D’s Best Bike Routes

THE STREETS marked with dotted lines aren’t the only good bicycle routes in Dallas, but they’re some of the best. They’re wide, pleasant and slow enough for enjoyable cycling, but they won’t hobble you with a stop sign every block. And because they form a network they’ll get you pretty much anywhere from Farmer’s Branch to White Rock Lake. If you’re interested in distances, it’s about 14 miles round trip from Royal Lane and Thackery through the Park Cities and back. The route from SMU around White Rock and back is roughly 20 miles. But who’s counting? Remember that these streets are only suggestions. Before setting out on an exploratory ride, you may wish to get a more detailed map and plot your itinerary. Carrying a map with you allows you to mark down promising streets you stumble across and reduces the chance of your spending a surprise weekend in Rowlett.