The Bushwhacker's Guide to Exploring Dallas

"You have to ask yourself why you actually go out into the wilderness or into nature," he says. "What is it you are trying to get there?

"If you want a very kind of clinical experience, yeah, just go to your everyday average state or national park. But I'm telling you, you're going to get more of a wilderness experience doing what I do than if you go to a lot of places like Yosemite.

"The main thing is that nobody even knows all the potential that's around in the city, because we don't think it's out there. Along with the Styrofoam and the Dixie cups and everything else, you're going to be just amazed."

The locales described here are only a sampling of what's out there. We've also included a list of valuable websites where you'll find descriptions and directions to far more places, some of which may be closer to your own interests.

The words of caution here are serious. Some of these places are safe, in terms of the other people you might encounter. Others, not so much. We have assigned a very informal subjective weighted score to these sites, calculated as follows: points from zero to 10 for "civilized," meaning the presence of bathrooms and possible police patrols, plus points for "wild," meaning an opportunity to see plants, animals and scenery in a wild state. Points are subtracted for "skeezy," meaning the likelihood of wandering upon a drug deal or something similarly not to be wished for.

All of the sites include GPS coordinates. Even if you don't have GPS, you can type the coordinates into the "find" field in Google Maps and get a precise map or driving directions (web editor's note: we've hyperlinked them for you below). We also include our own driving directions, because sometimes Google's directions don't exactly match what you'll see out the windshield or beyond your handlebars.

Ultimately, this isn't just about parks and trails. It's a movement toward the rediscovery of nature in our urban midst, and it's redefining this city and our life in it. It's a reconnection with history. It's certainly not an abandonment or negation of Mayor Thornton's beloved progress. But it may have a lot to do with a desire to make something better of the present, since that's where we happen to live.

Family-Friendly

River Legacy Park: The White Rock Of the Mid-Cities

Score: 12 (Civilized 10, Wild 2, Skeezy 0)

No lake here, but the park is nestled in a bend of the West Fork of the Trinity, and it sure looks like White Rock on a weekend, with bikers, hikers and picnickers galore. Paved bike trails, dirt nature trails, picnic space, portable toilets.

Coordinates: N32 46.966 W97 07.004 . Take Interstate 30 west from downtown 18 miles, Take Exit 27 toward Cooper Steet, turn right (north), go 1.6 miles, turn left on NW Green Oaks Boulevard. Entrance is 0.1 mile on your right at Rose Brown May Parkway.

Family-Friendly

Mountain Creek Preserve: Lost Paradise

Score: 15 (Civilized 8, Wild 7, Skeezy 0)

Dog frisbee and moderate bushwhacking. Large mowed fields, dirt and paved trails along the West Fork of the Trinity River.

Coordinates: N32 47.174 W96 56.040 . Take I-30 west from downtown Dallas approximately eight miles to MacArthur Boulevard. Take Mac-Arthur Boulevard north half mile, turn right (east) on Hunter Ferrell Road back toward downtown, go 1.5 miles to the intersection with South Nursery Road. Preserve will be at that corner. For trails, go to the far back parking and cross the bridge. You can walk for miles here and connect to other parks in the Irving Campion Trails system.

Dimension Tract: The Chapel

Score: 9 (Civilized 2, Wild 7, Skeezy 0)

A short, broad trail beneath a Gothic arch of branches, with contemplative benches and steps down to the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Not a lot of space to explore, but a wonderfully surprising haven of nature surrounded by huge warehouses and quasi-industrial blah. If you ever wanted to see what it all must have looked like in the way-back back-before, come here. You will also find a mowed field right at the parking lot, a favorite with dog frisbeers (and the guys throwing the frisbees).

Coordinates: N32 56.907, W96 56.236. Take I-35E north toward Denton about 14 miles from downtown, get off at Exit 443B toward Belt Line Road, go left (west) 1.5 miles (under President George Bush Turnpike). Turn left on Westward Drive into a bunch of industrial buildings, go about 300 feet to Elm Park Drive, turn right to the dead-end. Trail head is marked.

A Little More Out There

Quanah Parker Park: Ghost of the Comanche

Score: 17 (Civilized 9, Wild 8, Skeezy 0)

Named for the last great Comanche war chief, this park is connected by improved trails to a series of parks on the Southern Campion Trails system. But it's also a good example of an even wilder experience you can find if you're willing to risk drowning or getting bitten by a poisonous snake. If that's your idea of a good time, bushwhack your way off the formal trails and find game tracks and other small trails along the banks of the Trinity River.

Coordinates: N32 46.226 W97 14.571. Take I-30 west from downtown 25 miles past Loop 820. Get off at Exit 18 for Bridge Street, make a sharp right onto Bridge, doubling back east about 0.6 mile on the north side of I-30. Turn north (left) on Woodhaven, go 0.7 mile. Woodhaven dead-ends into the entrance to the park, just across Randol Mill Road.