We’re excited to share that The Loop Dallas has expanded its efforts to make Dallas’ trail system safer, more accessible and more enjoyable for everyone. Last month, we kicked off a new collaboration with Greenspace Dallas and the Dallas Park and Recreation Department to actively clear trail corridors across the city—ensuring a cleaner and more vibrant trail experience for all Dallas residents and visitors. You can already check out the awesome progress on the SoPac Trail and in the photos below.
More Users, More Trails, Less Maintenance
In addition to expanding the city’s trail network with the ongoing development of a 50-mile trail system around the city’s core, The Loop Dallas is taking it one step further—committing to making capital improvements to reduce the City’s and Friends’ groups maintenance burden across the entire Dallas trail network.
The focus will be on ensuring that the trails are visible and free of invasive species that can block sight lines and cause safety hazards. One of the key goals is to clear invasive plants like privet, which have long been a problem on many trails in Dallas.
Why Clearing Privet Matters
Privet, an aggressive and invasive plant, has been choking Dallas trails for years. Its dense growth creates dangerous blind spots that compromise trail safety and user experience, outcompeting native plants and diminishing the overall health of our green spaces and local ecosystems.
In teaming up with Greenspace Dallas, we’ll be tackling this problem head-on, which will help to restore these areas to a more sustainable state. This work means clearer, safer and more scenic trails—giving families, runners, bike riders and nature lovers alike a more enjoyable experience on the trails.
A Safer, More Connected Dallas
Active trails are safe trails. When more people are using the trails—whether walking, biking or enjoying nature—there’s a stronger sense of community and a greater sense of safety. By improving the visibility of the trails and reducing hazardous blind spots, we hope to encourage even more people to get outside and engage with the green spaces around them.
It is also an essential step toward reducing environmental hazards in areas where invasive species have created dense underbrush, often leading to piles of trash or encampments. These encampments can pose significant health and safety risks and are often found in areas where natural spaces have been overtaken by non-native plants, making them difficult to navigate and prone to improper waste disposal.
By enhancing the safety, aesthetics and overall health of our trails, we’re excited to be creating a more connected and sustainable community for all.
Safe Rides Ahead: Stress-Free Routes Without the Worry of Traffic
In other news—if you haven’t seen it yet on our social media, check out our latest MyDallas Trail Story from attorney and avid trail user, Nathan Cox. Nathan lives in Little Forest Hills and talks about how much safer it is for him to get from his house to the trail system now that the Trinity Forest Spine Trail is open.
He also shares the heartwarming way his sister inspired him to use the trails. Click the photo below to read the full story—and if you’re a trail user yourself, we would love to feature you. If you’re interested in contributing, feel free to email info@theloopdallas.org or direct message us on Instagram at @theloopdallas.
As always, we sincerely appreciate your support. Let’s keep making Dallas a better, more connected place—one trail at a time.
See you on the trails,
Philip Hiatt Haigh
Executive Director
The Loop Dallas
