Crawford Park -Dallas, TX

Located in the neighborhood of Pleasant Grove (Southeast Dallas), Crawford Park offers a splendid course for runners.  Much of the concrete path is tree-lined and runs in a loop. The loop is approximately 1.5 miles long. If you decide to run the tangent path (by the baseball fields) it will be an additional .5 miles (.25 miles forward and .25 miles back) before reentering the loop.  

  

Do not be surprised to encounter people running in non-athletic attire. The majority of people who run here do so in jeans, slacks, button-shirts, and polo shirts. Moreover, do not expect to see people wearing proper running shoes.  

Nonetheless, the scenery is quite pleasing. Along with a tree-lined path, Crawford Park has two hills, both of which are approximately 30 yards in length.  The "Big Hill" has an incline of about 45 degrees, while the "Baby Hill" has an incline of about 20 degrees.

Downhill view of the Big Hill.



Uphill view of the Big Hill.

 

The Baby Hill.

 

One of Crawford Park's greatest flaws is its lack of lighting.  There are no lightposts along the trail; Crawford Park only accommodates the soccer fields, basefall fields and the basketball court with lighting.  Also, please be prepared to encounter rude people who lack common courtesy. Do not be suprised to experience foul language coming from the mouths of other trail users. Mothers pushing baby carriages is a very common sight here. 

In addition to the concrete path, Crawford Park also features dirt trails. 

Danger! Danger!

The most dangerous section of Crawford Park's concrete trail is a stretch of sidewalk on Elam Road. For approximately 25 yards you will be but a few inches from vehicles traveling at speeds of up to 50mph.  The vehicles are going so fast that you will feel the force of the breeze move you a bit.

 

Very dangerous, particularly when people "hog" the entire path.

In terms of the course itself, Crawford Park is a great place to run. Its shortcomings include a lack of lighting, the Danger Sidewalk, a high number of nonathletic scrubs on the running trail, and a high number of rude, unfriendly teenagers.  I generally ignore and/or don't mind these things.  As such, I always have a great work-out at Crawford Park!  Pleasant Grove, that's my hood.