Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
entrance of Reverchon Park at 3535 Maple Ave. From the park's parking lot, walk to-
ward Turtle Creek. Exit at the stone bridge and veer right on the trail, passing play-
grounds on the right. The trail winds up a hill by a stone pavilion to the Katy Trail.
GPS: N32 48.078' / W96 48.625'
The Hike
Located on the old railbed of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, or MKT, Railroad (nicknamed Katy for
short), this trail was born in 1997 to preserve the narrow greenbelt and create an urban path traveling
north from downtown Dallas to posh Highland Park and beyond. The 12-foot-wide concrete path is
supplemented by an 8-foot-wide soft-surface trail for pedestrians in many but not all areas.
One of the easiest places to access the trail is from Reverchon Park, where the Friends of the Katy
Trail, a volunteer organization of more than 1,200 enthusiasts, raised more than $1.5 million to con-
struct an elaborate stone entrance. The trail actually begins 0.5 mile to the south. If time permits, you
can take a right at the trailhead and hike the short distance to enjoy a view of downtown Dallas and the
American Airlines Center.
From the Reverchon entrance, simply veer left and start heading north, walking between upscale
apartment and office buildings on the right and leafy Turtle Creek on the left. The trail is a straight
shot, with no street crossings up to Knox Street, the border of Highland Park. Mileage markers are em-
bedded in the trail every 0.25 mile, beginning at the American Airlines Center. From the south the
markers go up to 3.5 miles and then return to zero.
The trail is very well populated—crowded even on weekends and after work—making it feel relat-
ively safe during those times. Dallas Police officers patrol the trail on bikes, and Friends of the Katy
Trail can be spotted making the rounds on a golf cart. In 2008 the city added “911” markers every one-
eighth mile along a 3.5-mile stretch of the trail. At the bottom of these markers, labeled KT-100
through KT-125, are numbers indicating the GPS coordinates to help determine your location in an
emergency—the Katy Trail doesn't have an official address.
The trail continues to grow, spreading north from Highland Park to Southern Methodist University,
and should eventually connect to the Mockingbird DART Station and a trail heading east to White
Rock Lake. The trail is great for people watching—both fellow hikers and cyclists on the trail and res-
idents perched on patios overlooking the trail. (Some upscale developments now use the trail as an
amenity to boost adjacent property prices.)
As you cross over Cedar Springs Road, take a look to your left toward Turtle Creek at the pinkish
building styled like a sixteenth-century Italian Renaissance villa. That's the luxurious Mansion on
Turtle Creek hotel, where rock stars and other celebrities routinely hang their hats—and perhaps hit
the trail.
