Growing up, my dad and I used to ride bikes around Bachman Lake and I would ride with friends in the neighborhood. Around age 14, I started riding my bike to friends’ houses and to St. Mark’s, gaining a new sense of independence. That’s when my love of cycling really began.
When you learn those skills as a child, they stick with you. I remember getting a flat tire back then and taking it to Dallas Bike Works — all these years later, I still take my bike there. That experience turned into a sense of community that’s stayed with me.
My name is Korey Mack and this is My Dallas Trail Story. I’m the Director of Student Recruitment at St. Marks School of Texas and the local network of trails is central to my story because I began commuting to work over five years ago from Buckner Terrace to Preston Hollow. A year and a half ago, I moved to Lake Highlands, where one of the primary amenities is having direct access to the White Rock Creek Trail.
I commute to work or use the trails for exercise most days, walking about 50 steps out my front door to get rolling. Now, I ride about 12 miles from Lake Highlands to St. Mark’s. Along the way, I’ve had those refreshing moments of discovery — finding alternate routes and realizing just how connected the city can be.
Over time, I’ve also transitioned into running about five miles at a time. Having safe, accessible routes like the SoPac, White Rock Creek, Lake Highlands, Northaven and Trinity Forest Spine Trails in my regular rotation is essential. My wife and I even love incorporating them into everyday errands, walking to places like Casita.
I actually met my wife for a first date at Flagpole Hill — we walked south down the White Rock Creek Trail to a park bench on the shore of White Rock Lake to enjoy the full moon and a variety of wildlife on a cool winter evening in 2024. Just over a year later, we decided to get married at Winfrey Point because of how central the WRC and running/cycling around White Rock Lake had become in our lives.
From my early days at Bachman Lake to the shores of White Rock Lake with my wife, these trails haven’t just connected the city for me — they’ve connected the chapters of my life.
