Spend Some Time on the Circle Trail
It might be Wichita Falls' best feature
Getting some time outdoors in the sun in Wichita Falls can sometimes be a challenge — the notorious Wichita Falls wind kicked-up on my last attempt to get out on my mountain bike, and thunderstorms that blow-in with lightning speed have to be accounted for, too. But when you catch it on the right day, spending some time on the Wichita Falls Circle Trail is amazing. The wind stayed down this morning, so I grabbed my camera and my bike and headed out the door.
I accessed the Circle Trail downtown, where Lee Street meets O’Reilly Park, on the bank of the Big Wichita River. I had never been to O’Reilly park before and I was impressed with how nice it was; it looked like a great place for a picnic with the family.
I took a left and proceeded southwest, with the ruddy Big Wichita on my right, and I was struck right away by the picturesque landscape and fairytale ambience of the trail.
I got a workout on this ride because I was stopping for photos so often. It really is an amazing visual landscape. Where above, there is only concrete and asphalt and noise, below, there is another world.
Emily Dickinson wrote:
How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude.
To the contrary, it’s easy to feel like the interloper in a beautiful place like this; like you’re intruding on a sacred place of beauty and nature. Luckily, the Wichita Falls Circle Trail is open and welcoming to all who enjoy the outdoors.
I rode southwest from the O’Reilly Park access point, under the Ohio Bridge and the adjacent railroad bridge, and both of those provided ample photo opportunities.
I think the only thing missing from the photo of the bridge shown above is a 5-piece Red Dirt band called “Smirkin’ Judas” posing for their publicity stills.
Oooooh, very film noir, right?
I continued southwest on the circle trail until it emptied into the parking lot at Kay Yeager Coliseum, then elected to turn around and go back to see everything from the other direction.
I’ll be going out to shoot other sections of the Circle Trail in the future, so make sure you sign up for a free subscription so you don’t miss it.
You can learn a lot more about the Wichita Falls Circle Trail on the City of Wichita Falls website, including maps.
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