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A Primer on DFW's Regional Trails also known as the VeloWeb

Updated: Jun 7

A silhouette of bicycles in the foreground with an orange sunset backdrop and text on the bottom reading "Drive less, bike more"

New Word: Agglomeration

Definition: A large group of many different things collected or brought together


See? You can always learn something new!

The agglomeration of all the North Texas regional trails is called the VeloWeb. The two regional trails that are closest to Northwest Dallas are the Discovery Trail to Fort Worth and the Denton-to-Dallas trail. As the bird flies, Bachman Lake Trail is only a half-mile away from the Campion and, subsequently, the regional trails! The Campion is a key trail within the Veloweb. In addition to enabling access to Denton, it has connectors to the Discovery trail and to the Cotton Belt trail.


However, there is no easy way to access the Campion, so Friends of Bachman Lake successfully fought for funding for the connection analysis. The study to facilitate this connection from Bachman Lake Trail to the Campion Trail in Irving was funded earlier this year. You can read more details about it in our blog post.


In this article, we have provided the links to the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) trail descriptions. Simply click on the image to link to the file or use the URL below the image. The most recent maps were updated in January of this year. If you want to zoom in and understand each map, these are the links to use.


Let's deep dive into those regional trails!


Denton to Dallas Regional Trail


The Campion Trail in Irving is part of a larger regional trail designed to go from Denton all the way to Dallas. The trail alignment intersects the Cotton Belt Regional Trail and the Discovery Trail. The entire corridor is approximately 52 miles from Downtown Denton to Downtown Dallas.



Fort Worth to Dallas Regional Trail aka The Discovery Trail


In 2013, NCTCOG convened the mayors of the five core cities of the Dallas-Fort Worth Region: Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving, and Dallas -  to discuss the idea of a continuous regional trail from Downtown Fort Worth to Downtown Dallas.  The concept was to leverage existing trails and connect them, for a total of regional connector 66 miles long.


DFW Discovery Trail
Click on image to view full PDF file


Plano to Fort Worth Regional Trail aka The Cotton Belt


This regional trail corridor will connect Plano and Fort Worth. The trail corridor generally follows a portion of the planned Silver Line rail. The trail will intersect with three other regional trails including the Discovery trail, the Dallas to McKinney regional trail and the Denton to Dallas (think Campion) regional trail. The total mileage of the corridor from Downtown Plano to Fort Worth is approximately 56.95 miles. 


Cotton Belt Regional Trail
Click on image for full PDF file


McKinney to Dallas

This 79 mile trail provides a connection between Downtown Dallas and Historic Downtown McKinney. Along the way the corridor links several key destinations including Downtown Richardson, Downtown Plano and the Allen Central Business District. A total of 79 miles of trails are identified in the corridor, with the most direct alignment from Downtown Dallas to Downtown McKinney approximately 40 miles in distance. Approximately 61 miles of trails in the corridor are existing and another three miles are funded for construction. The remaining 15 miles need funding for construction.


Dallas to McKinney Regional Trail
Click on image for full PDF file


No Trail Left Behind

Connecting the vast network of trails will create a unique way of traversing major population centers in the most green way possible! This is why connecting to the nearest trails from Bachman Lake has always been a key goal for our group. Imagine Bachman Lake being a main hub for bike enthusiasts looking to connect to another regional trail. It's like an airport hub, only prettier, quieter and healthier!


Agglomeration? We can get onboard with that!


 

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