grove trail - a dense, wooded trail that loops around back to the main trail.

You can continue on the main trail for about 1/ 2 a mile until it reaches Alma Dr. Once past Alma, the trail connects eventually to the Connemara Nature Preserve, a 72 acre natural habitat filled that is abundant in wildlife, birds, and plant life. But that will be another post.

Stone benches scattered through the trail to rest and experience the habitat

Rowlett Creek Views

Amphitheater

Discovering my town series: Goar Park and Williams Park, Dallas

Goar Park is one of many area parks maintained by the City of Dallas. It is located in the Highland Park area which is a rather exclusive residential community in the metroplex.

I started my walk at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church which is a beautiful Gothic Revival structure built in 1920s. Walking East from the church you will reach Williams Park, a small urban grassy knoll overlooking a pretty pond.

Williams Park is home to the iconic LOVE sculpture created by political pop artist Robert Indiana. This piece is on loan from Pauline and Austin Neuhoff and the city of Dallas and its residents are fortunate to be able to enjoy this public art installation.

As you stroll along the pond, south on Williams Parkway, you will pass the beautiful Highland Park City hall and city offices, well manicured lawns and tastefully landscaped grounds. The City Hall grounds are landscaped with a lovely water feature that meanders along to Goar Park.

Goar Park has large, open grassy areas and a pretty gazebo that stands at the center of the park. This is a popular place for photo shoots. At night,the gazebo is beautifully lit and makes you want to linger and enjoy the quiet, evening hours.

Williams Park and Goar parks are two small parks but it's surrounded by beautiful residential homes that back to Turtle Creek. If you're looking for a short walk along a pretty creek with beautiful landscaping and the chance to enjoy some iconic art installation, head to Goar Park and Williams Park.

Highland Park Presbyterian Church

Iconic public art installation by Robert Indiana

The Gazebo at Goar Park

Turtle Creek

Williams Park

Water feature at City Hall

Beautifully lit gazebo at dusk

Discovering my town series: Cottonwood Creek Trail, Allen

The city of Allen has some of the most beautiful trails in Collin County.
Cottonwood Creek Trail is a 7.5 mile trail that runs through wooded areas, parks, and residential neighborhoods. Heading out from the northern end of the trail from Hwy 121, the trail takes you through towering trees lining Cottonwood Creek that evokes an East coast feel. It continues across busy Stacy Road and the terrain changes to the familiar Texas prairie landscape as it approaches the US-75 underpass.

Past US 75, the trail traverses through a small tract of wooded land before reaching an old unused railroad. This is a high point of the trail, especially for the photo buffs who will enjoy the vibrant graffiti backdrop on the posts and structure supporting the railroad. If you are athletically inclined, you can also climb up to the railway track for some cute albeit cliched pictures.

Cottonwood Creek trail continues from the abandoned railroad to take you to the Allen Stone Dam - a landmark site and a tribute to Allen's early history and growth. The Allen Stone Dam was constructed in 1874 by the Houston and Texas Central Railway Company to provide water supply to steam locomotives. Subsequently a larger dam was constructed near what is now Exchange Parkway to service more rail traffic and the old dam was submerged and forgotten. Flood waters eventually breached the higher dam and lowered the water level which revealed the old stone structure. The Dam is designated as a Texas State Archaeological landmark and listed on the National Register of historic places.

From Allen Station the trail takes on an urban path along soft ball fields, a skateboard park, and eventually ends at the Allen Heritage Village.

So, next time, when you have guests and are wondering how to entertain them don't forget that you can provide them with a a glimpse into our very own bit of local history and culture right here in Allen.

I used to be disappointed that there was not much to explore in the DFW area other than the Sixth Floor Museum and the Reunion Center. But ever since I started scouting my city and the neighboring towns for nature trails, I began to discover a wealth of natural beauty, woodlands, pristine lakes and a whole new way to observe and experience the local history.