When people talk about what Dallas/Fort Worth is known for, they often mention restaurants, shopping, bars and The Real Housewives. In the past two years, I have discovered something DFW should be known for…an expansive system of biking/pedestrian trails that can inspire even the most discerning nature enthusiasts.
It’s called the Veloweb. These are a system of winding trails that can take you from one end of the Metroplex to the other. Having spent a lot of time exploring these trails, I can say that I now have a completely different perspective of DFW and I grew up here. I have learned about the history of various parts of the city that I had never heard of. For example, one day my boyfriend and I were biking on the Campion Trails in Irving and we noticed an old bridge that we had just crossed. A few feet off of the path there was a historical marker, we had to stop and read it. We learned that the trail we were on was one of the getaway paths that Bonnie and Clyde used to elude the police. Bonnie wrote about it in a poem and she called it “The Great Irving Divide.”
While biking the Trinity Strand Trail, which runs through the Dallas Design District and follows the Old Trinity River channel, I learned about the great flood of Dallas in 1908. The flood killed five people, displaced more than 4,000 residents and cost Dallas millions of dollars in property damage. In remembrance of the flood, the city erected a blue steam beam marking the crest of the river when it reached a jaw dropping 52 feet during the flood. I had seen that beam many times and I never knew what it represented until I biked the trail.
The history and beauty is not just noticeable on the Dallas trails. If you have time, head over to Fort Worth and bike along the Trinity River. Depending on how far out you go, you’ll see parts of the city barely touched by society. You’ll almost forget where you are. I would advise anyone who wants to truly see the Metroplex to hop on a bike, grab a friend and explore.
