Great Trinity Forest
Preserving the wilderness within the city limits of Dallas, with possibly the largest urban bottomland hardwood forest in America, is part of the Trinity River Corridor Project's environmental and recreational charter. The boundaries of the forest extend from the Santa Fe Trestle Trail near Corinth Street and Riverfront Boulevard within view of downtown Dallas, to just past IH-20, an eleven-mile stretch of land that basically follows the Trinity River. Once the river leaves the forest, its course continues for another 450 miles down to the Gulf of Mexico.
This long-overlooked environmental resource is now almost exclusively owned by the City of Dallas and the care and management of the land will rest with the City and the interest of its citizens. The Great Trinity Forest is home to groves of urban bottomland hardwood trees, rivaling New York City's Central Park in terms of size and recreational possibilities. Dallas' 6,000 acre Great Trinity Forest overshadows New York's 840 acre Central Park. What's that old saying? Everything is bigger in Texas! With the future addition of equestrian facilities, and the addition of whitewater, nature trails and multipurpose trails to be used for recreation and transportation, boat launches, and trailhead improvements; it should not only be said that everything is bigger in Texas but better, too!
Each month, the forest flourishes with the vibrant colors from any given season punctuated with the grandeur of century-old "trophy trees," the whisper of windswept prairie grass, the rush of migratory water fowl overhead, and the voices of people walking forest trails at the Trinity River Audubon Center, William Blair Jr. Park and the Texas Buckeye Trail. Dallasites and visitors to the area are invited to experience the forest by hiking or biking.
