Biking on the White Rock Lake trail

Table of contents

  1. Beginning
  2. Schedules
  3. Preparation

Beginning

The start of the trail is supposedly at Valley View Ln & Hillcrest Rd, but the trail is temporarily blocked off at that location (as of 2007-09-15), so we have to migrate south of I-635 before we can begin. The intersection of Park Central Dr & Banner Dr offers a good starting point. There appears to be a parking lot there with direct access to the trail.

It's convenient to take DART to the start of the trail, as DART allows bicycles aboard at all times. (However, DART staff reserves the right to remove bicycles that obstruct or have a negative impact. If three or more people are going, the group might be forced to take DART in two or more batches.) With one transfer, we can depart from UTD and arrive 0.3 miles away from the initial point. If you are not a UTD student, you will not be able to park at UTD, because the Information Center, which issues temporary parking permits, does not open until about 8 AM. If you park at UTD without a permit, you may be ticketed. To remain legit, do one of these:

The last option is not preferred because parking along the trail makes it difficult for you to return there, since the route back to UTD is not the same as the route we took from UTD. The first two options allow you to arrive at your car conveniently. In the case of option #2, when the group takes bus 362 to return to UTD, you can simply remain on that bus for about five more minutes until it takes you to that intersection.

Schedules

Weekday morning

Begin End Task Notes
06:13 06:19 take bus 362-W from UTD to Coit @ Tatum If bus driver splits us up, the losers have 15 mins to bike to Coit @ Tatum to catch up to the lucky few
06:19 06:28 wait for bus 451-S near Target
06:28 06:46 take bus 451-S from Coit @ Tatum to Merit @ Churchill The next bus arrives in 20 minutes.
06:46 06:55 bike one block west to the trail
06:55 08:55 enjoy the trail; end up at the White Rock Station
09:02 09:07 take blue line S from White Rock to Mockingbird The next train arrives in 18 minutes.
09:12 09:30 take red line N from Mockingbird to Arapaho Center Station The next train arrives in 14 minutes.
09:36 09:48 take bus 362-W from Arapaho Center Station to UTD The next bus arrives in 60 minutes. Biking back to UTD is easier than one might think.

Weekday evening

Begin End Task Notes
17:43 17:49 take bus 362-W from UTD to Coit @ Tatum If bus driver splits us up, the losers have 18 mins to bike to Coit @ Tatum to catch up to the lucky few
17:49 18:07 wait for bus 451-S near Target
18:07 18:24 take bus 451-S from Coit @ Tatum to Merit @ Churchill The next bus arrives in ?? minutes.
18:24 18:30 bike one block west to the trail
18:30 20:35 enjoy the trail; end up at the White Rock Station If you end up at the station on time, the ride back will take 1h06. If you miss the recommended blue line train, the ride back will take 1h36.
20:42 20:47 take blue line S from White Rock to Mockingbird The next train arrives in 20 minutes.
20:47 21:04 take red line N from Mockingbird to Arapaho Center Station The next train arrives in 19 minutes.
21:36 21:48 take bus 362-W from Arapaho Center Station to UTD The next bus arrives in 60 minutes. Biking back to UTD is easier than one might think.

Alternative ending:

21:04 21:20 bike to the Chipotle or Freebirds on W. Campbell
21:20 22:00 eat! both Chipotle and Freebirds close at 10 PM.
22:05 22:20 bike to UTD The next bus 362 goes westbound at 10:40 PM.

Saturday morning

Begin End Task Notes
--:-- 06:25 arrive at Coit @ Tatum
06:28 06:46 take bus 451-S from Coit @ Tatum to Merit @ Churchill If we get separated, the next bus arrives in 60 minutes. Don't get separated!
06:46 06:55 bike one block west to the trail
06:55 09:00 enjoy the trail; end up at the White Rock Station
09:07 09:12 take blue line S from White Rock to Mockingbird The next train arrives in 30 minutes.
09:17 09:35 take red line N from Mockingbird to Arapaho Center Station The next train arrives in 30 minutes.
10:24 10:36 take bus 362-W from Arapaho Center Station to UTD The next bus arrives in 60 minutes. Biking back to UTD is easier than one might think.

Benefits of this schedule:

  1. Allotting two hours for cycling allows a bus driver to split us up without ruining our trip, allows us to take a break or two, and hopefully gives enough time to fix a problem such as a flat tire.
  2. Using DART before 7 AM and after 9 AM helps to avoid the rush of morning commuters.
  3. Cycling before the sun is high and hot is more comfortable and safer for the skin.

Preparation