Established over 20 years ago, Katy Trail is a 3.5-mile urban walking and biking path built out of an abandoned railroad line. While the walking trail has existed for over two decades, it seems Dallasites are now just realizing that (1) It’s there and (2) That it’s amazing. Check out our article below to find out more about the Katy Trail in Dallas.
Located in the heart of Dallas, the Katy Trail is a scenic 12-foot-wide path connecting Victory Park off the American Airlines Center to Mockingbird Station across 3.5 miles. The trail was built out of the former Union Pacific Railroad Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad corridor established in 1865. As the route was known as “MKT”, locals would begin to refer to its as “K-T’ eventually landing on the name “Katy”.
In 1993, the City of Dallas received the abandoned railway as a donation by Union Pacific. By the mid ’90s, the community decided to convert the space into an urban trail which was ultimately achieved in 1997.
Today, the trail serves as a green corridor connecting parts of Oak Lawn with Uptown. While there are multiple entry points throughout the trail, the north and south trailheads are located SMU/Mockingbird Station adjacent to the DART light rail station and off Victory Station at 2620 Katy Trail, respectively.
The urban trail provides a scenic setting for joggers, cyclists, walkers, and rollerbladers. In addition to lush green scape, the trail is adorned with vibrant art pieces from local artists.
Furthermore, the trail is located in proximity to a number of other Dallas parks including Turtle Creek Park and Lakeside Park, home to scenic pathways and life-sized granite teddy bears.
If driving there, visitors can park at Reverchon Park at 3505 Maple Avenue near the southern trailhead. Due to its status as a park, the Katy Trial is open from 5 am to 11 pm daily.