Visiting Cedar Hill State Park, Texas.

Cedar Hill State Park is one of the most popular state parks in Texas. Why does this park attract over a million visitors a year? One reason is its location along the shores of shores of Joe Pool Lake. Cedar Hill not only provides access to the lake, it also offers a nice mix of large natural areas and a variety of improved recreational sites. Visitors therefore can enjoy a wide range of outdoor recreational activities: swimming, boating, fishing, camping, hiking, picnicking, mountain biking, and birdwatching are some of the most popular. There is also an interesting historical center that features a walking tour of an old time Texas family farm. Along with all these great attractions, Cedar Hill State Park is found just south of the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. Relaxing in your campsite it is difficult to believe that the city centers of a number of large metropolitan areas are just a half hour drive away. Now that I have you a little curious to learn more about this lovely place, you can read the rest of this article to learn more about the park and potentially make plans for a visit.

Getting There

Cedar Hill State Park is located along the northeastern shores of Joe Pool Lake. The main entrance to the park is found in Cedar Hill, Texas and is located just off of FM-1382.

Entering Cedar Hill State Park

There is a $5 per-person (12 years old and up) entry fee. You can also use your Texas Park Pass for entry. If you are planning on visiting Texas state parks more than a few times a year you should consider buying an annual pass. It will pay for itself after a few visits, especially if you visit with your family and/or camp in Texas state parks. The state usually mails you a few camping discount coupons after you purchase you pass. Since I am a camper I recouped more than half of my state pass fee in one visit! The park is open from 8 AM until 10 PM. Besides your entry fee, there is no extra charge for using the boat launch or the swimming beach.

Joe Pool

Joe Pool Lake is a 7,500 acre U.S. Corp of Engineers impoundment. Cedar Hill State Park allows access to many facilities and amenities that are associated with the lake. These include:

Swimming

There swimming area has a nice beach. A relatively shallow section of the lake in front of the beach is roped off to form a well defined swimming zone. This is great place to bring your kids to play and swim but there are no life guards on duty. Some of the other important things you will find around the beach area include ample parking, a restroom facility, a playground with playground equipment, and a lot of picnic tables with grilles. Fishing - There are a few fishing docks in the park and you can also fish from the shore. The park marina offers fishing supplies, drinks and snacks, ice, and bait. It also has an enclosed floating dock where you can pay to fish from the inside or outside of this floating fishing barge. If you have small children there is a kiddy fishing pond where you can have your child try their luck.

Boat ramps

Trails

The park features a number of a hiking trails and a mountain biking trail. The hiking trails vary in their length and difficulty. The shortest trail is a relatively easy ½ mile loop trail. The longest hiking challenge is a route that is a shared use mountain biking/hiking trail. If you are interested in biking the 10 mile + trail is a popular cycling attraction. It features a number of connections and loops that provide a way to plan trips of various lengths. The trail itself was designed, built, and is still actively maintained through a cooperative arrangement with the Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association (DORBA). To decrease erosion problems the trail does close when it is muddy. The park encourages folks to call the park before you visit to check if the trail is open: 972-291-3900.

Camping

There are two large camping areas in the park. Even though there are plenty of improved campsites (335), they are arranged in such a way that things are not so crowded. The sites themselves vary quite a bit as do their "neighborhoods." You can find pull through RV sites with large pads, tent camping sites, and a number of different sized sites in-between the larger and smaller size. Some sites have plenty of vegetation around them and provide for a feeling of a bit more privacy than others. Other sites, like some along the shores of Joe Pool Lake, are more open to the other campsites that surround them. Each campsite does have a place to park a few vehicles, a picnic table (most are covered by an open sided roof), a fire ring, a lantern pole, water, and electricity. Bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers are located in a number of centrally located buildings in the campgrounds. There are two dump stations for RVs. Primitive camping - There are two walk in primitive camping areas. These sites are open grassy areas that are located along a hiking trail and offer few amenities. There is no water or electricity and the bathroom consists of an outhouse.

Picnics

There are hundreds of individual picnic tables in Cedar Hill State Park. Each picnic table is situated on a concrete pad that is covered by a small open roof. The cover is great for creating some much needed shade. Each picnic table has a barbeque grill located adjacent to the picnic table. There are restrooms located in fairly close proximity to all the picnic sites. If you are interested in having a large picnic for a group of people there are group facilities available for rent. You can call the park or reserve them online. The group picnic sites are basically larger versions of the individual picnic sites - there are many picnic tables located on a concrete pad that is covered by an open sided roof. A few large grilles are found off of the edge of one end of the concrete pad, and restrooms and parking are not far from either group picnic location.

Birdwatching

The natural areas of the park (see below) protect and preserve what have become relatively rare habitats in and around Texas. Cedar Hill State Park is located in a transition zone where biological elements of the eastern U.S. and western U.S. come together. Both of these conditions mean there are numerous bird species, some of which are rare and/or threatened species, that find suitable habitat within the park's boundaries. These rare species are a small part of a rich local bird fauna. All of this collectively makes the park a great place to spend some time bird watching.

Natural History

Ecologically the area is a mixture of blackland prairie and limestone escarpment. The latter historically supported cedars forests, which are now relatively rare along the extensive limestone formation that runs from Mexico to Kansas. The black soils of the prairie lands in the park also host a now rare habitat, the native long grass prairie. Cedar Hill State Park is home to a handful of prairie habitat remnants. These are actively preserved, through both protection and management, as long grass prairies. These grasslands support a wide variety of grasses and a lovely collection of flowering plants. Since these protected areas are important in being a relatively rare example of a once widespread habitat type there are numerous rare animals, particularly birds, which are found here.

The Penn Farm

The area where the park is located includes property that was once part of a large family farm. Presently there is a collection of farm buildings, machinery, and other farming implements that are found along an easy to traverse interpretive trail. Signs and a park brochure help teach and inform you about the things you find along the walking route. You will be able to learn about past family farming practices and how they have changed since the first European settlers arrived in this area.

Park Programs and Events

Interpretive programs for children and adults are offered throughout the year. These include talks and walks that discuss the Penn Farm, local wildlife, and local plants. There are also other events held at the park, such as a Chili Cookoff and athletic competitions. You can check out the state's park site to get an up-to-date list of upcoming events.

As you can see there is a lot you can do at Cedar Hill State Park. It is a great place to visit regardless if you visit for an afternoon of few a few days. So park up your things, take a ride to the park, and have fun!