13 years. That's how long it's been since a 64-mile pedestrian trail connecting downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas was first discussed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCoG). Let's talk about it.

Fort Worth and Dallas each host 100+ miles of walking and biking trails, but the paths don’t offer a safe way to get from one city to another yet. Introducing the DFW Discovery Trail — a continuous path that will run from Fort Worth through four other cities in DFW — Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving, and Dallas — making it the "superhighway" of North Texas trails.

Where will the trail go?

Fort Worth was ranked one of the worst places to ride a bike — but this new trail will give cyclists a safe place to ride long distances. Here’s a look at how the cities are working together to connect the ‘superhighway.’

A 4.5-mile stretch connects River Trails Park in northeast Fort Worth with River Legacy Park in northwest Arlington will be called the Trinity Lakes Trail.
A 12-foot-wide path and a pedestrian bridge over the Trinity River connect Arlington and Fort Worth’s trail systems.
A 30-mile continuous trail links Panther Island to the western edge of Grand Prairie.
A 26-mile trail connects Arlington’s River Legacy Park to the Trinity Skyline Trail in Dallas.
An extension was added at the TRE Centrepoint/DFW station, which connects to Grand Prairie’s Mike Lewis Trail.
The Trinity Skyline Trail will connect with the Trinity River/Elk Fork bridge in Irving.

When can we take the trail for a spin?

The connections map shows the incomplete portions of the trail. | Photo by NCTCoG

As of May this year, eight sections of the trail are still in the works or awaiting funding:

Trinity Lake Trails | Set to finish 2027
Rock Island Trail | Set to finish mid-2027
Dallas' Trinity Skyline Trail | Set to finish late 2027
CentrePort Station Trail | Set to finish in 2028
Trinity Boulevard/Roy Orr Trail | Set to finish in November 2029
Dallas' Sylvan Ave Bridge Bikeway Retrofit | Completion date unknown
Rock Island Trail and the Senter Road pedestrian crossing | Awaiting funding

Though parts of the trail are still awaiting funding or a completion date, the NCTCoG website says total trail alignment is projected to be finished by 2029.

While construction continues to be underway, find thousands of trail miles on our website and subscribe to our free, daily newsletter to find out when the Discovery Trail will be complete. You may already start hunting down the main regional trail logo.