We enjoy going to the tiny Little Elm Beach as a family. Parking is free on the weekdays (non-holidays) and they offer good amenities - restrooms, showers, life jackets, volleyball courts, and music. You can't swim far since boueys limit your swim, but it's good enough to get some laps in. Set up a tent/umbrella, bring sand toys and lots of sunblock, then let the kids go crazy. There's also a really neat playground within walking distance and a walking trail. Plenty to do with the little ones. As long as your expectations are low, you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

Loved this beach. It seemed nice and clean and everything you want off a beach and park. People were cooking out and enjoying the water. They had water rentals as well. I will definitely go back. read more

Little Elm Park - Little Elm Beach - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

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This park has great hiking trails! They are laden with great walking paths and there are quite a few alcoves where you can walk down to the water. It is dog friendly and you are sure to meet many along your path! read more

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they had a fun christmas lights drive thru display here though it was a bit overpriced imo. read more

Little Elm Park - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

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What a great little sandy swimming beach. It's fun for all ages until around 3pm when DFW's version of the Jersey Shore rolls in. The place goes from peaceful to TRASHY in the span of about 15 minutes. Until then: The beach area is small but we had no trouble grabbing a good sized spot on a June Saturday at 9:30am. Bring sand toys, inflatable rafts, footballs, and your own form of shade. The swimming area is large, but stays shallow quite a ways out. There are free life vests to borrow if you need one. Alcohol is permitted, as long as it's not in a glass. I did see police patrolling. The bathrooms are completely inadequate for the number of people who swarm the beach. Ladies: expect to wait. But they aren't the worst public bathrooms, and in fact are a lot better than the beach bathrooms I'm used to. There are showers by the entrance to hose off the sand when you leave. Parking on a weekend is $10 and THEY DON'T TAKE CASH. Weird! I saw a few reviews comparing Little Elm Park to CA beaches ("these ain't no california beaches" or something like that). I am a native San Diegan who just left 32 years by the beach to move to Texas, so if anyone knows CA beaches it's me. Is this anything like going to the beach in CA? Kinda. I mean, there is sand. There is swimming. There is sun, and there is even the occasional wave when a big boat drives by. On the other hand, the sandy shore is tiny (only 25' or so from the water to the sidewalk in some areas). The water is murky, and only gets browner as you shuffle around in it. The lake bottom is a clay-like substance - not sand - and the water is WARM. But who cares?! There are plenty of great things about swimming at a lake that the CA beach can't touch. For example, try peacefully floating around in a Dollar Tree inflatable raft with a beer in your hand. You'll be tossed overboard in 30 seconds flat - if the police don't get to you first for illegal possession of alcohol on a beach. The lake doesn't pummel you under it's waves or wrap you with it's seaweed. The sand is soft. The clay is squishy under your feet. There are no sharks or stingrays. These are all great things! My advice for the California transplant is to let go of your Pacific Ocean standard and just enjoy the lake for what it is. FUN. (Just plan on leaving before 3) read more

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Little Elm Park has become our family staple for our "lake days." We moved to DFW from San Diego almost a year and a half ago, so yes, I'll be commenting on the unfair comparison to the beaches. When you pull in there's a road about 15-20 cars long before the first parking lot. On the weekends you'll pay $10 (currently only via card) to park. There's a huge lot to the left that is closer to the beaches. Once you turn into the west parking lot (near the playground), if you pull through, there's a one way circle near a few buildings (these are bathrooms and a grill). The circle is the best parking, in my opinion. After you park you've got a choice of setting yourself up on the sand or on the grass. The lake is clay bottomed (because--nature). So we bring swim shoes--sometimes they help, sometimes they get stuck and we peel them off. There are water sports for rent at the northern parking lot on the left (north north after you pass the playground and trees) once you enter from the south. You can rent paddle boards or kayaks. We bring an inflatable inter tube and an inflatable kayak. My husband and I have 2 boys currently 4 and 7 years old. We love a day at the lake. We bring a cooler (with lunch, snacks, drinks, beer), a canopy, camping chairs and a wagon to tote it all. In comparison to CA beaches, they're different. The beach is shorter than a SoCal beach. There is grass and trees up to the water (and in the water if it rains too much before you go). There are no waves and it's warm). It could be said I like it better because I'm not stressed from finding parking before we get there. Lost star because though the bathrooms are cleaner than most, they aren't great. The water is murky and the beach is relatively small. It's still really good, but it doesn't give me the pride I would need for 5 stars. read more

Little Elm Park - Facing the north side of the park, west of the playground on June 20, 2020. - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

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Great for families and kids! My 2 year old and 8 month old love the little beach. The waves are gentle and there's sand and it's not too deep. It's always clean and the park is very nice! read more

Great trails for walking and biking around the lake. Plenty of parking, but spread out so of you're trying to get a good parking spot closer to the lake beach then arrive early or at slower times. read more

Little Elm Park - #lakefrontlittleelm - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

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We did the hike at Little Elm Lakefront Trail for 7.7 miles and it was a nice hike. There weren't many scenic views of the lake but the terrain was flat and it was an easy hike. Overall, fun experience and good way to get active near the area. read more

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A great, peaceful day at Little Elm Beach. They've added a lot more sand to make the beach area larger since the last time we visited, Pre-COVID. read more

Little Elm Park - Just in time to catch sunset at the beach! - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

Beautiful! Love it. Huge beach. Tons if nature. Nice playground. Lots of parking.

