Does anyone in Texas walk anywhere?
 

I'm currently living in Fort Worth and am Wondering if there is anywhere in Texas to go hill walking? Or parks that have walking paths etc? I'm assuming that there must be some somewhere, I just can't seem to find any.
I'm willing to drive for a while and spend a weekend or so just to get out of DFW and get some exercise.
Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.
I know Texans don't seem to walk anywhere very much but I'm still hoping................

Well, we spend a few days in Big Bend and hiked all over -- great trails.

Are you new to Ft Worth? There are quite a few places to hike, but it may not be as hilly as you would like. That area of north Texas was part of the blackland prarie, but....they are there none-the-less, just waiting.

I'm most familiar with what is in the Dallas area, but Ft Worth has the Trinity River Trail system with miles and miles of trails. Haven't done it personally as there was enough to keep me occupied closer to home, but you could probably find exact locations with a google search.

You might try Eisenhower State Park at Lake Texoma. A trail winds along the bluffs of the lake, with pretty views of the lake, but beware the chiggers if you go before the first frost!

The Northshore Trail around Lake Grapevine--mountain bikes and hikers, some hills. Not sure how long it is, but we were on it for a few very enjoyable hours.

Jogging/walking/bike paths--there is an 11 mile long paved trail in Plano. Park near Schimelpfenig Library on Custer Rd. and head off either north or south for miles. This is more an urban biking/running trail, part of which runs alongside a creek and many of the road crossings go under or over, eliminating the need to pause for traffic.

There's a relatively new and growing trail in Las Colinas near O'Connor Rd, a portion of which goes through woods.

Another 11 mile trail goes around White Rock Lake in Dallas.

Further afield, drive down to Glen Rose, Dinosaur Valley State Park...trail hiking above, along and across the Paluxy River. <u>Very</u> pretty! Or even further afield...hike Enchanted Rock in the Hill Country, a granite dome with fantastic views for miles from the top.

The metroplex has done an admirable job of developing and maintaining a trail system--you just have to know where to look.

I hate to be rude, but in case you haven't noticed, North Central Texas is pretty flat! You're going to have to drive a couple of hours from Fort Worth to find big hills. There is the Arbuckle Wilderness area in Oklahoma (2 hours north on I-35), and the Hill Country around Austin (3 hours south on I-35). Good Luck!

Why would you think you are being rude? If you read the original post you'll see matthew said, &quot;I'm willing to drive for a while. . . &quot; Sounds to me like he isn't expecting the hills to be in Ft. Worth.

Thanks for the posts and suggestions, will give them a try - Oklahoma might be good for a weekend away perhaps.

Yes, I am fairly new to the area and I've seen the Trinity River Trails (I live above 2 minutes walk from the river) but I was looking for some alternatives.

Olive - I will make all efforts to avoid the chiggers! Is there anything in the wilderness out here that isn't intent on biting, stinging, eating, burrowing into or generally mauling you?!?

If you do hit Oklahoma, I encourage you to visit its major cities, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. Oklahoma City is full of surprises, from a compact, active downtown to moving museums and zoo on the northeast corner, to beautiful (and WALKABLE) Lake Hefner on the northwest side, to ethnic enclaves in inner city neighborhoods.

Tulsa is leafy and gorgeous, famous for its Art Deco architecture, art museums, Native American imprint, and equally walkable riverfront park.

Matthew...check out Glen Rose..it is west of Fort Worth...check out Possum Kingdom Lake also west of Fort Worth..my husband and I go kayaking out there...
Olive Oyl gave some good suggestions..check it out..
good luck!

Thanks guys and gals - will give it a try.
Katherine - one of the guys at work suggested Possum Kingdom Lake, nice to get some backup on that one.
designmr - thanks for the suggestions, when I have a longer weekend or some holiday, will give it a try.

Possum Kingdom Lake is beautiful with areas of limestone cliffs falling straight to the water. Really pretty.

The Y has a camp there where both our kids have camped with Indian Guide and Indian Princess programs. If you are a Y member, you can use their facilities when they aren't in use by the programs they have, and we had no problems doing that when we wanted. They have a series of cabins of varying sizes, some with kitchens. We've gone out with a group of our friends and their children--8 adults and 5 kids and had a fantastic time despite the fact that we picked a weekend it snowed! It's so pretty and a nice getaway from the city.

Where did you move from Matthew? We moved to Dallas from Boston and I approached it with great skepticism, but absolutely loved it once we settled in, and was devastated when we were transferred again. Hopefully you'll find the good as well and enjoy your stay.

