Dallas partnering with nonprofit to create off-road bike trails

Dallas is getting a new off-road bike trail system thanks to an agreement between the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, and nonprofit the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association.

The 10-year agreement will allow the association to develop, operate and maintain off-road bike trails at several parks across the city, including Harry S. Moss Park in Lake Highlands and Creekside Park in East Dallas. Dallas City Council approved the agreement during its May 10 meeting.

Philip Hiatt Haigh, executive director of The Loop Dallas and member of the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association, spoke during the council meeting, saying the agreement will allow for the maintenance of trails and the addition of new cycling-focused facilities. The first of those facilities will be Creekside Park, a 50-acre tract of land about 1 mile south of White Rock Lake. The land will become the city’s first soft-surface mountain biking trail and skills park.

“This is something Dallas is doing to stay competitive, to bring national best practices and make this the center of our park system,” Hiatt Haigh said during the May 10 meeting.

Creekside Park will surround the north phase of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, which connects the Santa Fe Trail at White Rock Lake to the Trinity Forest trail system, according to the association. The new park and trails will focus on skill development for new riders and youth to practice their skills safely in a controlled environment, according to a news release.

Through the agreement, the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association is responsible for funding the trails. The organization has selected Singletrack Trails, a Colorado-based trail-building company to design the trails, according to the news release.