Holiday on 10 miles away. Crazy to know that this park is only a few miles from West Frisco : Plano. It's like a hidden gym to this new suburbanite in Frisco Tx. The trails and lake views makes for a relaxing hike, bike or stroll with the family or pet. An array of options await, tons of sand volleyball courts, green space, "beach" , covered pavilion and small hill to kick back and enjoy a picnic or a game of horseshoe. The boat ramp is easy to navigate and DFW Surf is onsite for kayak rentals. Truly a fun time can be had, only a few miles away from the city. read more

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Great place to get away from the house and relax. Close to hike and bike trails. Clean and well maintained. read more

This place more than exceeded my expectations. We came here for a BBQ with some friends and had a great all day adventure with a plethora of activities. We had reserved the large pavilion which was key because otherwise, we would not have had shade. The pavilion had a charcoal BBQ you could use. Also, with a large group, this is only way to go. The pavilion is located near the parking and near the playground as well, which is well shaded and has lots of unique things for the kids. From there, the beach is a short walk down the hill and there are also tons of sand volleyball courts. There are some courts near the entrance to the park too but the ones down below offer a better view. The weather was good on the Saturday we came so parking was tough and it was crowded. That said, we found a good spot on the beach and was able to spread out our EZ-Up easily (no pun intended). It was a great time in the sand, but we did not get in the water much since it looked dirty. There were plenty of others that did though. read more

Came here Memorial Day. Super packed! We still had a really good time. Water was fresh. I like that they have life jackets available for the little ones. Definitely will return read more

It is super cool and the the park is very fun the sand is very soft and smooth the zip line is fast and fun

Such a great little place. As a girl who went to the beach & lake growing up I've been missing that in Texas. This was perfect. Would highly recommend bringing family and friends here. Don't forget your volleyball! read more

I miss the days of not having to pay for parking. It's not a bad park, but it's a shame to have to pay to use the area most of the time.

This spot is underrated. I think that's what makes it so special. Don't get me wrong, it's popular. But it's usually locals that recommend it to other locals. This park is good enough to be a destination trip for other in the DFW area. Plenty of parking and good vibes. Thank you to the city for constantly making improvements to the grounds. Im a fan. read more

Yes, this park is great for all the reasons that the other reviewers have listed. But allow me to introduce a new perspective: it's perfect for those of you guys out there (however few there are) who are looking to collect insects. That's right! This park has one of the largest variety of insects I've seen. And I'm being genuine here. I'm not veiling this review as a criticism. I'm one of those weirdos who are actually interested in insect collection, and let me tell you, this place is perfect for that. In about 25 minutes, I spotted at least 30 different families of insects. And let me emphasize again about the large assortment of insects found here. From dragonflies(yes both Libelluloidea and Aeshnoidea) to bees (not just your typical honeybees!) to barklice to beetles and of course the ever ubiquitous hemipterans! I was truly astounded from amount I saw. And almost all I saw were not dangerous or poisonous so collect away! If you or someone you know is looking to start an insect collection, make Little Elm Park your first stop. You won't regret it! read more

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Updating - STILL GROSS! We only go here in the off-season because it is so crowded and gross in the summer - I regularly see used personal hygiene items on the bathroom floors, found a condom in the parking lot last time. You find all sorts of garbage in the sand, I feel gross about letting my kids touch it. There are wasp nests in most of the bathroom stalls, and if you try to use the toilet in the summer, expect to wait in line for 30+ min because folks use it as a changing room and even wash their feet in there. In general it's just poorly maintained, with damaged light fixtures, etc which is a shame because it could be really nice - it's the only real public beach available in our area. I wish they would scrape/put down new sand more often, and clean their bathrooms. Outdoor changing stalls would really help with the crowd at the bathroom, too. read more

I love this place, there is something for everyone to have fun and do all around. The beach attracts a lot of teenagers and young families during the late Spring and Summers days. If you have a boat, you can use the boat ramp, if you like to fish, you can go fishing. If you like volleyball, there are plenty of courts. The playground for children is amazing! There are trails near by and lots to explore in nature. I mostly like going in the evenings to see and experience the beautiful sunsets and surrounding beauty of nature. If you are from CA, don't expect to see a CA beach with big waves, if you see trash, leave it better than you found it. This is a happy place! There is plenty of parking, in the evenings as people are leaving from a day of fun in the sun. read more

Nice park. Lots to do. Just past Hula Hut, you can camp, see gorgeous views of Lake Lewisville, hike, they have sand volleyball and play area for children. It's very manmade, which is expected and the hiking trails are concrete. They are a few that venture off but not very hilly. Very open and wide paths. There were LOTS of children and families in the park and camping area, but the walking paths were bare and we had a lovely afternoon walking them. They had a porta potty which was surprisingly clean and didn't smell at all! The only other nature parks we go to is the Nature Preserve which I prefer the hiking there much more, but it is always so crowded sometimes it becomes unenjoyable. The Oak Cliff nature preserve is also worth hiking/running/biking but it's much further of a drive from Plano. This place seems to still be slightly out from the larger suburbs so it much quieter. read more

