Your recommendations, please, for hiking trails outside of Dallas.

February 15, 2013 12:03 PM

Hello, we moved to East Dallas a little while ago, and while the city itself is proving to be a veritable cornucopia of delights, we are missing going on long walks on a Sunday surrounded by nature.

Our wishlist is simple: the more natural the better. We're not personally into kayaking or biking or fishing or horseriding, etc. Just walking or hiking in beautiful quiet places. Rugged is good. Woods are great, too.

Recently we went to the Dinosaur Valley State Park and loved the river (and the awesome dinosaur stuff! But this is not pertinent to our search). We have closer State Parks which aren't doing it for us - we want to avoid the ubiquitous manmade lakes with walking paths if possible, and get out into proper country.

So, where do we head for? Say we travelled +/- 100 miles radius from Dallas - can we expect to find somewhere scenic and worth the drive? If not, how much further would we have to go? There are other State Parks listed in the link above - would you recommend any of those in the area?


Many thanks in advance for any suggestions!

posted by Brecha to sports, hobbies, & recreation (9 answers total)

It's hard to avoid the man-made lakes in Texas, because that's the only kind of lake we have (except for Caddo Lake, which was formed by a log-jam). But you can find some nice trails within your stated distance at Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland, near Decatur, and Caddo National Grassland, near Bonham. See here for more info.

Slightly outside your limits, I recommend Turner Falls, near Davis, OK, and the Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
posted by ubiquity at 12:34 PM on February 15 [1 favorite]

I visited the Trinity River Audubon Center and it was lovely. The trails info. The paths are not rugged, but it's interesting what they are doing there: trying to revive local prairie grasses in a place that was pretty trashed by the time they adopted it.
posted by dog food sugar at 12:40 PM on February 15

The Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge has excellent hiking, and I think is well worth the drive. The 5.7 mile hike has really varied terrain.

It might be a bit much for a day trip, but you can either camp at the refuge or stay in nearby Medicine Park.
posted by Quonab at 1:38 PM on February 15

I was going to post the Turner Falls and Chicksaw recommendations that ubiquity made, but I'll just second them instead.
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 1:46 PM on February 15

Mineral Wells State Park might fit what you're looking for as well...
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 1:50 PM on February 15

If you go to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, you might enjoy stopping in the nearby Chickasaw Cultural Center. It's very nice.
posted by Quonab at 1:55 PM on February 15

There's a lot of good hiking in SW Oklahoma and the adjoining areas of Arkansas. The Ozarks (a couple hours farther north) are even better for that than the Ouachitas, though.
posted by wierdo at 1:59 PM on February 15

Here is a resource for you: North Texas Greenbelts. I'm familiar with the one in Denton. It's like being in the wild woods in the middle of the city.
posted by tamitang at 3:53 PM on February 15 [1 favorite]

Thanks so much for your answers; we're looking forward to trying them all out!
posted by Brecha at 11:10 AM on February 16