The city of Dallas will upgrade a large swathe of parkland to provide new amenities, preserving a significant portion of the city’s natural footprint. An estimated cost has not yet been released, but construction is slated to begin in 2027.
The city council originally bought the 282-acre Big Cedar Wilderness Park in 2023, adding it to the nature corridor in southern Dallas spanning Cedar Hill State Park, Cedar Ridge Preserve and the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center. The park was estimated to be worth approximately $17 million at the time of its purchase, according to 2023 documents.
The parkland addition was predominantly intended to preserve essential greenspace, offsetting the city’s urban sprawl and providing recreational opportunities for the public. The project will primarily consist of expanding the existing trail network, resulting in more than 200 feet of elevation change without impacting endangered flora and fauna in the area.
Stakeholders have the opportunity to provide feedback on the future of the park through a recently released design survey. The available options cover potential trailhead designs, trail networks and amenities. The results will inform the design process.
The two trailhead selections have extensive feature overlap, including a rain garden, walking and biking trails, mountain bike trails, parking, new roadway and a boardwalk. However, Option 1
features a trailhead with 38 parking spaces and a dedicated nature play area, while Option 2 instead prioritizes additional parking with 62 available spaces.
The survey also provides two different trail network configurations throughout the park, using the existing network as a foundation. The project will further improve trail conditions, with one option prioritizing more looped trails versus the other that offers a wider variety of routes.
Participants will have their preference of amenities they are most interested in seeing integrated into the park system. These may include nature play areas, pavilions, boardwalks and decks, bike repair and wash amenities, restrooms, native grass and wildflower plantings, rain gardens, outdoor gathering spaces and wildlife shelters. Additional amenities may include overlooks, bird blinds and educational signage.
Photo by Chait Goli from Pexels
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