There are a lot of great places to hike around North Texas but sometimes you want to take a more leisurely stroll on a walking path in a beautiful location. We’ve selected five of our favorite walking paths in this region where you can enjoy the nature without worrying too much about the difficulty of the terrain.

 

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The Northeast Texas Trail / Rail Trail / Chaparral Trail

Farmersville (Northeast of DFW)
Click here for the Google Map

This 130-mile long walking path follows an old railroad bed from the town of Farmersville through Paris and all the way to New Boston near the Arkansas border. The trail is known as the Northeast Texas Trail but may also be referred to as the Rail Trail or the Chaparral Trail. Each town along the trail is responsible for the upkeep and some do a better job than others. The start of the trail in Farmersville is a wonderful example of trail management done right. The 5 miles from the Farmersville trailhead to the town of Merit is a wonderful, relaxing and beautiful stroll. Most of the paths in this stretch are paved and surrounded by trees and are truly some of the best and most relaxed walking paths in North Texas.

 

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Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

Sherman (North of DFW)
Click here for the Google Map

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is 11,320 acres of marshes, creeks, woodlands, and prairies on the southern edge of Lake Texoma. There are five hiking trails in this area and most, if not all, are easy walks with well-trimmed and maintained paths and without a lot of steep grades. Haller’s Haven Trail is a 2.7 mile round trip trail that is a particular favorite of ours. Do be aware, however, that there are snakes in the area and as it gets closer to sundown you are more likely to see them. One particular evening we encountered five different snakes on our way back to our car and on the drive out of the park.

 

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Mineola Nature Preserve

Mineola (East of DFW)
Click here for the Google Map

Mineola Nature Preserve is almost 3,000 acres with 20+ miles of paved or well-maintained dirt & grass paths. You can walk through the varied landscape of marshes, fields and wooded areas and check out the the local wildlife, which includes alligators! You can read our full post for more details about this one-of-a-kind park.

 

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Farmers Branch

Farmers Branch (Northwest of Dallas)
Click here for the Google Map

Start at the Farmers Branch Historical Park and enjoy a nice walk around some recreations of old buildings like a church, school, gas station and train depot. From there, cross Farmers Branch Lane to the walking path that runs north alongside the DART track. Enjoy a pleasant stroll among the trees and ponds on your way to Gussie Field Watterworth Park and continue on to the Rose Gardens of Farmers Branch. This is a really wonderful walking path with some real variation in sights.

 

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Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve / Suncreek Park

Allen (North of Dallas)
Click here for the Google Map

Suncreek Park is a pretty standard North Texas suburban park with the usual paved walking paths running alongside a creek. But what sets this area apart is the Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve, which is accessible from the Suncreek Park paths. After strolling through the wooded paths of The Trail at the Woods on the western side of Alma Drive, follow the path under the road into Suncreek Park and then onto the Connemara Meadow conservancy. This 72-acre meadow is maintained by volunteers who are working to restore native grasses and preserve wildlife habitats. You can wander the area on well-maintained paths mowed into the fields.

As we said before, there’s really no shortage of nice places to walk around North Texas but we hope that you’ll give each of these places an opportunity as each one represents a special and unique experience without the physical exertion.