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Dallas Nature Photos..with Hills!


JasnoDTX

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I realize this is an architectural site but many times natural geography comes up in city discussions. There are some misconceptions/bashing (especially by those outside the state) that Dallas is completely flat and treeless with no bodies of water anywhere (yes someone from ATL actually told me we have no trees) -_-  Seriously? We have one of the largest urban forests in the nation. What kind of drugs are you on? LOL

 

I want to make this thread about the natural side of the Dallas (yes FW okay too <_< )area. Also lakes, hiking and biking trails which we have some of the best! So feel free to share photos.

 

My first photos I would like to share are IN Dallas proper taken in or around the Cedar Ridge Preserve at 7171 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX  This first photo might be kind of a shock that it is in Dallas. It sure surprised me. I did my best to verify. Unless they made a mistake. I apoligize for the size. The following photos are 100% verified. Enjoy.

 

http://eveninsilence.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/9475_landscapecrp1.jpg

 

9475_landscapecrp1.jpg

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I thought Houston had a lot of trees.. Then I went to Atlanta. I could see why they assume Dallas "doesn't have any trees". Not many places do compared to ATL. Nice pictures! I didn't realize people thought Dallas was flat.

You do have pretty good outdoor opportunities, but then again so does Houston? Not sure I would call them "some of the best!" Though.

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I thought Houston had a lot of trees.. Then I went to Atlanta. I could see why they assume Dallas "doesn't have any trees". Not many places do compared to ATL. Nice pictures! I didn't realize people thought Dallas was flat.

You do have pretty good outdoor opportunities, but then again so does Houston? Not sure I would call them "some of the best!" Though.

 

The Atlantean that told me that had never even been to Dallas. haha. Though I can compare ATL because My Dad lives in Blue Ridge, GA. with a gorgeous property in the Mnts. been through ATL a few times.

 

Yes many online comments say Dallas is flat but most of those are on youtube hating on Dallas for one reason or another. We are not as hilly as Austin but we have the tail north end of the Austin Chaulk outcropping(?) Which gives us a taste in the SW part of the city.

 

/Not sure I would call them "some of the best!/ I was referring to the biking/hiking trails. They are very extensive and fun. Just when think youre finished you'll see another link to another trail system and another...etc. I heard marathon bikers go around the whole city multiple times for training. No mountains but the off-road bike trails take use of the hills in the south.

 

Im sure Houston has something similar.

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The Atlantean that told me that had never even been to Dallas. haha. Though I can compare ATL because My Dad lives in Blue Ridge, GA. with a gorgeous property in the Mnts. been through ATL a few times.

 

Yes many online comments say Dallas is flat but most of those are on youtube hating on Dallas for one reason or another. We are not as hilly as Austin but we have the tail north end of the Austin Chaulk outcropping(?) Which gives us a taste in the SW part of the city.

 

/Not sure I would call them "some of the best!/ I was referring to the biking/hiking trails. They are very extensive and fun. Just when think youre finished you'll see another link to another trail system and another...etc. I heard marathon bikers go around the whole city multiple times for training. No mountains but the off-road bike trails take use of the hills in the south.

 

Im sure Houston has something similar.

heh. sorry, i re-read my post and kind of came off like a dick. they are great trails. some of the pictures remind me of Cameron Park in Waco, which apparently has some of the best mountain biking in the state? the pictures look fantastic, Houston definitely doesnt have the terrain of DFW. but we do have some surprising variation in terrain in Memorial Park and along the bayous, given the flatness of Houston. as part of the Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative, we are adding 80 new miles of hike/bike trails along undeveloped bayou frontage, connecting into existing pathways along the bayous to form 150 miles of hike/bike trails along the bayous; and then hundreds of new miles of bike paths along utility ROWs (are they going to implement that program in Dallas? its a fantastic use of existing/underused land), forming a sort of bicycle highway grid around the city.

