The beautiful views and ample shade along Lake Grapevine's North Shore Trail make it a favorite spot for North Texans who want to escape in nature.
KERA's Yfat Yossifor, visual journalist and "unofficially official" nature correspondent, joined NTX Now's Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning to explain why this trail is so popular.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the full conversation, click the 'listen' button above.
What makes the North Shore Trail special
Yossifor says one big draw for this trail is that it's almost entirely shaded, offering hikers and bikers the opportunity to experience nature, even when the Texas sun is beaming.
"The trail just weaves in and out of the of the groves and it leads you along the shore," she said. "Once in a while, you could get a full view of all the lake and then it'll take you back into the woods. It's just a lovely, serene place to be."
Hikers and bikers
The North Shore trail is a single-track trail, which means it's fairly narrow. Yossifor says hikers and bikers have rules to sharing the space, but everyone is very respectful.
"In most trails in North Texas, you have a triangle for multi-use trails where bikers yield to hikers and horses, and hikers yield to horses," she said.
But as a seasoned hiker herself, Yossifor thinks that standard is a bit out of order.
"The etiquette is the bike is supposed to yield [to the hiker,]" she said. "But frankly, as a hiker, I think we should be the ones yielding. It's so much easier for me to take one step right off the trail and they can zoom right by me, rather than them trying to swerve around. Especially if the path is narrow."
Serenity
There are many things to love about this trail, and Yossifor says it's one of her favorites.
"I love how many cicadas [there are] and the birds chirping, and the occasional deer that just comes by," she said. "The world just fades away when you're out there."
Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning are the hosts of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org or Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
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