The park itself is huge! It sits along Joe Pool Lake. We rode our bikes around the first night -…read more6.6 miles and probably only saw half of it! There are lots of places to picnic, swim, launch your boat and more. As for the campsites themselves, they could really use some TLC. The pavement where you park is crumbling (saw this on all the sites), roads coming in are rough and bumpy so go slow. It looks like they haven't cut the grass in ages. For our site, the grass is mid-shin high and you have to "wade" through it to get to the picnic table. Our site is just wide enough and long enough for our 40' RV and Jeep. The sites are pretty private with trees in between each site.

Cedar Hill State Park turn out to be a great place to go for a day hike, however, they seem to have…read moremany campsites available as well if that is what you were looking for. Driving up to the ranger booth, there was a lot of room to weights similar to national parks where multiple lines could form to get into the park. It was easy to pay the admission fee and we were given a park map that showed us what hikes were available and where they were. On there, they also had annotations on what amenities were available, including a former homestead that they had preserved. We ended up hiking the Talala Trail, which was a little over 2 miles. There wasn't much parking available at the trailhead, about 8 to 10 parking spaces available. This particular trail gradually went down towards the lake and back up as a loop but there is no water access when we went, the leaves still had it formed on the trees and shrubs, so there was clear visibility to which direction we were going I would imagine that there would be a bit more shade during the summer months, though the shrubs didn't seem like they were very tall. We thought the views from the Talala Trail were okay, but the views from the day use areas were better. One picnic area seemed to have lake access but we couldn't be sure how shallow or deep the water was up against the shore since we didn't try to go in. We did see that they had three mountain biking trails and we saw many mountain bikers in the area. They also had some fishing docks along the lake. Unfortunately, though, all the water fountains were turned off when we were there so we weren't able to refill our water bottles. We did check out their gift shop, which wasn't very big, but they still had a decent selection of gifts to purchase. As with any other Texas State park, they have their own park stamp just like the national parks passport program which I personally enjoy collecting. All in all, we enjoyed our time here and we were able to get a good hike. This park is situated in a hilly area of the DFW metroplex which allows for scenic views and more variation to trail options.

No dogs allowed. The trail was clean and neat. There was an owl and another bird of prey in an…read moreenclosure. 170~ elevation. Not much of an overlook, but still nice and secluded within the forest.

I have been coming to the Cedar Mountain Preserve Trail for a couple years now. The trails are well…read moremaintained, and they offer tools and air to help fill up your bicycle. There are many places to sit down and take a break if needed. At these locations, there are trash cans, which are always well taken care of. There is even a lookout point to view nature and the sunsets. I would recommend this to anyone looking to get in a nice walk or run.

Had four days off from work, and I didn't want to waste them away at the apartment. So I performed…read morean internet search for parks and nature preserves. Out of the four that piqued my interest, this one was first on the list. Looks like there were other trails branching off from the main one, but I stuck with the main walking path. There were benches and informational signs scattered along the route. All of them worthwhile in reading. Unfortunately, I was saddened by how much litter I found. Irresponsible and narcissistic people. Boooo! The Nature preserve was well worth the time spent and effort to drive out here. Check it out!

It's way too hot right now so unless you go very early in the morning, save your Crystal Canyon…read morehike for a fair weather day. Then you can really enjoy it. The best thing about Arlington is all the trees and hills. North Texas is mostly flat and DFW isn't known for its foliage, but there's quite a few spots in Arlington that really feel "far away." There's true hills and canyons and forests and creeks. You can be in the center of the metroplex and still feel lost in the woods. Crystal Canyon is such a spot. This park is so pretty. I appreciate all the little signs that explain the trail and history of the area. Crystal Canyon gets its name from all the crystals (gypsum) to be found in the vicinity, particularly the creek. There's a few beautiful bridges and benches. The hike is fairly short but super scenic and enjoyable.

Eagle Mountain Park has a decent size parking lot and I noticed they had a Kona ice truck out…read morefront. They have restrooms available, however they are porta potties that need maintenance. My friend and I enjoyed walking the overlook trail, including seeing the views of the lake. The weather was sunny and breezy and we got a good workout. I like that they don't allow dogs here to preserve their wildlife. We saw a couple of deer on our walk which was lovely. We look forward to our next visit to Eagle Mountain Park.