Olive,

My company moved me here from the UK on a 2 year placement. I lived in the Northwest, about an hour from the Lake District (one of the National Parks, plenty of hill walking) so it was easy to get up there and onto the hills - wish I'd gone more often now: :-[

Happy Halloween Everybody!! &gt;:) 8-X :[ ((6))

matthew......I have some friend in your area who walk/hike/trail..here's a link
http://www.thewalkingsite.com/texasr...html.........S

My sympathies Matthew--I know a little about the area so know what you are missing. The highlight of one trip to England was a day long circular hike starting in Ambleside at the north end of Windermere, going up through the hills, over, under, and around fences with strange gates, through a teeny village with a quick stop at The Mortal Man (thirsty you know) then winding back down, hoping against hope that we were following our trail map properly and we would return to Ambleside! It was unbelievably beautiful with terrain very unlike anything I've found in the US!

There is hope for your enjoyment of these 2 years though. When we were transferred, we did not sell our house in Plano, but leased it to a young couple from Surrey, England who were to be in TX on a two year assignment with ARCO. 6 years and two daughters later, they finally left and returned to England, to their and our dismay. They had loved their stay, and had grown to love Texas. We in turn had become close to them and loved having them as tenants. They owned a home in Surrey and took care of ours as they hoped someone was taking care of theirs. The house which had given us great memories provided the same for them. Hopefully you'll have an equally good experience. You've got a 2 yr opportunity to explore something new--have fun with it and good luck!

There is the Fort Worth Nature Center --- I doubt there's any hills and I'm chagrined to admit I've yet to get there myself.

Fort Worth Nature Center &amp; Refuge
9601 Fossil Rdg Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76135-9148
Phone: 817-237-1111

Location: Northwest of downtown Fort Worth, 2 miles past the Lake Worth bridge off Jacksboro Highway
Hours; Daily, 9 am to 5 pm.

http://guidelive.com/profile/105287

One place that I have gotten to is the Cedar Ridge Preserve (used to be the Dallas Nature Center), which is located in southern part of Dallas County (Duncanville/Cedar Hill area). Earlier this year, the Audubon Society took over management of the area and I think they plan to upgrade the trails. Last time I was out there (several months ago), it was looking a bit bedraggled. And relative to the rest of Dallas (flat/flat/flat), it is 'hilly'.

I'm suprised no one's mentioned Central Texas yet... the Hill Country. I highly suggest visiting the Hill Country and Austin. Lots to do there; you have Lake Austin, Lake Travis, Lake Austin, the Greenbelt. Further out, the Highland Lakes.
Also, try visiting www.texasoutside.com

If you want hills and LOTS of trails, there is the beautiful Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma. It is on I-44 north of Wichita Falls. It's not as green as the hills in England, but there are lots of trails throughout the enormous park, including many that go to the tops of the mountains. There is also a really nice visitors center that has a lot about the natural and anthropological history of the area. It's really a hidden treasure. Many people in Oklahoma even have no idea there are mountains down there. Here is the website if you need it. http://southwest.fws.gov/refuges/okl...ita/index.html

Thanks to you all for the suggestions.
Will hit the web and get out there (try and get rid of this beer gut!?)

For hiking hills, I highly reccommend Cleburne State Park. It's just half an hour south of Fort Worth. It's about two dollars per person to get in. The hills are incredible and scenic.

For something closer, try Lake Grapevine at Rockledge Park. It is hilly.

Just in case, try dorba.org It's a biking organization for this area and you will be amazed at the number of trails in the area.

I'm surprised that no one mentioned the Cedar Hills area in Dallas. I found some photos on another forum. The Cedar Hills State Park has several hiking trails and a DORBA off-road bike trail.

The URL: http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/sh...5899#post45899

Definitely Las Colinas.

It means &quot;the hills&quot; in Spanish.

Ditto on the Austin and Hills area. Yes, I'm sure you can find some nice city trails in a town like Dallas - Ft. Worth. However, if you want to graduate to the big leagues, hop in the car and drive to Austin.

The other great thing about Austin - it has an entertainment scene that is completely walkable. You asked &quot;Does anyone in Texas walk anywhere&quot; and I can say that we in Austin walk every chance we can. A true Texas anomaly, if you will.

Congratulation Matthew on your life style. Walking/hiking is so important to our health.

When visiting Texas we were surprised by a number of overweight people. I don't know if there is any other state with so many men and women who should get out of their cars more often

I live in Austin and I enjoy walking at Pedernales Falls in the Hill Country. If you want something a bit more challenging, you can do some great hiking at Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, which is an old German town with many great B&amp;B's. I do not recommend this in the summer, as it gets very hot on Enchanted Rock, but it's great in any other season, and the views of the hill country are incredible.

They don't walk anywhere because they wear those funny pointy toed boots! Plus most of them are so bowlegged they keep walking in circles.