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 your Town: Nature Trails

It's interesting that it took me only   20 years to find out that there was an abundance of beautiful trails within miles of where we lived. I could chalk that down to the hectic lives that we lead especially with two young children or maybe the lack of interest in spending time outdoors. Either way, I'm glad that I have the opportunity, time, and inclination now to discover, explore and enjoy these bounteous offerings of nature.

The topography of North Texas does not lend itself to those gorgeous East Coast rolling hills vistas but it has its own charm. There are several pockets of land in the North Texas area that are dottted with woods and teeming with wildlife.

One such trail is the Taychas trail in Frisco which is found alongside the West Rowlett Creek corridor. The well paved and shaded 2 mile trail is flanked by, mostly, tall, stately deciduous trees. You can catch glimpses of the limestone bed of the West Rowlett Creek as you take a stroll. Parts of the trail open up to grassy knolls and a children's park before converging again into the woods. There is a Limestone Quarry Park towards the southern part of the trail close to SH 121 which is prettied up with a small pond, fountain, and a scattering of benches to rest.

The trail ends at SH 121 but I caught sight of some construction work recently and I hope that means that the trail is being extended to connect to the Rowlett Creek Trail south of 121.

There's plenty of flora and fauna for all nature lovers and there are some off-the-road short trails that you could take if you are looking for more adventure. I caught a glimpse of a great blue heron on one of my walks. You never know what you will find unless you are out there looking. So go forth and explore and don't discount those urban nature trails - they provide a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of life.
Photos are from the trail during Fall and winter. The trail looks completely different in Spring and Summer with all the lush greenery and  the soothing sounds of the creek. That will be another post for another day.

The beautiful winding trail in winter

Taychas Trail, Frisco

Limestone banks of the West Rowlett Creek