Cottonwood Trail at Cottonwood Park

Dallas's Cottonwood Trail begins at Cottonwood Park and stretches about 3 miles to White Rock Creek and Lake. The park is a 5-acre swath of land with outdoor sports facilities, picnic area and a couple of trails. The Cottonwood Trail is concrete, and accommodates two-way traffic, with parking at the trailhead just south of Spring Valley Road. 

The trail will take you on a voyage through green lawns, ornamental and shade trees, flowers and flowering shrubs. You'll be accompanied by many birds, so if you're a bird-watcher, don't forget your binoculars and camera. Your fur-pup will be fascinated by the butterflies and bees darting from blossom to blossom in the spring and summer, along with squirrels and other small furry creatures. 

An attractive feature of this trail is that it follows a popular greenway connecting several parks and neighborhoods in North Dallas, Richardson and Plano. But arguably most unique feature about the Cottonwood Trail is its passage beneath Dallas's famed High Five Interchange, where five highways, some raised as high as a twelve-story building, interconnect and crisscross far above you as you walk. But as urban as this trail is, it's a quiet respite from ground level traffic and the hustle and bustle of downtown. Many benches and other resting places line the trail, and pausing under the High Five's shadows provides much-needed shade on that section of the path.

There is water available at one of Cottonwood Park's drinking fountains, so be sure to bring water or fill your bottle there before setting out. Also be prepared to bring waste bags for anything your pup leaves behind. 

Many find the easy, almost flat terrain of the Cottonwood Trail to be the pawrfect place for walkies with the pup, and perhaps a picnic lunch at the park before embarking or after returning to the car. Its value as a connector among other area parks draws others looking for a way to bypass downtown streets. It's furtastic!