Irving has finished another 1.8 miles of the Campion Trail. Phase 1B runs along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River to a point about a mile past State Highway 183. It adds an outlook at Frazier Dam and canoe launches on both sides of the dam. That leaves the 22-mile greenbelt with one major unbuilt piece. The 2.8 miles between Frazier Dam and California Crossing is the stretch that will turn Irving's northern and southern trails into one route. Design is done and the funding source is identified. Federal approval, state approval and land purchases are what remain.
Knowing where that gap sits helps you plan a long ride now. It also explains why the finish date has moved.
What opened at Frazier Dam
The City of Irving's announcement describes the new segment as a 12-foot-wide concrete trail. Construction also included:
- Two bridges
- Two low-water crossings
- Two boardwalks
- A dam outlook and rest area at Frazier Dam
- New canoe launches north and south of the dam
Phase 1B cost $4.2 million and came from Irving's Park Improvement Bond Fund. A Dallas County trail board presentation dated April 9, 2026 shows the contract went to A&C Construction in June 2025, and it put the work at 95% complete as of that meeting. Friends of Bachman Lake marked it "Just Completed" in its October 2026 newsletter.
The canoe launches change how this part of the river gets used. Before this segment, the city listed a canoe launch at Trinity View Park, which sits on the southern section of Campion that follows the West Fork. With Phase 1B, there is now a put-in on each side of Frazier Dam, inside the Elm Fork segment itself. Irving Parks and Recreation at (972) 721-2501 is the contact for questions about using the launches.
A trail built in pieces for three decades
The city calls Campion a 30-year project. The October 2026 update from Friends of Bachman Lake lists the status of each piece:
- Elm Fork, north: 8.5 miles, open
- West Fork, south: 6.5 miles, open
- Unification Phase 1A: 0.9 mile, completed December 2023
- Unification Phase 1B: 1.8 miles, just completed
- Unification Phase 2: the final connector, not yet started
The two long halves are the trail most people already know. Visit Irving lists Sam Houston Trail Park in Valley Ranch as the northern start, with the trail running south toward Las Colinas. On the city's description, the Sam Houston Trail Park segment alone covers 3.2 miles along the Elm Fork. The "unification" phases are the work of joining those halves.
Phase 1A was a short piece: 5,000 feet of trail with a bridge, a boardwalk and three low-water crossings, finished at the end of 2023. The Dallas County presentation explains why the unification section came in pieces. The full Elm Fork stretch from River Hills to Frazier Dam reached 100% design as one project. It was then "split into two phases due to ROW issues," meaning right-of-way, the land the trail has to cross.
Land access set the order of construction once before, and it is setting the order for the final piece too.
The 2.8 miles still missing
Phase II runs directly north of the new segment, from Frazier Dam to California Crossing. Visit Irving already recommends California Crossing Park as a stop on the northern trail, so Phase II is the piece that connects the trail you can ride today to the Frazier Dam outlook. The city's plan for those 2.8 miles includes three bridges and four boardwalks. It is estimated at $8 million, with Dallas County as the primary funder.
The plans are finished, and what remains is approvals and land. The April 2026 Dallas County presentation lists Phase II's status as:
Dallas County has reviewed the 100% plans. Updated alignment at Trinity crossing has been established. Final Plans and Environmental pending USACE approval and agreements. City has addressed all TxDOT comments (Pending TxDOT approval). City is in the process of acquiring ROW.
That status comes down to two agency approvals and one land acquisition:
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: final plans and environmental agreements, needed because the trail crosses the Trinity
- TxDOT: sign-off after the city addressed all of the agency's comments
- Right-of-way: land purchases the city is still working through
The city says Phase II is in plan review and permitting and expects construction to begin in 2028. Phase 1B, at less than two-thirds the length, went from contract award in June 2025 to opening in fall 2026. Phase II needs one more bridge and two more boardwalks than Phase 1B, so the full trail will not be continuous until construction starts and then finishes.
Why Dallas is watching the same gap
The Frazier Dam stretch matters to more than Irving. Friends of Bachman Lake calls the new segment "crucial as it connects Irving's trail to Dallas's trail system." The group is pushing for a connection between Bachman Lake Trail and Campion. Dallas County has chosen IEA Inc., a civil and structural engineering firm, to study whether that link is feasible. Such a link would open a route from the Lemmon Avenue trail by the airport, through Bachman Lake, and onto Campion.
Campion is also part of the DFW Discovery Trail, a 66-mile system that connects Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Dallas and Irving. It already links to trail systems in Coppell and Farmers Branch. Each new connection makes Campion a route people pass through on longer rides, as well as a loop they use for a short outing from Valley Ranch or Las Colinas. The unbuilt piece between Frazier Dam and California Crossing sits in the middle of all of those connections.
Riding and walking it between now and 2028
Until Phase II opens, Campion works as two long trails plus a newly extended southern stretch, not one continuous route. These are the established access points along the Elm Fork side, all with addresses on record:
- Sam Houston Trail Park, 101 E. Interstate 635, with parking. Visit Irving lists it as the northern start in Valley Ranch.
- Campion Trail Las Colinas, 5950 Riverside Drive.
- Bird's Fort Trail Park, 5756 Riverside Drive.
- California Crossing Park, 5198 Riverside Drive, with a concrete trail and parking. This is the planned northern end of Phase II.
- Spring Trail Park, Riverside Drive at Royal Lane, with parking, a concrete trail and a river overlook. Texas Parks and Wildlife lists Spring Trail Park and California Crossing as public Elm Fork access points for river fishing.
Farther south, Trinity View Park at 2221 E. Highway 356 has parking, trail access and its own canoe launch.
There is also a regular group ride on the trail. The Saturday Hops and Handlebars Social Bike Ride meets at Campion Trail Las Colinas, 5950 Riverside Drive, on the third Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It's free and open to all levels. The route is about 20 miles, described in the Visit Irving listing as "Campion Trail to the end and back." Afterward, the group stops at The Ginger Man, 5228 N. O'Connor Blvd. #126. On that schedule, the next two rides fall on Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. Check the listing for any changes before you head out.
When Phase II is built, "to the end and back" will mean a longer ride, and the turnaround will move. Until then, the city's Irving trails page is the place to watch for construction on the stretch from Frazier Dam to California Crossing.
Trails, river access and long-term park projects like this shape day-to-day life across Irving and the rest of the DFW corridor we work in. If you'd like to talk about how projects like Campion are developing around your part of town, Hacker Property Group is glad to compare notes. Let's Connect.
