On St. Patrick’s Day, we jumped at one last opportunity for a free day before baseball took over and accomplished State Park #30! Cedar Hill is south of DFW but still very much encroached upon by the cities’ ever growing suburbs. Even though it is a sizable park with numerous camping sites, I filed it under daytrip worthy because it just wouldn’t suit my camping style. Aka remote and quiet.

The park is less than 2 hours from our house, so we leisurely woke up and packed up some fishing gear and a lunch before heading out. The entrance to the park looks like it is set up for major crowds and we actually had to wait in line 5 cars deep to get in. A first! The large size of the park is spread along the shores of Joe Pool Reservoir containing multiple locations for boat ramps, fishing piers and swimming areas. We started with the far end of the picnicking site options and had our lunch beside the shore. I was really surprised by the flood evidence on other picnic pads that were once functional closer to the shore.

We started with some fishing after our lunch. There was a perch pond near our picnic area and hundreds of yards of shore line to choose from. Ashlyn and Daddy opted for perch pond, while the boys and I took Sally to the more manageable lake shore. The bottom was sand and pebble with minimal weeds, so we had an easy time casting and reeling shad and beetle spin baits. Weston managed his own and I told Archer if I hooked something, he could reel it in; although I found that unlikely. But surprise, surprise something snatched the shad and the hook was set! I dutifully let Archer reel it in…that’s true love, y’all. And he landed a small mouth bass! Weston did a solid job of gripping the mouth while I removed the hook and he released the undersize fish back in the water. Daddy and Ashlyn weren’t as successful, but enjoyed the wildlife around the pond.

A number of the hiking trails were closed due to muddy and standing water conditions from constant (and STILL constant) rains, but the remaining accessible one was just right for our day trip anyways. We enjoyed a nice stroll along side creeks and across bridges eventually making our way up to a hilltop for a view of the lake. There were more people on the trail than I prefer, but most everyone passed respectfully. You never know when you’re this close to Dallas 😉. I still find myself surprised when exploring these new close to home areas how much it can look like the hill country!

We finished out our itinerary with a tour of the Penn Farm historical site. Before the reservoir and suburbs, the area was farm land belonging to the Penns and their previous homes and equipment have been restored and maintained as relics viewable from outside. I tried my best to look inside windows. I like to draw inspiration for our ongoing renovation, haha. We were able to walk through the big barn and the kids spotted a buzzard of all things nested in one of the sheds!

By the end of that tour, we were pretty well spent and looked forward to sitting for the drive home. I suppose it would’ve been fun to have spent our 30th park as something more “ooh and ahh,” but I’m mostly grateful we got it done before baseball season kicked in. Cedar Hill state park is a very functional and entertaining park and I would definitely utilize it many times a month if I were a DFW dweller, but I’m not and this park is one and done for us. 😁

Hopefully I have another one to report before Summer starts!🤞🏻

-Lindsay

Another beautiful weather day, another park! And this time, we brought friends! It was something we haven’t had the privilege of yet and it really amped up the fun for a rather run of the mill park. And all 6 six herded along quite nicely, lol!

The park is 1.5 hours from the house, so the kids were anxious to hit the playground on the lakeside picnic area. While they played, I got some pictures of the scenery. The swim area looks nice and reminded me of Tyler State Park, but the water in this lake is definitely cloudier.

Nearby, we found a preserved cemetery from the mid 1800’s that was part of Fort Sherman. There was no longer evidence of the fort that started in 1838 as protection for settlers from Indians. It was abandoned sometime in the 1840’s and vanishes from history accounts in the 1850’s. We were quite intrigued with the cemetery when we learned about a radar survey of the area that showed there were 27 unmarked graves! The kids immediately went to work surveying for themselves and guessing who might be buried where. Lol

After lunch, it was time to get after some hiking. And boy oh boy, did we! 2 different trails and 5.5 miles later, the kids had explored creeks, ponds, a lake, plant species, fallen trees and every single water puddle they could stomp through!

And after all of that begged for more time on the playground! 😆

This was a great park. It’s small, but offers all the outdoor activity you could want. There isn’t an abundance of trails, but the few there are nice strolls and well maintained. Probably one of the more kid friendly that we have visited in the way of just cutting them loose with little worry of hazards ahead. Worked out well for these Sweet Six.

-Lindsay

We FINALLY visited a park this year! Between various illness and absolutely cruddy weather we had one set back after another. BUT! We’ve kicked the year off and started with a beautiful park that was on my list for a daytrip type visit. I had tent camped in my early 20’s at McKinney Falls and remember it being a little too close to Austin’s city noise and lights back then. I could only imagine the encroachment was worse 10 years later. Thank goodness for the state park’s system, because what they’re preserving there is fantastic.

We arrived early Sunday morning after Day Light Savings made everyone “lose an hour”, so we had the place to ourselves initially. There are many trails that vary in length and ability to choose from, but we selected an ideal one that traveled along Onion Creek highlighting many points of interest for both history and scenery. Starting out, we enjoyed the view of the upper falls. The first of 2 in the park. The kids were amazed by the water worn rock and immediately began the “can we swim!?” antics.

Next up was a stop at a 500 year old Cypress Tree. It was obvious that this area had been affected by the flooding this past fall by the state of the trails and a shutdown activity center. But this seemed to be the only area still under repair. The kids then had a good time climbing behind a boulder to feel like kings of the mountain.

After the tree, the trail brought us underneath a rock shelter overhang which is not the first the kids have seen, but had them excited nonetheless. What really took us by surprise was the massive limestone plateau the trail opened into. We learned that the El Camino Real crossed the creek in this location and there were ruts in the stone, but we couldn’t locate them. I’ve included a satellite image of the area so y’all can see just how massive it is.

Across the plateau, were the lower falls where we crossed the creek ourselves and carried on to learn more about the history of the area.

The McKinney family moved to this location from Galveston in the 1840’s building the house and a gristmill operated by the creek. They sold to the Smith family in 1885 and they kept the property in their family until donating it to the state in the 1970’s.

Before it was time to retrace our steps back to the car, the kids FINALLY got some water play! No one fully submerged themselves, but the boys waded waist deep attempting to catch some carp and Ashlyn played in some rapids below the pool creating a dam. Nathan, myself and Sally happily watched from a rock seat and snacked. Dry and warm.

I maintain this park was just enough for a daytrip. We heard highway noise every way along our hike and the parking lots were full when we left. If we find ourselves in Austin on an idle, warm Tuesday afternoon with nothing to do–we will certainly pop in again for a swim.

-Lindsay