A Guided Night Walk Along the Shoreline Trail Is Free and Open to All
For one hour on Wednesday, October 28, the Shoreline Trail becomes something most residents never experience: a guided, after-dark window into the nocturnal world running right through The Colony. Keep The Colony Beautiful (KTCB) and Texas Master Naturalist Donna Cole are leading the Owl & Howl Prowl from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., starting at the Shoreline Trailhead in Ridgepointe at Lakeshore Boulevard and Lake Ridge Drive. Admission is free.
The event is part of The Colony’s civic programming calendar and sits at a useful intersection of conservation education and something residents can actually do on a Tuesday-to-Wednesday work week evening without spending a dime.
What to Expect on the Trail
The walk is guided, meaning participants follow Donna Cole rather than wandering independently. Cole’s background as a Texas Master Naturalist shapes the format: the group will search for nocturnal wildlife, tracks, and signs rather than simply strolling through the dark. The Shoreline Trail’s ecosystem along Lake Lewisville supports wildlife activity that largely goes unnoticed during daytime foot traffic, and the one-hour window at 6:30 p.m. in late October places the group in genuine dusk-to-dark conditions — the kind that bring owls and other nocturnal animals into audible and occasionally visible range.
Expect the pace to be deliberate. Guided natural-history walks of this type typically involve stopping to listen, crouch near the ground, and let eyes adjust. Bringing a small flashlight or headlamp is practical; bright lights tend to scatter wildlife, so participants will likely be coached on when and how to use them.
Getting to the Trailhead
The starting point — Lakeshore Boulevard and Lake Ridge Drive in the Ridgepointe neighborhood — is on the western end of The Colony’s Shoreline Trail system. If you have not used this particular trailhead before, build in a few extra minutes for parking and orientation. The walk runs exactly one hour, so a 6:15 p.m. arrival gives time to find the group without cutting it close.
Why This Walk Is Worth Blocking Off
The Shoreline Trail gets heavy use during daylight hours from runners, cyclists, and dog walkers. An organized, expert-led walk after dark is a different proposition entirely, and Cole’s involvement as a credentialed Texas Master Naturalist means participants get interpreted natural history rather than a casual group stroll. KTCB’s partnership with the Master Naturalist program is a practical use of existing local expertise to add programming depth that a parks budget alone rarely funds.
For families with older children curious about wildlife or ecology, this is a concrete, low-barrier introduction. For adults who already use the trail regularly, it is a structured reason to see a familiar stretch of lakeshore in an unfamiliar way.
The Broader October Outdoors Calendar
The Owl & Howl Prowl is one of several outdoor and nature-adjacent events concentrated in the last stretch of October along The Colony’s lakefront corridor. Campfire and S’mores Night at Stewart Creek Park ran October 16 at 3700 Sparks Road, and the Haunted Shadows Lake Trail continues its after-dark wooded trail experience near TOCA Soccer Center every Friday and Saturday through 11:30 p.m. and Sundays until 9:30 p.m. — more than a mile of trail along Lewisville Lake with a PG-rated option available for younger children.
The Prowl occupies a different register than either of those: quieter, educational, and rooted in the actual ecology of the lakeshore rather than seasonal entertainment. That distinction makes it worth adding to the calendar on its own terms.
At a Glance
- Event: KTCB Owl & Howl Prowl
- Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
- Time: 6:30–7:30 p.m.
- Location: Shoreline Trailhead in Ridgepointe, Lakeshore Boulevard & Lake Ridge Drive, The Colony
- Cost: Free
- Led by: Keep The Colony Beautiful and Texas Master Naturalist Donna Cole
