I tried out a new trail and visited Sansom Park at Lake Worth, Texas and found a hidden gem that I have added to my rotation. The trail I ran was just south of the dam for the lake and follows along the south fork of the Trinity River. It is pretty good for hiking but the trail at times is very rocky and steep so prepare for a slow challenge if you are trying to run this one. The city has worked for years at building our trail system along the river with this one connecting downtown to the north. Eventually we will have more than 150 miles of trails within the county.
This area just north of Ft. Worth has an interesting history, some of it a bit unsavory as the area was known in the ’40’s to the ’60’s for illegal casinos, prostitution, and all types of lewd behavior. If you ever are really bored a good article can be found that tells of its colorful past: http://www.fwtx.com/articles/highway-hell . I can tell you that I am old enough to remember the time when this area would be off limits if it was after dark.
The Lake and the area are making a comeback due in large part to natural gas being found under the Lake. The city is using some of these proceeds for much needed maintenance which has turned the Lake into a more popular destination. After a hundred years sediment had built up making much of the lake extremely shallow and dangerous for boaters, but about ten years ago a company was hired with modern dredging equipment to pump dirt and sand from the lakes bottom. As I understand it they have made great progress and use much of the sand for the gas drilling industry.
These photos were taken in the fall and allowed me to capture some of the Red Oaks as they changed colors as well as some of the small waterfalls that were flowing at the time. This trail is off the beaten path a bit but is worth finding if you want to explore a little known area of the city. While you have to hop on streets for a period you are able to take the trail about 10 miles south to downtown.
