Hiking in Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

The Trinity River Audubon Center lies in the heart of the Great Trinity Forest, just minutes from downtown Dallas. The park contains a large educational center at the nexus of several miles of trails.

White Rock Lake may be Dallas’s best loved park. Located just to the north and east of down town Dallas, White Rock offers a 9 mile trail with long views over the lake.

There is no better place in central Dallas/Fort Worth to test out your hiking boots, to get a just a little lost in nature, or to find a corner of quiet amid the suburban sprawl. Arbor Hills is ideal for an afternoon getaway without having to drive too far.

Cedar Hill State Park covers several thousand acres on the east shore of Joe Pool Lake on the southern edge of the DFW metroplex.

In the heart of the metroplex on the southern edge of Lake Lewisville there is a protected area open to the public for hiking, camping, and other outdoor recreation. Fishing, hiking, camping, paddling, and biking are all activities that are enjoyed within the park limits.

Unlike many long trails in the DFW area, the 10 miles of the Greenbelt are in a single straight shot, rather than a densely twisting series of loops that never get very far from the trail head.

Deep in the heart of the DFW metroplex is the small town of Trophy Club. Nestled on the northwest corner of Lake Grapevine, its namesake park provides approximately 10 miles of hiking trails for the outdoor enthusiast to enjoy.

Fort Worth Nature Center is a remarkable park and nature education center located on Fort Worth, just north of the city of Fort Worth. The park includes a small herd of bison, a prairie dog city, alligators resident in the lake, and the Hardwicke Interpretive Center with exhibits on the flora and fauna of Lake Worth.

Cedar Ridge Preserve may be the best-loved trail system in the Dallas Metroplex.

Located on the edge of Texas Hill Country, Dinosaur Valley State Park offers a matrix of well-maintained loop trails that pass through meadows and cedar brakes.

The Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma could be the most beautiful place within a four hour drive from Dallas. Bare rose granite rising a thousand feet above the prairie, cut with streams and oak forests that turn golden in the fall, and home to wandering bison and elk.

For those hikers looking for a more solitary outing, Plano has managed a whopping 7 miles of soft dirt paths spanning the entirety of the park. Bikes are not allowed on these paths, so you won’t have to constantly watch your back or listen for the familiar buzz of tire spokes.

Harry Moss Park is a dense patch of greenery hidden amongst the tract housing of north Dallas. It’s a profound and delightful surprise to find such an extensive bit of forest so close to downtown.

Mineral Wells State Park is centered around a small lake and an extensive series of camp grounds. There is hike-in primitive camping, as well as RV and drive-up primitive sites, as well as a cliff popular with rock climbers. The 20-mile long Mineral Wells Trailway abuts the park.

The Colony Shoreline Trail is well-graveled and dotted with benches, trash cans, pet stations, and informational signs. Leash up your dog, hike out to a bench, and watch the sunset (or rise for the early birds) over Lewisville Lake. Walk along the water’s edge for 3.5 miles while enjoying the plants and wildlife.

The TADRA Point Trailhead is the starting point for a network of 70+ miles of trails that loop across several units of the LBJ/Caddo Grasslands. The LBJ Grasslands cover over 20,000 scattered acres in North Central Texas.

Katy Trail vies with White Rock Lake as the best loved park in Dallas. The trail is a converted railway that stretches 3 ½ miles from Victory Park near the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas to the SMU campus.

Typical of the shores of Lake Texoma, the Eisenhower State Park is situated amongst cliffs and hills that line the shores of the massive lake.