Eagle Mountain Park has great hiking trails along with some scenic views. One of the best features…read moreof this park is that it's pedestrian only and there are no bikes or dogs allowed. This makes for a great hiking experience. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge lover of dogs, but I love that this park is working to preserve the nature, plus some of the trails are steep and it would be heinous to make your dog venture up and down some of these more aggressive slopes. Nonetheless, I still saw two people bring their dogs out... some people simply have no regard for guidelines to protect the nature and not create an undue burden on your dog. Sigh. This is truly one of the best places in DFW if you are serious about hiking. There is a 500 feet elevation gain on the trail by the lake and this makes for great views and an easy way to get your heart rate up. There is ample parking and admission to the park is free. The only downside I would mention is the only restroom facilities are two port-o-potties and they were disgusting. One was out of toilet paper and there are no sinks to wash up. I don't know why people feel the need to make a bad situation worse by urinating all over the seat and trashing the facilities. Other than that, Eagle Mountain Park is a great choice for a semi-challenging hike site in DFW. The views are also a great reward for your efforts!

If you find yourself in the Plano/Carrollton area and need a break from the concrete jungle, Arbor…read moreHills Nature Preserve is an absolute must. My husband and I came here for a weekend trek, and it's easily one of the best outdoor spots in North Texas. What I love most is the versatility. Whether you're looking for a smooth, paved stroll or want to get your boots a little dusty on the dirt hiking trails, they've got you covered. It's a great mix of elevation and flat stretches. It's a great spot for everyone. Pets are welcome (on leashes!), and there is a fantastic playground near the parking lot--perfect for kiddos who still have energy to burn after a hike. You'll see a beautiful variety of plants and likely some local wildlife. Just a heads-up: they do have warning signs posted for snakes and poison ivy, so definitely keep an eye on your surroundings while you explore. The parking lot is huge, but this place is popular! We arrived around 1:00 PM and it was nearly at capacity. We were lucky to snag a stall, but I'd definitely recommend arriving earlier in the morning if you want to avoid the parking hunt.

Arbor Hills is a place near and dear to my heart. This is one of the best places to get away from…read morethe crowded areas and just enjoy nature. The entrance area is always crowded so people don't get to see how amazing this place is. It's incredible because once you go off trail, you can see for miles to around and the sunset views are phenomenal. There are plenty of shortcuts around this area if you just want to do a quick loop to the observation tower and back to the main entrance. I took my old dog out here years ago and went off trail to isolated areas. I hope other dog owners get to see how happy she is and how much joy dogs get from being in this place. It's fairly common to see people taking family photos here but again, I truly recommend walking in off trail areas for 10 minutes to get spectacular photos.

What a neat place, even on a hot July morning! I did not plan ahead to see where exactly the trails…read morelead since I was not expecting a huge area with several trails. I seemed to be the only crazy person walking, but I passed several people on bikes. So traveler beware of sharing the paths with the people on two wheels. I look forward to checking this place out again when the weather is not so hot! Plenty of parking on site. Also trail markers to let you know where to go, although I was still confused. Probably user error. lol

Been on my bucket list for a while and so glad I came out here. Absolutely outstanding! The trails…read moreare very clearly marked and maintained. No excuse for getting lost. The only caveat is allowing plenty of time to thoroughly enjoy all four trails. Each of them are fairly lengthy and intersect at various times and places. The overall nature preserve may look small on a map, but there is A LOT compacted into the nature preserve. Imperative to bring water on the hikes.

Except for the previous two years, I usually come here every New Year's Day for the First Day Hike…read more It was incredible, as usual! Angela Bright was the Ranger for the more challenging hike versus the other more moderate hike. There was a story-telling hike afterwards, but I ran out of steam. The pace of the hike was fairly easy-going; however, there plenty of ups and downs on the hiking path. On my way out to go home, I shopped at the park store. If you live in the area, please become a patron of this particular park.

A pretty nice State Park. We stayed three days and did some hiking and mountain bike riding both of…read morewhich were very nice. Trails are well groomed and well easy to follow. Some of the sites are a little bit small for larger campers with overhanging limbs that can actually damage your air conditioning, so be careful when backing in. Overall, we had a good short three day vacation at the State Park and Wood return again.

How TF do you close the restrooms three weeks in a row on the only weekends with decent weather…read more There's a million people here and nobody has anywhere to take a piss. Poor operational management.

I have always enjoyed this park. The bike trail that extends for several miles through trees and…read morefields is a pretty ride. This park specifically has a large open area that the main drive circles around. The creek runs along the side. After 4 years, it surprises me they still haven't fixed the trail and the beginning of the trail head. Still fenced off with a gravel trail along the fence. It's a beautiful area.