The Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex encompasses roughly 400 sq. miles of former prairie astride the three forks of the Trinity River. Scattered with native pecan, cottonwood, and oak trees, the gently rolling landscape here ranges in elevation from 450 to 750 feet.

The Trinity River, as the Metroplex's only source of drinking water and the community's focal point for recreation, is a uniquely valuable regional natural resource. Although not navigable, its waters have facilitated agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential development for over 150 years, helping to make this the ninth-largest metropolitan region in the nation.

In an attempt to preserve the Trinity River's sustaining waters, the communities of Dallas and Fort Worth collaborated to create the Trinity River Corridor, a system of parks and preserves linked by the 35-mile Trinity Trails System. White-tailed deer, nine-banded armadillos, western diamondback rattlesnakes and coyotes are not a common sight around town but are readily observable in more remote areas.

• USDA Forest Service -
• US Bureau of Land Management -
• National Park Service -
• Texas Parks and Wildlife -

• Bicycle around White Rock Lake, where a 17-mile hike/bike path provides a fun and scenic Sunday excursion.
• Rent a canoe, kayak, or paddleboat and explore Heritage Park in the cool early-morning hours of summertime.
• Visit Dallas in the fall and pay a visit to the annual Texas State Fair at Fair Park. Catch a rodeo event, munch on barbequed chicken, and take the opportunity to ride on the largest Ferris wheel in the U.S.