http://houstonparksboard.org/bgi/2020/

 

 

 

  1. 1,500 acres of new and equitably distributed parkland parcels to provide continuous greenspaces along bayous within the Houston City limits – the majority of these new parcels will remain as nature areas with minimal capital improvements.
  2. 80 miles of new, thoughtfully designed, all-weather trails and trail-related amenities (such as trailheads, landscaping, benches) along bayous to fill-in gaps for a total of 150 miles of bayou trails. The trails will connect all existing and new parkland along the bayous to each other, and will either directly connect to, or enable connections to transit facilities in close proximity, existing sidewalks, existing bikelanes, and existing multi-purpose trails.

http://usa.streetsblog.org/2014/07/29/houstons-plan-to-make-bicycle-interstates-out-of-its-utility-network/

 

 

 

In May, the city inked an agreement with CenterPoint Energy, owner of some 500 miles of utility rights-of-way across Houston. The agreement provides the city with free access to these spaces, some 140 of which are high-voltage lines with very tall towers and wide rights of way, which are well suited for trails.

 

...

Besides the low cost of land acquisition, the project has another important selling point: It complements the Bayou Greenways plan. As we reported last week, Houston plans to add 300 miles of trails and 4,000 acres of parkland along its 10 major natural bayous. But since most of the bayous are oriented east-west, the plan has limitations from a transportation standpoint.

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Wow! Hard to beileve that those are in Dallas. I have noticed that Texas is much more hilly and green then I thought myself. I am use to the terrain of the Houston-Bryan-College Station area, but the further north you go the less flatness you see.

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Is Dallas on the tail end of the Austin Chalk, or is it some how in the very fringe of the Arbuckle Mts of Oklahoma, or the Quacita's of Oklahoma/Arkansas?  I'm curious.

 

Nice pictures by the way.

 

It's the tail end of the Austin Chalk. Arbuckle is too far north. :D

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Dallas has to be closer to the Arbuckle's than greater Austin?  But I just looked up a Geological Map of Texas and it would seem that indeed the Austin Chalk runs through the Dallas area.  Not much of it, but enough.

Good to know.  Never knew that.  Thanks for the pics.

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From the interchange of I-20 at Spur 408 on a clear day you can see the Fort Wort skyline some 35 miles away. This area of forest and hills are in southwest Dallas and into the suburb of Cedar Hill. This is the highest area in DFW. That is why the TV towers are in Cedar Hill. Fort Worth has more hills but not the highest.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=16&ved=0CC4QFjAP&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdfwfreeways.com%2Fpages%2Faerial%2F20_spur408.aspx&ei=tJI2VJTeFdanyATC5YIg&usg=AFQjCNFTRUAH2UfS4Vn5CVbXrK2HPxVd2g

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  • 3 months later...

Nice pics, Jasno.  The one of Dallas Trinity Trails -- with all the antennae -- reminds me of the view from west Austin, across the Colorado toward Westlake Hills, except a lot greener!

 

The winter shots are also impressive ... never saw Dallas like that!

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Nice pics, Jasno.  The one of Dallas Trinity Trails -- with all the antennae -- reminds me of the view from west Austin, across the Colorado toward Westlake Hills, except a lot greener!

 

The winter shots are also impressive ... never saw Dallas like that!

 

Yep I really like the Austin area hill country. This photo was taken on the Dallas/Cedar Hill border. I believe those antennae are on the Cedar Hill side.

 

Yea those are good winter shots too. We usually get snow at least once a winter but only a few inches at most. Of course we had a "blizzard" during the Super Bowl a few years ago. :D Visiting celebs complained that they thought North Texas was supposed to be sunny lol

 

Check this nice aerial vid out with the city under "snow"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57jDSXk9Q84

 

We've had NO snow this winter which is dissappointing. I hoping it doesnt foreshadow a scorcher this summer.:/

 

.

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  • 9 months later...

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