Why Are There Goats on a Dallas Trail?

If you’re walking or biking along Northaven Trail and suddenly spot hundreds of goats and sheep, no — they didn’t escape from somewhere.

They’re working.

A herd of about 450 goats and sheep is back on Northaven Trail in Dallas as part of a habitat restoration project designed to clear overgrown vegetation and help native wildflowers return. The animals are rotating through 55 grazing areas along the trail this month. 

So, Why Goats?

The goats and sheep are being used to prepare the trail’s no-mow pollinator zones for reseeding.

Instead of simply mowing everything down, managed grazing helps remove thick vegetation and thatch that can block sunlight and keep seeds from reaching the soil. As the animals graze and move through the area, they help open up the ground for future wildflower growth. 

It’s one piece of a larger restoration effort that also includes volunteers, professional crews, mowing, planting and ongoing maintenance. 

Where Can You Find Them?

The herd moves along the trail as it clears each section, so there isn’t one permanent goat-viewing spot.

Friends of Northaven Trail has created a live Flock Finder that shows where the herd is expected to be grazing. Just keep in mind the schedule is an estimate — goats move at their own pace, and sometimes they finish an area faster than expected. Northaven TAILS

Northaven Trail stretches for about nine miles through North Dallas, so the herd can move quite a distance over the course of the project. 

Where Can You Find Them? Northaven Trail runs through North Dallas, near neighborhoods such as Preston Hollow and Northaven Park, with access points along Royal Lane, Midway Road, Inwood Road, Webb Chapel Road, Hillcrest Road, and surrounding streets.

Look, But Don’t Touch

There is one important thing to know before heading out to see them.

The herd is kept behind temporary electric fencing, so visitors should stay outside the enclosure and avoid touching the fence. 

The trail remains open while the animals are working.

And if this feels strangely familiar, there’s a reason: goats have also been used elsewhere in Dallas to clear vegetation as part of similar trail and park projects. 

So yes — those goats really are supposed to be there.

They’re just doing yard work, Dallas-style.