Colleyville's New Tree Trail Is Having Its First Fall. Here's What to Look For on the Loop Behind the Senior Center

When did you last walk behind the Colleyville Senior Center on Glade Road? For years, the half-mile concrete loop back there sat in what a City-sponsored Community Impact article called "planning limbo." This year it became the Texas Tree Trail, a nine-acre collection of trees native to Texas at 2512 Glade Road.

This November is the trail's first fall, and the trees putting on the show are the ones that went in first. The flowering trees planted in the second phase were picked for spring and summer. The big trees from the first phase are the ones that can turn color in autumn. Walk the loop this month and you're seeing the starting point of a park the city designed to look different every time you come back.

How a leftover lot became a living tree museum

The land was free because of an earlier shuffle. When the Senior Center building was renovated several years ago, the city thought about putting more recreation on the surrounding acreage, including a playground. Back then the building held both senior and youth programs. Then the city bought a former church and turned it into a standalone recreation center, the Senior Center went back to serving seniors only, and the open ground behind it was available again.

At about the same time, the city's Tree Board was talking about ways to get more trees planted around Colleyville. City staff member and landscape designer Joe Flynn suggested turning the existing walking loop into an educational tree trail. The Tree Board backed the idea, and City Council supported it in October 2025. Work started in early 2026.

"We're a Tree City USA. We're kind of the opposite of an urban jungle, if you will."

That's Assistant City Manager Adrienne Lothery, quoted by Community Impact in a sponsored piece the City of Colleyville supplied in October.

Two plantings, two jobs

The city put the trees in by phase, and each phase does a different job. According to the city's project page, Phase I in February 2026 brought in 42 "larger, more substantial trees": several kinds of oaks and magnolias, Texas ash, Montezuma cypress, American elm, pine and bigtooth maple. Phase II followed in May 2026 with 64 flowering trees: crape myrtles, redbuds, desert willows, Texas mountain laurels, mesquites, mimosas, golden rains, Mexican buckeyes, vitex and Eve's necklace.

On the loop, related varieties are grouped into themed sections such as Oak Alley and Elm Way, so you can compare leaves, bark and canopy side by side. The mix of evergreens and trees that bloom at different times is on purpose. "Visitors can keep coming back because there's always something different to see," Lothery told Community Impact.

Line those species up against the Texas A&M Texas Tree Planting Guide and the calendar is easy to read. Here's when each named tree is at its best:

Every fall entry on that list comes from the first planting. Every spring and summer entry comes from the second.

What a November lap looks like

Start with the bigtooth maple. The Texas A&M Forest Service lists it among the Texas species that produce red, pink and purple pigments in autumn. It also notes that color varies from tree to tree with genetics and growing conditions. So two maples a few yards apart on the same loop may not match, and that's part of what makes walking past them worthwhile.

Elm Way is the place for yellow. American elm leaves turn bright yellow in fall, and grouping related trees together means you can see that color next to the leaves and bark of the trees around it. Texas ash can add yellow, orange and purple. The Montezuma cypress is the odd one out. It's a cypress that drops its leaves this far north of San Antonio, so it can look bare by midwinter while the pines and magnolias stay green.

Keep your expectations matched to the trees' age. Many of them are still young, and city officials expect a fuller canopy to fill in as the trees mature. This year, expect thin trunks with a handful of colored leaves.

The practical side is simple. The loop is paved concrete, and the city describes it as a walking route for seniors, families and anyone pushing a stroller. The city lists general park hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. A monument sign marks the entrance. For now you'll need your own plant ID app, because the educational signs naming each variety are still being developed. The city hopes to install them within the next year.

Spring is the second half of the design

The Phase II trees will have their turn soon enough. Texas A&M describes Texas mountain laurel's spring blooms as outstanding, and Mexican buckeye puts out pink flowers along with its new leaves. Desert willow then flowers from spring through summer, and crape myrtle and vitex carry the summer months. Those 64 trees went in last May, so next spring will be their first full bloom on the loop.

The city also has more work planned for the site:

• Phase III: the city's project page marks it "coming soon" and describes it as installing the rest of the trees along the walking trail.
• Educational signs: in development, with installation hoped for within the next year.
• Longer-term ideas: a gazebo near the trail's midpoint for picnics and gatherings, more paths and benches, landscaping beds that go with the tree collection, and pollinator and monarch gardens.

According to Community Impact, the city plans to add these features over time as the trees grow.

Colleyville's other tree event this month

The city has one more tree on the November calendar. Colleyville's Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration is Saturday, Nov. 21, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Main St. Santa and Mayor Lindamood are scheduled to arrive at 5:45 p.m., followed by the tree lighting, plus food trucks, photos with Santa, choir performances and a holiday trunk-or-treat. This year the community-decorated tree display moves indoors for the event, and the winners will be announced there.

Before you head to City Hall that evening, you could take a daylight lap at 2512 Glade Road and see how the maples are coming along.

Whether you live a few streets from Glade Road or across town, we love knowing about places like this new trail, and we're always happy to share what we're seeing around Colleyville. If you're curious about the neighborhoods near the Texas Tree Trail or just want a local's take on what's coming next, reach out to The Monarch Team. Contact us for a free home consultation, or browse our listings to see what's available nearby.