This year's Texas Buckeye walks, inspired by Dallas environmental pioneer Ned Fritz, kick off Saturday, March 15, and run through March 30. Above, a group poses with a old-growth bur oak affectionately known as Ned in the Great Trinity Forest. Photo by Amy Martin.
March 14, 2025
Few things hurt worse than watching the sadness of a friend. In 2021, I hiked the Ned and Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail with fellow master naturalist Kristi Kerr Leonard and our long-time friend Eileen Fritz McKee, Ned and Genie’s daughter
Eileen’s profound dismay at her parents’ trail condition brought me and Leonard to tears. These soft-surface trails were her parents’ legacy. Ned’s annual Texas buckeye walks, covered extensively in the media, developed crucial support for the Great Trinity Forest. Hundreds sometimes showed up to hike and admire the conical clusters of fragrant yellow-ivory flowers adorning the Texas buckeyes (Aesculus glabra var. arguta).
Texas buckeyes are renowned for their bright beauty in the forest. Photo by Scot Miller.
The trails once trod by Ned and supporters were wildly overgrown. Some who tried to follow the path became lost. A few even became frightened enough to call 911 for help. There was no signage or even trail-marking tapes.
Drawing close to the Trinity on the trail, the buckeyes became swarmed by privet, an invasive landscape shrub from China that ranges from 18 to 40 feet tall. Privet strangled the slight, graceful, understory trees by gobbling up the light, water and nutrients they needed.
The Texas buckeyes appeared haggard. Their bark was weak. Evidence of blooms was scant.
Privet infestation in the buckeye grove. Photo by Amy Martin.
Leonard got to work. The Texas buckeyes were a Dallas treasure, extolled on many websites, including the city of Dallas. She hammered out a beautification agreement with Dallas Parks and Recreation. Procured a financial underwriter, Trinity Coalition, for tools and signage. Arranged for the design, creation and installation of signs at the trailhead and along the trails.
The big hurdle: recovering the soft-surface trails. Leonard created a team, Ned and Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail Restoration, formed from North Texas Master Naturalists, Trinity Coalition, volunteers from several non-profit groups and concerned individuals.
Restoration days ensued almost monthly. In 2024, Charlie Marshall joined Leonard as co-leader, greatly boosting the effort. Join the volunteers here.
WALKS RESUME!
For two years, they toiled. After a hiatus of several years, in 2023 the Texas Buckeye Walks resumed on the Ned and Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail under the direction of Leonard. More than 50 people took the 2.25-mile roundtrip amble through the Great Trinity Forest, led by naturalists or Fritz family members. In 2024, it was 75 hikers. More than 80 percent had never been in the Great Trinity Forest. Most vowed to return on their own.
Many walkers experience the Great Trinity Forest for the first time on a Texas Buckeye Walk. Photo by Amy Martin.
Be a part of the tradition and show support for the Great Trinity Forest! This year's walks kick off Saturday March 15 and run through March 30.
The Texas Buckeye Walks fill up fast, so reserve a spot soon. For the best experience, first read the Ned and Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail chapter of my book Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth and the Ned Fritz Legacy section on the history and trajectory of Texas Buckeye Walk. See hike tips, below. Afterwards, walkers are invited to gather at The Market Cafe at Bonton Farms.
Arrive at 9:45 a.m. or 1:45 p.m. (15 minutes before start time). Gather at 7000 Bexar Street Dallas Texas 75215, across from Bonton Farms. Look for the picnic pavilion. If the cul-de-sac is full, park along Bexar Street or at the Buckeye Trail Commons Early Head Start two blocks up Bexar. Give yourself extra time for parking. Come early and get provisions from the Bonton Farms Coffee House.
The Texas Buckeye Walks are presented in cooperation with North Texas Master Naturalists and Ned Fritz Legacy, an online biography-n-process of New Fritz.
Walkers mingle with young buckeyes. Photo by Caleb Brackens.
2025 Texas Buckeye Walks
ABOUT: Volunteers carry on the Buckeye Trail Walks in the Great Trinity Forest — a longtime tradition started by Dallas environmentalist Ned Fritz in the 1980s.
WHEN: The walks kick off Saturday, March 15, and continue through March 30. See schedule below.
March 15, Saturday: 10 a.m. to noon. Leader: Richard Grayson. Gain crucial insight into the Trinity River and its plight.
March 16, Sunday: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Leaders: Shelby Smith and Caleb Hinojos of North Texas Master Naturalists. Find the joy in the forest.
March 23, Sunday: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Leaders: Michael McKee with Eileen Fritz McKee and Kristi Kerr Leonard. Tales of Fritz family nature excursions.
March 29, Saturday: 10 a.m. to noon. Leader: Bob Richie. Learn about edible and medicinal plants found in the Great Trinity Forest.
March 30, Sunday: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Leader: Amy Martin. The legacy of Ned Fritz and the Trinity River and Great Trinity Forest. Marks 6th anniversary of Martin’s near-fatal broken neck.:
WHERE: 7000 Bexar Street, Dallas, Texas 75215
RESERVE NOW!: Walks fill up quickly. RSVP HERE.
On the Buckeye Trail. Photo by Stalin SM.
BUCKEYE WALK TIPS
• The 2.25-mile roundtrip walk is often muddy. Bring a change of shoes for the ride home.
• A large towel can help prevent mud from your pants legs from dirtying the car seats.
• Sturdy hiking boots or well-fitting galoshes are strongly recommended.
• Hiking sticks are very helpful. Bug spray is essential.
RESOURCES
Follow the Ned and Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail Restoration Team on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow Ned Fritz Legacy news at Facebook and Instagram.
RELATED ARTICLES
How North Texas natural areas are battling privet 2022
Local success stories in the fight against privet
Texas Buckeye hikes honor a 40-year-old tradition 2024
Buckeye Trail named for local environmental trailblazers 2019
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Author
AMY MARTIN
Amy Martin, a journalist and writer for more than 40 years, is a senior reporter for GreenSource DFW. Her latest book, "Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature in and round Dallas-Fort Worth,” (Wild-DFW.com) will be released by Timber Press in July 2023. She is currently creating a biographical website (NedFritz.com) of Ned Fritz, Texas' most famous environmentalist. Her prior book was "Itchy Business: How to Treat the Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Rash, Prevent Exposure and Eradicate the Plant.”(Itchy.biz) She was contributing editor for the national magazine Garbage (recycling and features), and has written for TheaterJones (comedy and cirque), Senior Voice (The Aging Hippie column), Dallas Morning News (recycling), Dallas Times Herald (performing arts), and Dallas Observer (music and comedy). For a dozen years, Martin also operated a popular alternative news service called Moonlady News, earning her the nickname Moonlady. She may be reached through Moonlady.com.
