Discuss: Cedar Hill State Park - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

Shannon · 11-19-2001, 06:51 PM

Share you comments or questions about Cedar Hill State Park, located in Cedar Hill, Texas.

armandog · 02-01-2006, 12:12 PM

How are the campsites are they pretty well seprated from each other.

copuswalker · 02-01-2006, 01:31 PM

Another one I camped at years ago...Nice lake, spacious sites and pretty crowded on weekends due to the proximity to the Dallas area. We really liked it as it had marinas and things to do that many other parks do not have.
Probably been 12 years since I was there...Think it is Joe Pool lake?? Of course I could be dreaming all this

Turn Key · 02-02-2006, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by copuswalker

Another one I camped at years ago...Nice lake, spacious sites and pretty crowded on weekends due to the proximity to the Dallas area. We really liked it as it had marinas and things to do that many other parks do not have.
Probably been 12 years since I was there...Think it is Joe Pool lake?? Of course I could be dreaming all this

All pretty much correct. Very busy park on the weekends. Nice but not one of our favorites.

Happy Camping!

Alchemist2000 · 02-02-2006, 07:55 PM

I don't know about the camping sites, but Cedar Hill SP has some of the most popular mountain biking trails in north Texas, http://www.dorba.org/trails/trail_guide/chsp.html, which also make great hiking trails. Cedar Ridge Preserve, http://www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html, (formerly known as the Dallas Nature Center) is immediately across the road from the state park and has some of the best hiking trails in north Texas. They are much hillier than most other trails in the area and the limestone of some of the trails is reminiscent of the Texas Hill Country.

kuba83 · 02-06-2006, 09:55 PM

For being so near to a big city it may surprise some. It has a few primitive campsites and lots of regular "park-in" sites. It has decent hiking trails though they're not very long, great for an afternoon or even after work outing. "Talala Trail" and the "Duck Pond Trail" are the two hiking trails. These are probably less than 2 miles total, (I'm guessing here, could be less).

The mountain bike trail is one of the best in the area, (my opinion, I ride there a lot). It has 3 loops, a 2.5, 7, and 12 miles. The terrain is quite varied, some hills, native grassland prairie, scrub as well as larger trees and plenty of cedar. The bike trail can also be hiked, just go in the oppisite direction of the bikers. In the spring and summer watch out for snakes, they like to sun on the trail.

Throughout the spring different blooms blanket parts of the trails, if you have the stamina to walk the bike trails there are some areas well worth the effort, around any given twist in the trail there may be a suprise. There is one very nice overlook on the bike trail that gives a wide view of the lake over an inlet of dead timber, very nice sunsets here, but it's about 3 or 4 miles into the trail.

I have come to think of the park in two halves, the north and the south. As you drive past the headquarters you'll come to the intersection where you can go straight or right, or left. Straight or right lead to the north part of the park. Here is where the marina, beach, playground and a few camping areas are. Take a left and your going south to the hiking trails, mountain bike trail, several camping areas, primitive campsites, one boat ramp, a couple of fishing piers, picnic areas and the Penn farm site.

Right now (Feb 2006) the lake is quite low, as is just about everywhere else.
And being winter the park is fairly brown and dull. Come spring and a little rain it should green up nicely. Its a great destination for those in the area who don't want to drive for a few hours. Can't say it would be worth driving up from other parts of the state but like I said for being so near to DFW its a little oasis amongst the traffic jams and city life.

As was said it is also near the old Dallas Nature Center, now called the Cedar Mountain Preserve(?). This is also quite a surprise as you turn into the area from a heavily populated residential neighborhood. Once you go down into the trails you almost forget your actually in Dallas city limits. These are some fairly interesting trails with somewhat dense forested areas leading into a scrub or grassland section to the west of the preserve. I think there are a total of at least 8+ miles of trails there, maybe more. Its on the edge of an escarpment that runs north to south for quite a few miles. Its a bit of a hike if you follow the Fossil Ridge or Cat Tail Pond trail as there is a bit of a altitude change down to the end of the trails.

RichO · 02-08-2006, 04:35 PM

This is one of my favorite parks for wildflowers. They have an active prairie restoration program and a wildscape area. Along the Dorba trail during bluebonnet season you can get a glimpse of what the original bluebonnet covered prairies might have looked like. The Dorba Trail and Penn Farms are great places for getting photos of bluebonnets.

