The Trinity Trails Guide
100+ miles, 21 parks, and the three sections worth actually knowing if you run in Fort Worth.
If you run in Fort Worth, you run on the Trinity Trails eventually — it's the connective tissue for almost every route in this city, threading along the river through downtown, Trinity Park, and out into the neighborhoods on both sides. This is the hub piece: what the system actually is, how big it really is, and the three sections that cover most of what a runner needs.
How big is it, actually?
Depends who's counting. Trinity Trails — the organization behind the system, a partnership between Tarrant Regional Water District, the City of Fort Worth, and Streams & Valleys — puts the network at 100+ miles across 31 neighborhoods and 21 parks. Trail-mapping sites that catalog individual mapped segments (like TrailLink) list closer to 48 miles. The likely explanation: the official figure counts the full connected network including newer extensions and tributary trails, while third-party trail databases only include what's been individually mapped and submitted. For planning a run, trust the official number for "how far could I go if I wanted to," and expect any single mapped route to be shorter.
Surface and terrain
Mixed — mostly asphalt and concrete, with some sections of packed gravel or crushed limestone depending on which stretch you're on. Terrain is generally flat with occasional gentle rises; nothing that requires real gearing down except in a few specific spots. Multi-use throughout — expect cyclists, walkers, and the occasional horse, not just runners.
Three sections worth knowing
The full network is too much to run in one go. These three cover the core of what most runners actually use, based on how local running guides describe them:
| Section | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown → Rockwood Park | 4.4 mi one-way | Riverside from downtown, then through the park via Rockwood Park Drive to White Settlement Rd |
| Trinity Park → Fort Worth Zoo | 2.1 mi one-way | Passes the Botanic Garden at 1.4 mi; Trinity Park itself (250 acres) has a ~3 mi loop on its own |
| University Park Village → Hwy 183 | up to 5 mi | Riverside path south of the medical district; local run clubs favor the 3 mi stretch to Clearfork |
Distances per Great Runs' Fort Worth guide — worth double-checking against your own GPS watch, since trailhead-to-trailhead distances vary by exactly where you start.
This is the hub page — sub-guides for individual sections, plus what the trail actually feels like in August heat, are next.
More Fort Worth running guides
Trails, races, and the stuff that only shows up when you've actually run it.
Read the field notes