Little Elm Park - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

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Great spot to take the kiddos in the summer. Got there at 11:30 on a weekday. Full but not crowded. Found a beach spot easily. Most of the swim area is easy for kids to stand in, but deep enough for adults to be in also. We brought all our sand toys and some inflatable rings. Perfect place for both. Left around 3:30, crowd had gotten a bit older but still fine and lots of room to swim. There were times our group was by itself in our area. The police came by and had to tell someone to turn their music down. They drove through a couple of times also. It was nice to see their presences read more

This place is a great place to go when the weather is nice. The only downside is the amount of people that know about this spot now is insane! I guess it's to be expected with so many people moving here now. But I still love coming here! read more

Little Elm Park - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

Great little beach. Plenty of parking. Decent size swimming area. Lots of kids playing about. Volleyball courts. there is a little area to rise off at after. A nice little spot. We will return. read more

This is one of my favorite park in DFW Texas! I go drive 20 miles each season to visit here. Lots of activities to do. There's trail, a beach. The only thing is the water raised coz of the high tide and it never went away anymore read more

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So much to do: beach, swimming, numerous beach volleyball courts, huge playground, outdoor amphitheater, covered pavilions, hiking, fishing...the entire area is well-maintained and lots of parking. read more

This is a very nice area. We found a tree with some shade on a hot day and let the dogs run around for a little while. They enjoyed the park also read more

Little Elm Park - Our shaded area and Teddy's happy face - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

My family and I always venture out of Frisco to this lovely area! Sand volleyball, nice lake views and plenty of young people make this atmosphere phonominebal! We love Little Elm beach!!! Summer is a great time to escape and enjoy some waves! read more

Little Elm Park - Had a good time at Marisols wedding this weekend! More pics soon to come! - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

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This is a super cool park! They play set structure is definitely unlike most others. Tons of fun, interesting stuff to play with, swing on, climb on, and explore. The large play area is recommended for ages 5 to 12. Also has a playground in the same area for smaller ones. There is a cute, clean little beach area that I would like to go back to enjoy. There is a station to rinse off by the restrooms. There are also volleyball courts in at least 2 different locations that I saw. They have actual restrooms that were pretty clean, but did not have a pleasant smell. Better than a port-o-potty though! There are several picnic table under a very large pavilion, and some down by the lake. There is also an area that looks like a theater- I'm sure used for hosting events. Wish I was able to enjoy this park more often! read more

clean and nice place !!! me and husband came here and we both loved it!! we're definitely coming back again

A nice park with lots of new amenities. Great for picnics & hiking. Too bad lots of high school teenagers get dropped off here to hang out unsupervised. Otherwise it'll be a great quiet place for families and small kids. read more

Sooo pretty and peaceful. Have come here many times to ride my bike through the trails and let my daughter swim in the lake. Lots of things to do. We've had a big get together with lots of friends and other times met just a few friends out. I've taken my mom on the bike trails when she's come to visit. I always feel really safe when I come here. They have movies on the beach. Lots of volleyball nets so everyone has an opportunity to play. So nice to have this in the community. read more

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If you're from the Californian coast then you'll find this place a bit scuzzy, and grimy. It's all so sadly plebian and sweaty and yet very inclusive and live-and-live kind of vibe. It's not the classiest haunt in Texas but it'll do if you are in need of putting a swim suit and are desperate to soak in murky water while eating barbecue meats. read more

My new favorite park! Definitely didn't expect to find a beach in Little Elm but it doesn't disappoint! Great sand volleyball courts, walking trails and cleanest sand beach. Highly recommend, but be aware of $10 per car charge on weekends. read more

Little Elm Park is fun for all ages. We have gone there to swim in the lake, fish and play at the playground. If you are into beach volleyball, this is the place for you; the courts are great! I haven't checked out the bathrooms yet, but based on how well-kept the park is, I would venture to guess they aren't scary. Seems like a great park for parties. I believe there is only one pavilion area, but there are picnic tables spread out down by the lake. I highly recommend this park! read more

Little Elm Park - Parks Near Me - Little Elm, Texas

When I arrived at the park I was thinking of having a nice relaxing time. Not. The park is filled with tons of people cooking, playing loud music and just being obnoxious. Even though there were large crowds, the trails were nice. You could go right up to the lake and it was really quiet when you got out far enough. This would be a great park to go to if it was a weekday when the crowds were not as large. But I do not have time to go on the weekdays. read more

Great path and park. Parts are shaded and others are not so you have your choice. Sections of the trail have beautiful lake views and it can be very peaceful. There's a playground nearby that's mostly shaded which is nice. read more

I love our park! There is something for everyone: swimming, biking, fishing, nature trails, soccer fields, volleyball, playgrounds, campsites, and fire pits. read more