A man rides a bike in Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Plano.
Chitose Suzuki/Dallas Morning News
North Texas had a strong showing this year in a national ranking of parks published annually by the Trust for Public Land – and one North Texas city’s parks ranked among the top in the U.S.
Of the 100 most populous cities in the country, Plano, at No. 13, was the only Texas city to crack the top 20. Frisco ranked No. 30, Dallas No. 38, Arlington No. 45, Fort Worth No. 58, Garland No. 64 and Irving No. 71. Irving and Fort Worth made significant gains since last year, according to the Trust for Public Land.
Article continues below this ad
The national nonprofit, with a goal of connecting everyone to the outdoors, evaluates park systems based on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment and amenities. The annual ranking keeps track of cities’ progress and provides a road map for improvement, said Molly Morgan, Texas state director and associate vice president of the Trust for Public Land.
“North Texas, as a region, has been investing seriously in parks for years,” Morgan said. “The data is reflecting that long-term investment and some of the initiatives and growth measures that came online this year.”
Of seven cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, six improved their ranking this year, while Dallas fell slightly.
Dallas’ dip in the ranking has more to do with other cities’ investments coming to fruition this year, rather than Dallas downgrading, Morgan said. The city has improved park access by one of the highest margins in the country over the past 10 years, she said.
Article continues below this ad
Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.
Add Preferred Source
“It’s really important for residents to advocate for their park spaces and advocate for what they want to see in terms of funding to keep places beautiful, safe and maintained,” Morgan said.
Shellana Morris and daughter Kallie Harris, 6, of Desoto, sit on the steps of the amphitheater at Halperin Park during the opening celebration of Oak Cliff’s new deck park in Dallas, Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Irving climbed the ranking by 28 spots, more than any other city this year, from second-to-last in 2025 to No. 71. Increased investment through the city’s “Let’s Play Irving” initiative funded several projects that contributed to the increase, according to the trust.
Article continues below this ad
Fort Worth rose 14 spots to No. 58, largely because of new park investment and agreements with the school district to open schoolyards for community use, according to the trust. The city, whose voters passed a $185 million bond for parks this month, is “poised for further improvement,” according to the nonprofit.
Plano climbed from No. 17 to No. 13 in the country for its park system, solidifying its ranking as the top city for parks in the state. Frisco began construction on Grand Park this spring, which will eventually span more than 1,000 acres, and the city ranked second in Texas after Plano.
Parks maintain Plano “as a city of excellence,” said its Park Planning Manager Katie Dunham, and provide a higher quality of life for the community. Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve alone is more than 800 acres, and the city has nearly 100 miles of trails, according to its website. The city recently launched an interactive shade mapping tool to allow residents to view where shade falls in public parks depending on the date and time.
Plano has been “leading the charge” in providing parks and green spaces to residents, Morgan said, and provided “a model for what’s possible in the state.” According to the trust’s research, 85% of Plano residents live within a 10 minute walk from a park.The city’s economic development department promotes the city’s parks as an attractive feature for corporations looking to relocate to Collin County.
Article continues below this ad
On an unseasonably warm day, Shreya Patnaik (left) and her friend Anna Ivashchenko (with her Guinea pig named Ginger) take a walk around the fountain at Bishop Park in Plano, Texas, January 5, 2026.
Tom Fox/Dallas Morning News
“The business community here is very engaged in our parks and recreation system, and they encourage us to build that system,” Dunham said.
Morgan said Texas cities in general are “closing gaps that have existed for decades” in its park systems. But there’s more work to be done, with nine million Texans still lacking access to a park within a 10-minute walk of their homes, she said in a statement.
Nationally, Washington, D.C., ranked highest in the country for its park system, followed by Irvine, Calif.; Minneapolis, Minn.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Article continues below this ad
North Texas is made up of “sunbelt, suburban cities” with less density, Morgan said, making it harder to get residents within a short walk to a park. There’s room for improvement when it comes to park accessibility in the region, she said, “especially as cities are developing and densifying.”
The nonprofit also released an economic analysis that found city parks deliver $3 in benefits for every $1 invested by promoting residents’ physical and mental health, serving infrastructure needs and saving cities and consumers money.
“Parks are not a nice-to-have,” Morgan said. “They’re a necessity.”
Article continues below this ad
Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.