I have some photos I took last spring posted at:
http://community.wildflowerhaven.com...egory1018.aspx

ploddinTod · 02-10-2006, 03:40 PM

Hey Rich, very nice photos. I was just recently looking at your collection of pictures taken at Lost Maples a few years back. What a selling point on visiting that park.

RichO · 02-22-2006, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploddinTod

Hey Rich, very nice photos. I was just recently looking at your collection of pictures taken at Lost Maples a few years back. What a selling point on visiting that park.

Thank you. I am pleased you enjoyed the photos. Lost Maples is a favorite place for me. I love to visit there whether in the fall with the fall color or in the spring with the wildflowers. There are some challenging trails there, but most are really easy to walk, especially the trail to the ponds.

03-05-2006, 12:24 PM

I'm looking for suggestions for a nice camping park. I am a part of a cub scout troop who are getting their feet wet when it comes to camping. Most of the parents are not familiar with camping so the facility has to have some creature comforts. I would prefer something that is a lot less crowded. Security is a must for the park. Any suggestions are appreciated.

thanks

Vigilnte · 03-05-2006, 12:35 PM

I'm a part of a new boy scout troop in the DFW area. It's a failry new group and most of the parents have not been camping before. I would like to slowly expose them to the camping experience. I have not been to Cedar Hill park to look at the facilities. For those would have been, would this be a good place to start? Most of the moms need good facilities to feel comforatble. Is the camp site area failry secure at night? Limited access? How close are the campsites to the actual lake?

Also, if there are any other campsites near the DFW area that one might suggest, please by all means.

thanks in advance.
Q

Alchemist2000 · 03-05-2006, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vigilnte

I'm a part of a new boy scout troop in the DFW area. It's a failry new group and most of the parents have not been camping before. I would like to slowly expose them to the camping experience. I have not been to Cedar Hill park to look at the facilities. For those would have been, would this be a good place to start? Most of the moms need good facilities to feel comforatble. Is the camp site area failry secure at night? Limited access? How close are the campsites to the actual lake?

Also, if there are any other campsites near the DFW area that one might suggest, please by all means.

thanks in advance.
Q

I don't know in what part of the metroplex you are located, so I don't know what would be of interest to you. Another state park you might consider is Ray Roberts State Park. The Army Corps of Engineers operates two parks on Lewisville Lake for camping, Hickory Creek and Oakland Park. I don't know a lot about either one of these, because they are not available for day use. However, I know for sure that scout groups use Hickory Creek. There is a large group pavilion, etc and they have limited access. Finally the Corps also operates Sycamore Bend Park. It is mostly for day use in the summer, but parts of the park are reservable for overnight stay by groups such as the scouts. The facilities at Sycamore Bend are more primitive and are not nearly as nice as at the other sites, but it might be another possibility. I suspect there are similar opportunities around some of the other lakes in the area, but I am less familiar with those. Good luck!!

RichO · 03-05-2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vigilnte

I'm a part of a new boy scout troop in the DFW area. It's a failry new group and most of the parents have not been camping before. I would like to slowly expose them to the camping experience. I have not been to Cedar Hill park to look at the facilities. For those would have been, would this be a good place to start? Most of the moms need good facilities to feel comforatble. Is the camp site area failry secure at night? Limited access? How close are the campsites to the actual lake?

Also, if there are any other campsites near the DFW area that one might suggest, please by all means.

thanks in advance.
Q

The facilities at Cedar Hill State Park are great. I did not look at the campsites, but the restrooms are very nice and some have showers.

Here is a link to their webpage:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...ks/cedar_hill/

I like Cedar Hill State Park for many reasons beyond just the wildflowers. There is an "old style" perch pond, wildscape garden and easy to hike trails.

The park borders on Joe Pool Lake with several picnic areas and camping areas along the lake. Joe Pool Marina is near one of the camping areas and it has a store. Penn Farm is another attraction within the park.

Here are some other photos of mine from Cedar Hill State Park.
http://www.pbase.com/richo/cedarhillsp

If I was a scout master, I would find lots of things for my scouts to learn and experience at Cedar Hill State Park. It is an easy drive from any place in the Dallas- Ft. Worth area. The best thing to do is go check it out for yourself and ask the park rangers.

03-27-2006, 11:15 PM

Hello All,
I spent many a day and night at this park, you brought out some the great features of the park in your review. I would like to add the the park has one the best primitive camping of the parks in the Dallas- FortWorth area.

The camping is great if you want to get away from the crowds, there is a short hike, but it is worth every step. There are restrooms close by and showers are not much further.