History

The Friends of the Katy Trail is a nonprofit organization founded to organize community support for the Katy Trail, to advocate support for the Trail, to raise private funds for the completion of the Trail, and to help the City of Dallas plan, build and maintain Trail improvements.

In 1997, a coalition of community members and city leaders banded together to preserve the greenbelt along which the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT or “Katy”) Railroad traveled through Dallas. They envisioned an urban park featuring a pedestrian and bicycle path set among 30 acres of nature in the densest part of the city. Their plan will eventually become a key link in Dallas’ plan to connect White Rock Lake to the Trinity River.

  

The Katy Trail extends 3.5 miles from Airline Road to the American Airlines Center. Once completed, the bike and pedestrian path will link the Mockingbird DART station near SMU to the West End in downtown Dallas. It will feature a 12-foot-wide concrete bike trail and an 8-foot-wide parallel, soft-surface running path, with several entrances and plazas linking the Trail to other area parks.

The Friends organization has approximately 1,200 due-paying members who host a range of events to raise awareness and funds for the Trail, the largest of which is the annual Katy 5K Run held the third Thursday in May. Membership contributions help keep the Katy Trail clean, safe and beautiful.