The Outdoors in Cedar Hill, Texas
Cedar Hill is one of the greenest DFW suburbs. It has set aside about a fifth of its land as open space. Built on the hilly White Rock Escarpment southwest of Dallas, it has a big state park on Joe Pool Lake, an Audubon center in a limestone canyon, and thousands of acres of preserved land.
Here's where to get outside in and around Cedar Hill.
Cedar Hill State Park
Cedar Hill State Park is the centerpiece — more than 1,800 acres on the shore of Joe Pool Lake, with camping, swimming, fishing, and boating, plus miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails through wooded hills. The park also preserves Penn Farm, a restored 1800s farmstead that shows how the land was worked before the metro grew up around it.
Altogether, Cedar Hill has around 45 miles of natural trails, and the park is the easiest place to get onto both the lake and the wooded ridges that make this corner of Dallas County feel more like the Hill Country.
Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center
The Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center protects 220 acres of pristine forest, canyons, and a limestone escarpment, with two miles of hiking trails, a children's Nature Play area, and indoor and outdoor bird-viewing areas. It opened in 2011 and runs classes, festivals, and citizen-science programs.
The canyon sits along the Central Flyway migration route, so it draws a wide variety of native and migratory birds — one of the better birding spots in the region and a genuine natural refuge in a fast-growing county.
A City of Preserved Land
Cedar Hill has protected more than 3,000 acres of natural space within the city — an unusually large share for a Dallas–Fort Worth suburb. Beyond the state park and Dogwood Canyon, that includes preserves and city parks laced with trails through the hills and forest.
For anyone in the southern Metroplex who wants real trails, hills, and a big lake close to home, Cedar Hill is hard to beat — it's built its identity around keeping the land open.
City & County Parks
Municipal and county parks, greenspaces, and recreation areas in and around Cedar Hill.
- Pioneer Park
- Crawford Park
- Virginia Weaver Park
- Parkerville Park
- Longhorn Park
- Cedar Trails Greenbelt
- Community Center Park
- Highland Park
- Calf Pasture Park
- Ramsey Park
- Dot Thomas Park
- Liberty Park
- Ridge View Park
- Valley Ridge Park
- Windsor Park
- J W Williams Park
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Lakes Near Cedar Hill
Lakes and reservoirs within about 30 miles of Cedar Hill, by approximate straight-line distance. Access, boating rules and camping vary by lake, so check with the operator before you go.
- Joe Pool Lake · ~4 mi
- Mountain Creek Lake · ~9 mi
- Lake Arlington · ~17 mi
- White Rock Lake · ~22 mi
- Bardwell Lake · ~26 mi
- Benbrook Lake · ~30 mi
- Grapevine Lake · ~30 mi
State Parks & Natural Areas Near Cedar Hill
Public lands within reach of Cedar Hill — state parks, natural areas, and historic sites managed by Texas Parks & Wildlife — with approximate straight-line distance from town.
- Cedar Hill State Park · Dallas County ~3 mi
- Cleburne State Park · Johnson County ~41 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Greenbelt Unit State Park · Denton County ~50 mi
- Lake Whitney State Park · Hill County ~51 mi
- Lake Mineral Wells Trailway - Weatherford TH State Park · Parker County ~52 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Elm Fork Unit State Park · Denton County ~53 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Isle du Bois Unit State Park · Denton County ~54 mi
- Dinosaur Valley State Park · Somervell County ~55 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Pond Creek Unit State Park · Denton County ~56 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Sanger Unit State Park · Denton County ~56 mi
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from Cedar Hill. Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department — park locations
FAQ: Outdoors in Cedar Hill
Cedar Hill State Park covers more than 1,800 acres on Joe Pool Lake southwest of Dallas, with camping, swimming, fishing, boating, and miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails through wooded hills, plus the restored 1800s Penn Farm. The city has around 45 miles of natural trails in all.
The Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center in Cedar Hill protects 220 acres of forest, canyons, and a limestone escarpment, with two miles of trails, a children's Nature Play area, and bird-viewing areas. It sits on the Central Flyway migration route and is a top birding spot.
Yes. Cedar Hill has protected more than 3,000 acres of natural space — an unusually large share for a DFW suburb — including Cedar Hill State Park, the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, and preserves and parks with around 45 miles of trails.
East Texas guides — an easy drive from Cedar Hill
Weekend trips, lakes, festivals and small-town food east of the metroplex.
Best Lakes in East Texas
A fact-checked guide to 17 East Texas lakes, from Lake Fork's trophy bass and Caddo Lake to Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn and Lake Tawakoni. Sizes, species, access and rules come from TPWD.
Read Guide →Best Hiking Trails in East Texas
East Texas hiking trails checked against park and Forest Service sources: Tyler, Daingerfield, Mission Tejas and Martin Creek Lake state parks, the Four C Trail and the Sawmill Trail.
Read Guide →East Texas State Parks Guide
Twelve East Texas state parks from TPWD: Tyler, Caddo Lake, Atlanta, Lake Bob Sandlin, Tawakoni, Purtis Creek, Cooper, Martin Dies Jr. and more. Camping, cabins and passes.
Read Guide →Fishing in East Texas: Complete Guide
A sourced guide to fishing Lake Fork, Lake Palestine, Cedar Creek and Lake Athens: bass slot limits, where TPWD says the fish are, and Texas license rules.
Read Guide →Business Owner?
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