Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
Trails: Various
Last hiked April 9, 2022
Trail Type: Hiking
Distance We Hiked: 3.75 miles
Amount of Time it Took Us: 1 hr. 30 min.
Our Elevation Gain: 312 ft.
Park Rating: none
Mike & Elaine’s Rating: moderate
Our Notes:
The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is one of the largest city-owned nature centers in the United States and covers 3,621 acres, including more than 20 miles of hiking trails. There are twelve different trails to choose from, offering a variety of habitats to explore, such as forests, wetlands, and prairies. The Refuge is also a sanctuary for bison, and if you happen to visit at the right time, you’ll get to see this impressive herd grazing in their pastures.
We arrived at the FWNC&R in the morning to attend a nature workshop, so our hiking didn’t actually start until after lunch. Unfortunately, due to the late start, we didn’t get to hike as long as we would have liked, but we have been here many times before and have hiked almost all of the trails at one time or another. Every single one of them offers something unique and engaging.
For today’s adventure, we did a very short jaunt on the Riverbottom Trail, which follows along the West Fork of the Trinity River. The last time we visited, this trail was flooded, so it was nice to make our way down this easy trail for a bit and see aquatic birds enjoying the river, such as the American Coot. The river looked healthy and refreshing, flowing at a slow pace, and there were several kayakers enjoying the river as well. This is a great place to put in your canoe or kayak! If you wanted to follow this out-and-back trail from end to end, you would cover about 3.95 miles – a nice hike that would allow you to hug the river, experience a marshy area that includes a lovely boardwalk, and where we got to see a green tree frog hanging out, and stroll through forest cover as well.
After a very short hike on the Riverbottom, we made our way to the other end of the Refuge where we hopped on the Greer Island/Margaret Parker Memorial Trail. This is also a pretty easy trail, but it is unique in that it crosses a narrow levee and leads to a small forested island. There are several interlocking trails on the island, but if you complete the entire loop and levee, you will cover about 1.5 miles. We didn’t really like the hike over the levee, as that part is covered in white gravel, which is a bit hard to “hike” on for very long. Luckily once you cross that part though, you return to the normal hard, compacted soil typical of a regular hiking trail.
That trail only took us about half an hour, and we had a bit of time left so we decided to conquer a bit of the Canyon Ridge Trail, which had its trailhead in the same parking lot as the Greer Island trailhead. This scenic trail offers more of a challenge with ridgetop vistas, shady canyons, and marsh views. You definitely need to be prepared for some steep inclines and sharp descents in some areas. In one place alone we counted 64 steps straight uphill. We were huffing and puffing at bit on this trail, but the views were very nice! We also saw a huge, and we mean HUGE, old tree that had fallen across the trail at some point and which had been cut so that hikers could pass through. It was one of the largest trees we have ever seen, so that alone was worth the hike! We also enjoyed seeing some open spaces with a variety of Yuka plants and a few wildflowers. If you complete this trail from end to end, you will make about 3.25 miles, but remember you also have to hike back, so bring plenty of water and pace yourself with plenty of rest along the way.
We highly recommend the FWNC&R because there really is so much variety here. You could visit this place several times and see something different each time you come. It is all very beautiful, and the Nature Center itself is a great place to stop in and see some nature exhibits and cool down, go to the restroom and refill your water bottle. We definitely plan to go back at some point. Hope to see you there!
Links to the nature center and trails below: