5 Mile Creek

Down in the Canyon

I'd always thought that the various creeks which flow into the Trinity river were either built over, inaccessible or not worth seeing in the first place. That's not entirely true, some are worth tracking down and scouting out; I'd include 5 mile Creek on the list. 

Clear and Cool

It meanders through parts of South Dallas, remarkably clear and cold. I got to it via Polk and 67 then followed it West. The creek is, I think, navigable on foot if you have a good set of waders, a machete or two and maybe a carbine and a pistol for close defense.

Many Fish

But seriously, the water's cut canyons over the centuries, which are off-putting to the crackheads, ne'er do wells and the assorted flotsam and jetsam that make up the scary part of the South Dallas demographic. It's also surrounded on either bank by thickish brush. Regardless, I didn't attempt to walk anything like its length and just checked out salient points after parking the truck.

Spot the Crane

The waters were as clear as advertised and pleasantly cool; the noise of the city is soaked up too and you have the place in silence. It's not hard to imagine the area as it was 150 years ago, wild and unsettled and I enjoyed watching the fish which are curiously iridescent because of the clarity of the water. They shoal and eddy in great numbers.

Intrepid Explorer

It's possible, I've read, to fish the creek and there's certainly no shortage of fish but they all seemed very small. There's doubtless good holes that'd reward the adventurous urban angler but I didn't have the time or patience to find them. I did find a wood crane though; it loomed up prehistorically from the brush.

5 Mile Creek? Well worth the visit.

LSP