Campion Trail North (Irving, TX)

2013.06.01 - We started at the southern terminus of the Campion Trail on Riverside Drive near California Crossing. There were clouds in the sky and we were hoping to beat any possible rain. Sure felt humid but the wind was blowing and all was good to this start of June.

It was around 7 am when we headed out from the trail head and immediately veered toward the first Trinity River area. The Trinity River runs through a few suburban cities but has not been the most attractive attraction. Maybe that will change if all these cities get together to create on large continuous trail. Wouldn't that be awesome?!

There is a nature trail that starts or ends at the viewing area which we happily follow. It travels alongside the river and there are benches along the way for rest, relaxation, or retrospective. After a quarter mile or so it reconnects with the paved trail. An unspoken rule was made then that we would take any and all nature trails today. The next one was a bit longer and ended right before the Northwest Highway underpass.

It wasn't until the third Nature turn off that we started geocaching. Funny how thorns are camouflaged amongst the leaves. Did not find a tick today which was good and better than last week. One cache was inside of a log and I wouldn't have found it if the latch had not come off. Very nicely hidden.

The first real parking is at Birds Fort Park. There is water and places to rest, but don't trek on without trying the treadmill. Not far north, at trail ID 1192, there is a place to admire the width of the Trinity in all it's natural beauty.

Spring Trail Park claims the next section of the Campion. By now, the trail is increasing in traffic as more and more people begin their weekend exercising on this very accommodating wide paved path. Dipping a little, the trail gave us a view under Riverside Drive where we spotted a crane sitting on the retaining rock wall. A little further down the trail a canal lined with bricks adds tasteful ambience. Looking into the bushes, we notice some ducklings with their mother near a small puddle of water.  

It was also in this section that we were introduced to the leg press. Different than the treadmill but with the same engineering flare. But it wasn't until we found the seated lat pulled that we thoroughly experienced the fun of using our own weight to exercise. My favorite is the rowing machine, as it really simulated the rocking of a boat. 

At Keenans Crossing Trail Park there is a wide opening of the river that transforms it into a lake. This expanse, in comparison to the south one, is far better manicured. A cache along here had us going in circles. Also, if house hunting and like access to this trail, there are a few options where the backyards almost kiss the pavement.

Once past the I-635, LBJ walkway, Sam Houston Trail Park starts. There is some information about when General Sam Houston crossed in August and September of 1843. A piling in the river is a remain of the bridge crossing. Now, there is vegetation growing at the rim.  

Coming to the parking lot that held one of our cars, it seemed like a good place stop. Sometime this coming week, I will come back and walk the far north section of the Campion to finish it up. This next part is newer and has trails that intersect. Should be fun.

We hiked 5.82 miles in 3 hours : 48 minutes averaging 39 minutes : 11 seconds per mile with geocaching. Our fastest mile was the first at 26 minutes : 32 seconds. 

Total blogged Miles: 55.10 miles.

Campion Trail South (Irving, TX)

2013.05.14 - The Campion Trail I know, I discovered is only the northern section. There is a southern section that starts around Trinity View Park and ends at the Mountain Creek Perserve with a stretch along Twins Wells Park and Golf Course in Irving, Texas.

If starting at Trinity View Park, from Loop 12, take the Irving Blvd exit and go east. After crossing Wildwood drive, veer right and descend into the park. From here, go either way as there is plenty of parking due to the numerous soccer and baseball fields. 

We Parked as close as we could to the north side of the paved trail. Not completely sure how far it went and according to the City of Irving's Walking/Jogging Trail Information, the Southern Section of the Campion Trail starts at River Hills Park, however, the trail ended about a quarter mile from Trinity View. It appears a bridge will connect the two parks at some point, but for now, it was not ready. The whole in the ground where the bridge would be was just enough to turn us around.

Heading South, there wasn't much traffic on the trail as it ran along the river. Careful getting too close to the edge, because a misstep and it could be a long tumble. From up top, the Trinity looks full and wide, which is good for this time of year. 

Campion turned us up and away into an Irving neighborhood. Where we passed a home that had goats in its yard. Just don't see that in the metroplex very often. When we crossed E. Shady Grove Road and followed the unmarked trail west to connect at Twin Wells, we heard chickens. A touch of a farm life not far from skyscrapers. 

Twin Wells has a golf course and small park. On our way South, there were golfers on the course, and on our way back North, there were children in the fields. The trail connection to Mountain Creek Preserve was closed, but we proceeded like others. At this point, to end our hike would have been to short and we sought an adventure.

Part of that adventure, were the geocaches along the trail. Some were right off Campion, another hiding nestled under some leaves by a beautiful old bridge, one had us walking through high weeds, and one was connected to a artificial flower just a shade greener. 

It was during this stretch that we walked under Loop 12, both acknowledging our ignorance of this trail as many times as we crossed over. It was also along this stretch that we reconnected with the Trinity River. We went for one last cache,  which we didn't find, but I got to climb a tree. It was after this failed attempt that we realized the sun was going down on us and we still had not reached the turn around point. No more caching tonight, but the time searching was good.

Mountain Creek Perserve is the Southern Terminus for the Campion Trail as it makes a loop around the park. From Loop 12, go west on Irving Blvd, south on Nursery Road, and into this quiet hidden corner of the city. It is 3/4 of a mile around with places to observe and admire the river. There were men playing soccer in the open field and some youngsters necking. It took us 2 hours 7 minutes to get to the turn around point and we were worried that we might not get back to the car until 10 pm. As much as I like hiking at night, the human critters scare me more than the nocturnal ones. 

Dusk was upon us as we made it back to loop 12 and started our trek north toward the golf course. By now, we went from averaging 24 minutes a mile to about 18. We were moving, but from time to time, I couldn't pass up a photo here or there. I took one looking west at a transformer with Loop 12 against a rose sunset along the horizon. 

Not far from here, I turned on the RunKeeper notifier which alerts us every 5 minutes. It told us the time, distance, average minute per mile, and our current speed. We got a thrill hearing one number go down as another went up. When we got back to Shady Groove Road, we were on our home stretch. Even with the GPS out of juice, we guesstimated an arrive time of about 21:15. Which was only a little over an hour from Mountain Creek.

For a school night, this was the longest hike since the inception of this blog. We hiked 8.43 miles in 3 hours : 11 minutes. We averaged 22 minutes : 47 seconds a mile including caching. Our fastest mile was the 6th mile at 18 minutes : 05 seconds.

Trail Miles Blogged: 32.05 miles.