Regional Trail Branding and Wayfinding Initiative

The regional Trail Branding and Wayfinding Initiative was completed in January 2023. Through this initiative, the five cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving, and Dallas collaborated with NCTCOG to develop the following:

• A unified name, logos, and branding for the 60+ mile trail connecting downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas
• Wayfinding and signage best practices and implementation guidance
• Recommendations for:
  • Events: Local, regional, and national
  • Safety: 911 signage and trail lighting
  • Messaging: electronic message boards and counters
  • M&O: ongoing trail maintenance and operations, and marketing

Through a public and stakeholder engagement process, consensus was built for the trail corridor branding and logos:

Each jurisdictional logo reflects a wildlife species that may be found along DFW Discovery Trail. 

The DFW Discovery Trail Branding and Wayfinding  - Final Report and Recommendations outlines the project background, public engagement, trail branding, and wayfinding system design as well as trail infrastructure and programming recommendations.

The DFW Discovery Trail Wayfinding Best Practices highlights the trail's wayfinding and branding elements and principles, signage selection and programming, and signage placement guidance. This review is intended to guide implementation of signage and branding on the DFW Discovery Trail. 

Public Outreach

• Virtual Open House:  Closed December 8, 2021

The virtual Open House introduced the Fort Worth to Dallas Regional Trail Branding and Wayfinding Project and gathered participants' input about how and where they use the trail, as well as design concept preferences. 

• ​Fort Worth to Dallas Regional Trail Branding and Wayfinding Project Update
  • NCTCOG Public Meeting Presentation:  February 7, 2022
  • NCTCOG Public Meeting Presentation:  April 11, 2022   View recording of presentation (timestamp: 55:00).

Public Feedback Forum: Closed June 20, 2022
The Public Feedback Forum allowed participants to vote on their favorite name and logo pairing for the Fort Worth to Dallas Regional trail and gathered participants' input about important destinations along the trail as well as how and where they use the trail.

Media Coverage:

• Media: Fort Worth Report - Explainer: How will a "superhighway of trails" connecting Fort Worth to Dallas affect North Texas? (5-15-22)
• Media: Dallas Morning News - A new trail will link Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and more cities.  What should it be called? (4/26/22)