Rowlett Nature Trail — Attraction in Dallas

I live on the Nature Trail. It is poorly maintained by the city, I am very sad to say. When we first moved here, they maintained the trail and the grassy areas quite well but maintenance has steadily declined over the years.

The pros: mostly shaded so even on hot days it is not too miserable. Lots of vegetation. You are likely to see all sorts of birds and lizards, possibly a coyote, maybe a snake.

The cons: people walk with their dogs off-leash. I once spent MANY hours on the trail, exploring with my dogs on and off the trail itself, but my leashed dog was attacked by 3 unleashed Great Danes one time, resulting in a very high vet bill and misery for my dog ... and my trips to the trail diminished appreciably. I haven't noticed it as much lately, but for awhile lots of people with off-leash pit bulls were enjoying the trail, which absolutely convinced me i should walk elsewhere with my dogs. The trail is beaten down by use but not by any maintenance by the city. Mowing is sporadic and haphazard. Where there were once tables and benches to be enjoyed by visitors, they have fallen into complete disrepair. There are quite a few copperheads in the area. Luckily they aren't real aggressive, but you do need to be on the...

I've lived in the area for years and years but never set foot on this hidden gem until today. At about 5pm my husky and I showed up and began our hike. The trail was shady, level, and well-kept with only a little trash visible from the path. We loved it. Going from start to end and back, it was the perfect distance to tire my puppy out.

However beware the venomous snakes, there are Copperheads and apparently Cottonmouths that frequent the area. We saw the first on our hike in, a pretty good sized one at that, but didn't see the latter. I believe the other reviewers about the Cottonmouths though, with the shady creek hugging the trail and the pond just down the way it's the perfect place for them. If you are bringing kids or dogs keep them very close to you, don't stare at your phone or get distracted from what's in front of your feet for too long, and stay on the trail. Copperheads blend in well with the trail, especially near sunset, and they strike fast. Have fun and be safe.

Oh, one more thing I'd like to add. The entrance and exit is big enough for only ONE CAR so be careful going in and out off the busy road.

Copperhead we saw will be attached but the quality is a little blurry, apologies. We...

Nice walk of about 1.5 miles in each direction. It took me about 35 minutes in each direction. No real access to the lake. You can kinda see it in a couple spots along the way. Despite the fact that the southern end of the trail appears to end right at the lake when you look at it on the map, you can't even see the water from there -- the brush and trees are too thick.

The trail itself is wide, well established, and level with plenty of shade.

I went on a Sunday morning and had the place to myself until about 9am.

There's not much in the way of nature to see that you won't see in your own neighborhood -- plants, trees, insects, squirrels & birds. I did, however, see a coyote on the trail.

There's plenty of trashcans and a few park benches along the way, but most of them are made of wood and decomposing to the point where they're not...