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RIVER LEGACY PARK |
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River Legacy Park is near the geographic
center of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It is a
multi-use park; part nature preserve, part
playfield, part picnic
place, part wedding pavilion, part jogging, walking, biking and
blading park, with miles of trails, both paved and unpaved. And
mountain bike trails. |
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click a thumbnail to view a photo Summer of 2012 River Legacy Park updated its kid's playground to an imaginative, unique, fun-looking new attraction. |
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The Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk cancer awareness event took place over the October 27-29, 2006 weekend, headquartered at River Legacy Park. A huge event covering the entire main playfields with a blue sea of tents housing the thousands of walkers. It was an impressive sight. Here we are looking through the trees at just one small section of the sea of tents. |
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Click here for a Map &
Directions to River Legacy Park |
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A new bridge has been built across the Trinity River to give access to miles of new trails and a wildlife area. And the Enchanted Forest of Dallas/Fort Worth. |
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Looking down on the Trinity River from the Golden Gate-like colored new bridge. | |||
This may be one of the most attractive
bridges in North Texas.
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Eyes
on Texas has captured one of the River Legacy Bobcats. Click here if you want to rush ahead to see the Bobcat |
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Click here for a Map &
Directions to River Legacy Park |
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A short distance from the above bridge we come upon a family of young Armadillos, oblivious to humans, busy eating bugs with their anteater-like snouts. | |||
Here we see the above Armadillo's 4 siblings digging for ants at the side of the trail. It is not known if any other states have a state mammal. But in Texas the Armadillo is the State Mammal of Texas. The Armadillo may also be the State Roadkill of Texas, too, but that may not be an official designation. | |||
Following the yellow-striped road (trail) it looks like flat West Texas. You'd never guess you are in the heart of one of America's most populated metropolitan areas. | |||
It is early May, wildflower season. The new River Legacy Trinity Trails follow the river on the right, with a series of lakes on the left. | |||
As we near the entry to the Enchanted Forest we see a lone old sentinel guarding the trail, surrounded by wildflowers. | |||
Another view. | |||
Long dead, gnarled, vine-covered trees appear menacing as we enter the Enchanted Forest. | |||
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Click here for a Map & Directions to River Legacy Park |
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Biking into the part of the trail described above as the Enchanted Forest, Eyes on Texas captured a River Legacy Bobcat. We were able to take 7 digital photos before the Bobcat disappeared into the jungle. The Bobcat was a very cooperative model. At first it stared. And then walked towards us for just a couple feet. But then personal grooming was more important, so the Bobcat ignored us and took a quick tongue bath. After that it walked slowly across the trail, glancing back a couple times and then leaping into the grass, not to be seen again. | |||
On the morning of a day which was to end with the worst
storm to hit north Texas in many years, initiating floods
which continue halfway to the start of summer, with hurricane force
winds causing the most massive power outage in Texas history, we came upon the same Bobcat
we saw a week before. This time
between milepost 3 and 4. We were on roller blades and got much closer before we stopped. And we were able to take way more photos.
The Bobcat led us down the trail for about 100 feet before it leapt
into the brush. |
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River Legacy Park has added signs along side the new section of trail, pointing out the wildlife you may see, ranging from raccoons to foxes to beavers to hawks to tarantulas and many others. There seems to be one animal missing, that being a sign for the armadillos. | |||
The sign near the trailhead of the mountain bike trail in River Legacy Park. If you find this sign, you've found the mountain bike trail. It was on these trails that Eyes on Texas had our first encounter with a River Legacy Bobcat. Unfortunately, we did not have the camera on the bike that time. A mistake we would not make again.. | |||
Click
here for a Map & Directions to River Legacy Park |
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The jungle grows lush. The cacophony of birds singing becomes ever louder as we enter the Enchanted Forest of River Legacy Park. | |||
We come upon the Hurricane Creek Bridge in the Enchanted Forest. Looking down from the bridge we see what appear to be either cougar, black panther or bobcat pawprints. | |||
We climb down to investigate the paw prints. You can see them on the left side of the dried up creek. Tracking experts claim the paw prints look like raccoon prints. | |||
The trail
briefly leaves the heavily jungled area where we come upon this fearsome
reptile. You don't want to meet up with one of these when you are
swimming in a Texas lake. Ones first impression upon meeting a turtle
head eye to eye when swimming is not that you are being chased by a
turtle, instead it looks like a snake head is coming right at you.
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The sign telling you to look for Texas Brown Tarantulas. We have not seen one of these in River Legacy Park. We have seen on in Cedar Hills State Park south of Dallas. | |||
Back into the jungle. | |||
Where we come upon
another reptile. This time of the snake variety.
[You'll probably need to use the scroll bars to see all of the snake below] |
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Boyd Branch is the last bridge to cross before the end of the trail. | |||
And here we see the end of the trail,
within a short distance of Highway 360, the road that divides the
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The paved trail will soon connect with
Trinity Trails coming from Dallas. The completion of a few more miles of
trails in the Fort Worth section of the Trinity will enable bikers,
hikers, bladers and walkers to travel between Dallas and Fort Worth free
of dealing with cars. The paved trail ends but there are unpaved trails
that continue.
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Click
here for a Map & Directions to River Legacy Park |
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The Official River Legacy Website | |||
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Visit our Eyes on Texas Blog
to make a comment about River Legacy |
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HOME TEXAS TOWNS PARADES | |||
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BIG BEND COUNTRY | |||
GULF COAST PINEY WOODS | |||
PRAIRIE & LAKES HILL COUNTRY | |||
SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS | |||
PANHANDLE PLAINS | |||
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Ballpark in Arlington | |||
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