Rowlett Creek Preserve
Rowlett Creek Preserve trail is located in the city of Garland’s public multi-use park at the intersection of Castle and Centerville Roads. The trail is currently over 16 miles long and since it is built on a staked loop system a trail user can choose various loop combinations to obtain distances that vary from 1 to 16 miles. The trail is currently comprised of 14 connected loops; those numbered 1, and 7 through 14 are north of the parking lot and those numbered 2 through 6 are on the south side. These loops are numbered in the manner in which they were built so for those first time riders, the layout may not seem to be intuitive thus it’s a good idea to either follow someone that knows the trail system or bring along a copy of the trail map. The direction of travel for all loops is CLOCKWISE. About half of the trail mileage is in the trees with some areas that are tight and twisty. The rest is out in open with some fast, straight field sections. Most of the trail is flat with only a few relatively short climbs. There are a number of areas of the trail that come close to an edge mainly along one of the three creeks that pass through the RCP greenbelt. In general as the Loop ID number increases so does the skill level required to negotiate it. The trail maps are marked in ski area fashion with green, blue and black skill levels. This is a multi-use trail so please be considerate of all other trail users.
Located off Centerville Road in Garland, about 0.5 miles north of SH 66 and 0.5 miles south of Firewheel Parkway, Rowlett Creek Preserve is a 16-mile, staked loop trail system that allows users the flexibility to choose various loop combinations to obtain distances that vary from 1 to 16 miles. The trail consists of 14 connected loops that are numbered in a manner in which they were built. The direction of travel for all loops is clockwise for bikers and it is suggested for all others, i.e. runners and hikers, etc., to go in a counterclockwise direction. Half of the trail is wooded with portions that are tight and twisty, while the rest is out in the open with some fast straight sections. Relatively flat with some short climbs, Rowlett Creek Preserve is open to all skill levels, but as the loop ID number increases so does the skill level required to negotiate it.
Rowlett Creek Preserve trail is a stacked loop, singletrack system of over 16 miles of trail. The trail difficulty ranges from beginner to advanced in difficulty. The trail system consists of 14 stacked loops with a numbering system that can be somewhat confusing to riders new to the trail. The loops are numbered 1 through 14, designations which indicate the order in which the loops were built, not the order in which you can—or should—ride them. In general, as the loop number increases, so does the level of difficulty.
The trailhead for loops 1 and 7 through 14 is found on the north side of the parking lot. The trailhead for loops 2 through 6 is found to the east of the parking lot, past the picnic tables—once you find the trailhead for loop 2, the trail immediately takes you south. The direction for all loops is clockwise for bikers while hikers are asked to use the trail counterclockwise. Much of the trail is wooded with portions that are somewhat tight and twisty. There are some open field sections with some fast, flowy trail riding. The majority of the trail is relatively flat with punchy, rooty climbs here and there. The hardest climb is found on loop 7. You will find a bit of exposure in a few sections as the trail rides the edge of Rowlett Creek or one of the other creeks that run through the preserve.
