Winding through North Dallas between Royal Lane and Denton Drive, the Northaven Trail’s nine paved miles are lined with pocket gardens and grassy meadows. Since its official completion in 2023, the local trail has become a daily gathering place for neighbors of all ages and interests.
Much of its loving care is in the community’s hands, as well.
Friends of Northaven Trail is the nonprofit dedicated to the support and beautification of the trail. Its efforts supplement the standard maintenance provided by Dallas Parks and Recreation. The organization’s name may ring a bell following last fall’s much-publicized “Northaven Tails” initiative, which brought 400 grazing goats to Preston Hollow’s collective backyard.
On Saturday, April 11, the Friends hosted their Third Annual Rhythm & Blooms fundraiser with similar enthusiasm and character.
“This event is getting bigger every year,” said board member Dorothy Buechel. “It’s a great indication that the community is really behind our goal of making the trail a great place for friends and family to come out and be in nature, ride their bikes, walk their dogs, and enjoy the beautiful gardens.”
In honor of the occasion, tents in the Friends’ signature shade of blue were set up in the parking lot at Jonathan’s Forestwood. Inside, a buffet of sandwiches, pasta, and salads sat ready for a feast.
Buechel and her fellow female board members wore custom earrings featuring photos of the aforementioned goats, and a bowl at the check-in desk held seed packets in lieu of goodie bags. As Matt Banks and the Blue Four tuned up for the show, tables filled with 120-plus guests who, if they were not already, would be on a first-name basis by the end of the night.
“As more people move into the neighborhood, it’s fun to see them discover the trail,” said attendee Martin Goodman. A longtime Preston Hollow resident, Goodman and his wife, Claudia Werner, live directly behind one of the trail’s 50 wildflower-friendly “no-mow zones.” Designed as safe havens for pollinators, these green spaces are made possible through donations and tended by volunteers.
The Friends and their fans are also a driving force behind the trail’s recent Prairie Plant Rescue. Earlier this spring, in partnership with students from St. Mark’s School of Texas, this program rehomed native Blackland Prairie species that had been rescued from a construction site. The grasses and shrubs now grow happily in the meadow between St. Michael’s and Pebbledowne Drives.
Looking ahead, the Friends’ Monarch Way project will continue transforming underutilized greenspace along the Northaven Trail into critical habitats for migrating monarch butterflies.
Meanwhile, monthly events like Walk and Eat with a Doc and garden work days will keep things buzzing with more than just bees. And it’s all made possible by this special group of Friends and their friends in the community.
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