The Katy Trail is one of Dallas’ most popular outdoor areas. The trail is a 3.5 mile 12 foot wide concrete path with a parallel 8 foot wide 3.1 mile soft surface trail running through the heart of Dallas, running from Southern Methodist University to the American Airlines Center and Victory Park.

Twenty years ago, there was no Katy Trail path but the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad often refereed to as “The Katy”. In 1988 MKT was bought by Union Pacific and the line was abandoned shortly after. In 1996 Union Pacific gifted the line to the City of Dallas and with the closing of the Mrs Baird’s bread factory at the tip of the trail in 2002, the site was fully abandoned with no specific use. The area became a hangout for the homeless and a place where drug deals and other illegal trades took place, so the city needed to find a remedy to remove this situation. The city narrowed down the use of the area between a DART rail line and a public park and ultimately it became a park with the rail line going under 75 instead.

At the tip of the trail at Airline, you find a gravel area on one side of the road and the trail on the other. The trail has a nice marker which states that you’re either at the 3 1/2 mile mark or the 0 mile. As you continue down the trail you notice the abundance of trees and greenery hence the term “Katy Trail Greenbelt”.

Soon, you pass Abbot Park and reach the first major intersection with Knox Street. There are metal poles which make nature sound effects near the crosswalk creating a unique spot. When you touch the poles they make the noise making this area a fun spot to rest.

After Knox, you cross the bridge over Fitzhugh, where there is a dirt trail leading down to the road if you wish to stop at 7-11, and you will come into a bamboo forest. At the edge of the bamboo are a few paths down to Dean Park on Turtle Creek and the Dallas Theater Center. This park is usually fairly empty and you have a nice hill to ride down enjoy the scenery.

Continuing south, you will come to Snyder’s Union which has benches, water fountains and a ramp to Lee Park. The ramp is made of perforated metal  and can be fun to ride down but slow coming back up. This ramp IS NOT skateboard friendly, so if you wish to go down to the park, walk down the ramp. If you follow the sidewalks down the creek, you will eventually come to Reverchon Park where you can chose to go back and link up with the Katy Trail.

After Snyder’s Union, you will come to the famous Katy Trail Ice House, a favorite hangout among the young in Dallas. Here you can grab some free water from igloo coolers or try to sprint as fast as you can to make the your speed meter turn on(I have made it work once out of 20 or 30 attempts in the past few months).

Soon after the ice house, you will notice some construction which is where Hillwood Plaza is being constructed. Hillwood Plaza will be similar to Reverchon in that it looks out over a park area at Turtle Creek and it will link to Perot Systems’ new headquarters.

Shortly after the construction you will come to Reverchon Park and the Reverchon overlook. Behind the park sign are brick stairs which lead down to the creek and the far edge of the park. There are also some single track dirt trails going down into the park right before you reach the overlook. If you go down these trails be aware of the stray rock which can send you over your handle bars. At the overlook, there are water fountains, benches and open areas where you will see everything from yoga to skateboarders in training.

After you cross the next bridge, you’re on the final leg of the trail. Above, you’ll see the waterfall billboard that faces 35 and you will be in an area which feels urban but secluded at the same time. There is a mini plaza where you can take the sidewalk down towards the Trinity Strand Trail or you can continue straight for the final leg of the trail. This leg is a fun spot to race friends and relax. At the end your in front of the historic magnolia station, the former distribution center for Magnolia Oil.

Make sure to stop by the Katy Trail now that the weather is beginning to cool. Give me a shout out with your favorite place and I might review it for my next ‘Out and About in Dallas.’