Heath Built Its Towne Center Loop in Three Pieces. The Paved Trail Already Reaches Smirl Drive.

Over the past eleven months, Heath finished three outdoor projects and announced each one separately. The nature trails at The Reserve were done in November 2025. Heath Paw Grounds opened in May 2026. Towne Center Park reopened after its renovation in July. Each one got its own city announcement, and none of them was presented as part of a single network.

Put them on one map and they form a single network. Its paved spine ends at Smirl Drive, which is FM 1140, the same corridor where the city's trail map places the phases of Heath Crossing. That is the official name on the recorded plats and the HOA documents. Heathland Crossing appears on the map as a road label. Now that the weather has cooled, the Towne Center area is a walk you can start from Smirl Drive.

The Spine Runs From Smirl Drive to Tom Thumb

The City of Heath describes the backbone in one sentence. A paved trail loops around Tom Thumb, winds through The Reserve, and continues to Smirl Drive. That paved path connects directly to the natural trails on roughly 70 acres owned by the city and the Heath Municipal Benefits Corporation. Altogether, the city counts about three miles of connected paved and natural trail in the Towne Center area.

That three-mile figure covers the whole system. The natural-trail section on its own is labeled at about 1.5 miles on the city's map. It has three signposted trailheads, natural-stone benches and stretches of wildflowers. The map marks open prairie and woodland zones but doesn't name individual trails.

Here is the order of the pieces if you start at Smirl Drive and head toward Towne Center:

1. The paved trail off Smirl Drive. It runs north through The Reserve, and it's the part of the system closest to Heath Crossing.
2. The Reserve's natural trails. They branch off the paved path. One of the newer connections leads to a pond, according to Mayor Jeremiah McClure.
3. The Chris Cuny Parkway trailhead next to Rockwall-Heath High School. This is the other main way in.
4. The Warren Drive paved trail and Heath Paw Grounds. The Rockwall Herald-Banner reports that newer connections link Chris Cuny Parkway, the property at 305 Laurence Drive, the Warren Drive trail and the dog area.
5. The Tom Thumb loop. Here the paved spine curves back toward the Towne Center area and the renovated park.

The city says you can park near Tom Thumb or at the trailheads. It doesn't list a lot address or the number of spaces, so walking in from the Smirl Drive end means one less parking question.

Heath parks are generally open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. unless a sign says otherwise. Dogs must be leashed everywhere except inside Paw Grounds. A 2009 park ordinance linked from the city's website allows bicycles on park trails. Since it's the older document, check posted signs before riding.

The Dog Area in the Middle Is Officially Temporary

Heath Paw Grounds sits at 305 Laurence Drive, on more than three acres. It has fenced areas for different dog sizes, bag and trash stations, fire hydrants, water and bowls, benches and parking.

The way it came together explains its odd position in the network. The Heath Economic Development and Municipal Benefits Corporations bought 24 acres in 2025 to protect open space in the Town Center Overlay District. Paw Grounds was built on part of that land. The June 2026 city newsletter says board members wanted to give the community immediate access "while long-term use of the land is explored." After the boards and City Council approved the dog area, a long-time Heath resident anonymously donated the $25,000 budget so it could open in May 2026.

Its current form is tied to that interim purpose. The city's trail-projects page still describes the trail connections to 305 Laurence and the dog area as something to be built "by the spring of 2026." That line is out of date. The June newsletter reports the May opening, and the city's parks page lists Paw Grounds as an operating amenity as of October 5, 2026.

The Park That Finished Last Completes the Loop

Towne Center Park was the slowest of the three. The project page first estimated completion in December 2025. The grand opening was instead set for July 4, 2026, after the parade, and the city's August newsletter archive shows the ribbon-cutting. On September 5, 2026, the project page was updated to read "Project Completed." The renovation budget was $12,835,902.

Lined up by date, the order shows why the network is easy to miss. The trails opened first and had no park to lead to. The park opened last.

The renovated park has eight fenced pickleball courts, six of them covered and lighted. It also has two half-court basketball courts, an event lawn and pavilion, multi-use fields, baseball-field improvements and a splashpad. A food-truck Festival Street, pond and stormwater features, native low-water landscaping and a dry creek nature walk round it out.

The renovation left two things unfinished. The restrooms were cut from the original budget. The October 2026 newsletter says a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant will now pay to renovate them and to build a Donor Garden recognizing supporters of the city's Parks And Trails of Heath initiative, known as PATH. Both are funded, but neither is done yet.

One short-term note for this week: the parks page posted on October 5 that the sports fields were temporarily closed because of weather and would reopen Wednesday, October 7.

This Fall, the City Calendar Is Centered on Towne Center Park

All three city events on the October and November calendar are at the park the loop leads to:

• National Night Out, Tuesday, October 6 at Towne Center Park, 1000 Festival Street. The newsletter lists complimentary burgers, live music, inflatables for kids and photo opportunities with Heath DPS.
• Free shredding, Saturday, October 24 at the Towne Center Park baseball field, for eligible Heath residential utility and trash customers.
• The city's third annual Veterans Day ceremony, November 11, at Towne Center Park, with music, refreshments and speakers. The newsletter doesn't give a start time yet.

Mayor McClure made the seasonal case himself when the new connections were announced.

"These new connections give our residents even more opportunities to get outside and enjoy everything Heath has to offer."

He added that the trails are especially scenic in the early morning and evening, and that the system would be most inviting once fall weather arrived.

The Next Leg Leaves Smirl Drive Heading for the Lake

The Smirl Drive end won't stay a dead end. The city is planning a Terry Lane trail from Smirl Drive to Terry Park at 599 Terry Lane. That is the city's lakeside park, with a two-lane boat ramp and courtesy docks, walking trails, a pavilion with grills, a playground, a sunset swing and paved parking.

The city's September 29, 2026 update says design and bid documents for the Terry Lane trail are expected in December, with construction expected to start early next year. Engineers are still surveying to acquire easements, and Right of Entry forms have gone out to affected residents. Separately, Terry Lane itself is being rebuilt with reinforced concrete panels under a $2 million interlocal agreement that the Rockwall County Commissioners Court approved in January 2026. Work is being done one side at a time so traffic can keep moving.

Terry Park is also where the city hopes to add its next park feature. City Council approved applying for another Texas Parks and Wildlife grant to help build Marsha's Happy Haven, an all-abilities playground planned for Terry Park.

All of those dates are city estimates that depend on easements and grant decisions. If they hold, Smirl Drive will connect to Towne Center Park on one side and Terry Park on the other.

Amenities that are built in stages can make a home's location look different from one year to the next. Heath Crossing sits between two of them. If you're thinking about your own place on Smirl Drive, The Sarah Naylor Team can walk you through what the Towne Center loop and the planned Terry Lane connection mean for homes along the corridor. Start with your Instant Home Valuation, and we'll take it from there.