Elected officials from Mesquite and Dallas County gathered together last month to officially open the new South Mesquite Creek Trail. The three-mile section connects a variety of residential subdivisions, but what makes the project really significant is that it creates the first link to the Dallas County Trails for the 21st Century system.

Trails for the 21st Century is a concept created by the Dallas County Park and Open Space Board. The program is designed to eventually create a non-stop loop which will span between cities across Dallas County with connections into adjacent counties. The South Mesquite Creek Trail is Mesquite’s first connection to that loop.

The South Mesquite Creek trail begins just off of Gross Road near Peachtree Road. It connects Westover Greenbelt, Lambert Park and Oakbrook Park, giving those local residential subdivisions a direct hike or bike link to the 9-hole disc golf course and KidsQuest playground at DeBusk Park.

In addition to the County connection, the South Mesquite Creek Trail is also part of a master trail plan that creates nearly 200 miles of trails through the city once the plan is fully implemented. The plan is to have Mesquite’s trail system connect at multiple points to the regional Dallas County master trail system.