Friends of Northaven Trail Celebrates Opening of New Section
The Friends of Northaven Trail celebrated the opening of the latest section of the trail on Feb. 15 with a ribbon-cutting and festivities on the trail, at the portion that runs alongside the Semones Family YMCA on Northaven Road.
The newest open section is phase 2A, which means the trail now connects more than eight miles from Valleydale Drive near U.S. Highway 75 on the east side with Monroe Drive on the west side.
The trail is a commuter and recreational bike and hike trail that is built and maintained by Dallas Parks and Recreation and will run from U.S. Highway 75 to Denton Drive, with an eventual connection to the White Rock Creek Trail and Irving’s Campion Trail.
The Friends of Northaven Trail also announced that Kevin Sloan Studio has been commissioned to design a master plan for the trail that will be environmentally friendly and lead the community in conservation efforts. Sloane is an internationally recognized expert in rewilding, and his plans include integrating stands of Blackland prairie grasses and wildflowers with garden sections built to attract butterflies and other pollinators as well as hummingbirds and migrating songbirds.
“The carefully curated landscape of native plants and ornaments will resemble flowing slices of the original North Texas Blackland prairie, punctuated by ornamental gardens,” the organization said.
“Rewilding landscapes with self-sustaining cultures of native plants is an approach to landscape design that is sweeping the world,” said Sloan.”Transforming ornamental landscapes and their extensive maintenance with rewilded landscapes is part of a revolution that is sweeping the world. It’s a privilege to be part of shaping its future with the community.”
For more about the trail, click here.
