The Trinity Needs A-Paddlin’: The City and State Are Turning 10 Miles of River Into “Trail”

Funny thing, this showing up on the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee’s agenda this week of all weeks: Texas Paddling Trail Program. Which is …? Well, in short, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has told the city that, why, sure, it’d love to include a 10-mile stretch of the Trinity River in its Texas Paddling Trail Program, a 12-year-old endeavor to make state waterways more boat-friendly with the creation of maps, informational kiosks and safe, secure drop-in and get-out points.

In this case, the boat launches would be located at Sylvan Avenue and Loop 12 — the same stretch of Trinity where Schutze has been camped out since … well, come to think of it, we haven’t seen him in days. Should he resurface, expect a piece for the paper version of Unfair Park any moment now. Anyway. There are but 10 inland paddling trails in Texas at present and only one in the DFW — the Lake Arlington Paddling Trail.

The Houston Chronicle just did a piece on the Texas Paddling Trail Program last week — said that “local businesses and elected officials are seeing the possible economic benefits of encouraging recreational use of rivers, streams and other waterways,” hence the growing number of applications for acceptance into the program. The city and Parks and Wildlife will meet next month for a site visit and river survey, in the hopes of turning the trinity into a trail within the next two to six months. At which point we can go find Jim.