Where do you ride on a dry November Saturday in McKinney now that the gate on CR 1006 is locked? For years the answer was the same no matter what kind of outing you wanted. Erwin Park covered long singletrack, a skills course, hilly hiking and a tent site with a fire ring, all on one 212-acre property. With that park offline, those jobs are now spread across several different places, and the best one to pick depends on which part of Erwin you miss most.
What closed, and for how long
The City of McKinney's parks page is direct about it: "The entire park, including trails, is closed." The renovation is expected to last about a year. Visit McKinney gives the start date as August 10, 2026. Campsite and pavilion rentals are off the table until it reopens. No reopening date has been posted, so the city's Erwin Park page is the place to check for updates.
This is a full closure, and the earlier plan pointed elsewhere. In June 2025, Community Impact reported that parks officials hoped to phase construction so the park would not have to close completely. The current notice settles that question, and the dirt is off-limits along with everything else.
What's gone for now is a lot of trail. Visit McKinney lists 11 miles of mountain-bike trails maintained by the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association, plus a progressive skills course, natural-surface hiking trails with elevation changes, and 12 tent sites. The 2025 Community Impact story put the bike trails at 10 miles. Either way, that 10 to 11 miles is the yardstick for every option below.
What the year of construction is building
The construction contract on the McKinney City Council's June 16, 2026 agenda went to A&C Construction, Inc. of Irving, for no more than $10,800,983 including contingency. Funding comes from the McKinney Community Development Corporation and parkland dedication funds. The agenda item lists this scope:
- Removal of the existing restrooms and pavilions
- Underground utilities to new restroom and shower facilities
- A maintenance building and new pavilions
- An overlook structure
- An enhanced park entry
- Concrete-paved parking lots and road resurfacing
- A concrete looped hike-and-bike trail
- Utilities for the campsites
The overlook is the feature people will notice first. When the project was announced, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Kinkade said the top deck would offer views of more than 35 miles, according to Community Impact.
Mountain bikers will spot something else. The paved loop is new, and the agenda item doesn't mention the volunteer-built singletrack or the skills course at all. The trail system that brought most riders to Erwin isn't in the published contract scope, so any rider expecting a fresh dirt network next fall is filling in a blank the city hasn't filled.
Matching each Erwin job to a substitute
Since no single park nearby offers 11 miles of dirt, a camping area and a skills course together, it helps to sort the options by what you're actually going out to do.
| What you used Erwin for | Closest substitute | What it offers |
|---|---|---|
| A long singletrack ride | Sister Grove Park, near Princeton and Lake Lavon | About 7 to 7.3 miles, DORBA-maintained, rated intermediate |
| A quick dirt loop after work | Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano | 2.5 to 2.8 miles off-road, trails reopened this summer after erosion work |
| Hiking on natural surface | Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, McKinney | 6.5-plus miles of unpaved trails across 289 acres |
| A short spin with the kids | Bonnie Wenk Park, McKinney | A 0.39-mile Pond Loop listed for mountain bikes, plus 1-mile paved loops |
Sister Grove covers the most of Erwin's mileage
Sister Grove Park is the only option on the list that comes near Erwin's distance. Collin County describes it as a primitive hike-and-bike trail on 75 acres between Princeton and Farmersville, next to Lake Lavon. DORBA maintains it, and it's open for day use from sunrise to sundown. Trail databases put the full system at 7 miles on Trailforks' region page, 7.1 miles on its complete-route listing, and 7.3 miles on AllTrails. That works out to about two-thirds of Erwin's dirt. Trailforks rates the complete route blue, or intermediate, and AllTrails calls it moderately challenging.
Sister Grove also has the rule that matters most this time of year. The county says it's closed when wet. In late October, Trailforks listed it as "Open as of Oct 10, 2026," but a status from weeks ago doesn't tell you much after a rainy week. Trailforks lists the trailhead by map coordinates and not by street address, so pin the location before you go.
Arbor Hills is the short loop, with fresh trail work
When you have an hour and not a whole morning, Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano is the closer dirt option. Visit Plano describes a 200-acre preserve with a 2.8-mile off-road mountain-bike trail and 3 miles of paved trails. Trailforks lists the off-road loop at about 2.5 miles and adds roughly 3 miles of unpaved trails for walkers only. That's about a quarter of Erwin's bike mileage, so you'll likely be riding laps.
The trails there are in fresh shape. Community Impact Plano reported that an erosion-control project wrapped up June 26, 2026. The hard-surface loop reopened June 2, and the trail near the playground and a parking area reopened after the work was finished.
Two details to know before you drive over. Trailforks lists hours of 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a maintenance closure on Wednesdays from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. For trail conditions, you can call 972-210-2936 and press 9, or check the DORBA app.
The Heard covers the hiking
Hikers who don't need a bike lose the least ground. The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary at 1 Nature Place has more than 6.5 miles of unpaved trails on a 289-acre sanctuary. That's more acreage than Erwin's 212, and it's still inside McKinney. The trail page lists named routes such as Sycamore Trail at 1.25 miles, Bluestem Trail and Wood Duck Trail at a mile each, and the Cedar Brake Loop at about two-thirds of a mile. Most are rated easy to moderate. The museum notes that the trails are unpaved and not accessible by wheelchair or walker.
The setup is different from Erwin's. Trail access comes with general admission or a membership. Hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. both days, and the museum is closed Mondays except on listed dates. That rules out the sunrise starts Erwin allowed. Parking is free past the entrance gate.
December brings an evening option. Holidays at the Heard runs December 11 through 13, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m., with holiday lights along a nature trail and views of the Dinosaurs Live! exhibit.
In town, when there's only a half hour
For the shortest outings, Bonnie Wenk Park at 2996 Virginia Parkway has the city's own small piece of dirt. The Bonnie Wenk Pond Loop is listed as a 0.39-mile mountain-bike trail. It's short enough for a kid's first loop or a quick skills session. The park is open from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and has parking at the dog park, amphitheater, practice fields and playground. Its Outer Loop and its stretch of Wilson Creek Trail add a mile each of hard surface. For more distance on pavement, the full Wilson Creek Trail runs 5.3 miles.
The mud rule you're used to applies everywhere
Erwin riders already know the wet-trail drill, and now it applies at every trailhead on this list. DORBA says tire and shoe traffic on muddy soil damages trails, speeds up erosion and creates extra work for its trail stewards. Those stewards are unpaid volunteers who build and maintain the trails. Sister Grove's wet closure is official county policy, and Arbor Hills just finished a project aimed at erosion.
Before you load the bike:
- Check the DORBA Trail Status app, available on the App Store and Google Play.
- For Arbor Hills, call the conditions line at 972-210-2936 and press 9, and skip Wednesday mornings.
- For Sister Grove, plan around the drive out to the lake. If it has rained recently, choose a paved loop in town.
- Watch the city's Erwin Park page for news on reopening.
I've spent two decades helping families settle into McKinney, and knowing which park handles which job is part of knowing the town. If you're thinking about a move and want a home near the trails that suit how you ride or hike, I'm glad to walk you through it. Brian S. Curry is happy to set up a consultation, or you can start with an instant valuation of your current home.
