The Outdoors in Little Elm, Texas
Little Elm sits on a peninsula in Lewisville Lake, and it has leaned all the way into the water — a real sandy beach, a wake park, an indoor water park, and miles of lakefront trail. For a landlocked North Texas suburb, it feels a lot like a lake town.
Here's where to get outside in and around Little Elm.
Little Elm Beach
Little Elm Beach is the town's signature spot — a picture-perfect sandy beach on Lewisville Lake with one of the largest open swim areas in North Texas. The swim zone is enclosed and closed to boat traffic, so it's a genuinely safe place to swim, and ten beach volleyball courts overlook the water. Kayak, paddleboard, and bike rentals are available nearby.
An actual swimming beach is a rare thing in the Metroplex, and it's the centerpiece of Little Elm's lakefront and its whole outdoor identity.
Parks and Trails
Little Elm Park adds a swimming beach, a boat ramp, athletic fields, sand volleyball, picnic areas, and an 18-hole disc golf course winding through the woods. McCord Park, 38 acres along Cottonwood Creek, has over a mile of scenic trails past a pond and over footbridges.
Tying it together, the 4-mile Lakefront Trail runs along the shore of Lewisville Lake on crushed-granite pathways, good for walking, jogging, or mountain biking with water views the whole way.
Wake Park and Water Fun
For something more active, Hydrous Wake Park has an Aqua Park — a big floating playground of inflatable obstacles and slides — and a cable park for wakeboarders of every level. And The Cove at The Lakefront is a large indoor water park with a FlowRider surf machine, a lazy river, and a deep pool.
Between the beach, the wake park, and the indoor water park, Little Elm has more ways to get on or in the water than just about any suburb its size.
City & County Parks
Municipal and county parks, greenspaces, and recreation areas in and around Little Elm.
- Grayhawk Park
- Eldorado Playground
- Paloma Creek South HOA Playground
- Paloma Creek Park
- Sunset Pointe Park
- Holly Park
- Doe Branch Park
- Beard Park
- NW Community Park DORBA Trail
- Plateau Park
- Northwest Community Park
- Falcons Field
- Lake Providence Park
- McCord Park
- Little Elm Park
- Narrow Lake Park
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Lakes Near Little Elm
Major East Texas lakes and reservoirs within driving distance — fishing, boating, and lakeside camping.
- Lewisville Lake · ~5 mi
- Grapevine Lake · ~18 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake · ~18 mi
- Lavon Lake · ~26 mi
- White Rock Lake · ~27 mi
- Lake Ray Hubbard · ~30 mi
State Parks & Natural Areas Near Little Elm
Public lands within reach of Little Elm — state parks, natural areas, and historic sites managed by Texas Parks & Wildlife — with approximate straight-line distance from town.
- Ray Roberts Lake - Greenbelt Unit State Park · Denton County ~11 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Elm Fork Unit State Park · Denton County ~13 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Isle du Bois Unit State Park · Denton County ~13 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Jordon Unit State Park · Denton County ~15 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Trail Corridor Unit State Park · Denton County ~15 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Buck Creek Unit State Park · Grayson County ~17 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Pond Creek Unit State Park · Denton County ~17 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Sanger Unit State Park · Denton County ~17 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Johnson Branch Unit State Park · Denton County ~18 mi
- Ray Roberts Lake - Pecan Creek Unit State Park · Denton County ~20 mi
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from Little Elm. Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department — park locations
FAQ: Outdoors in Little Elm
Yes. Little Elm Beach is a sandy beach on Lewisville Lake with one of the largest open swim areas in North Texas — an enclosed swim zone closed to boat traffic — plus ten beach volleyball courts and nearby kayak and paddleboard rentals.
Little Elm offers Little Elm Beach and its swim area on Lewisville Lake, Little Elm Park (with disc golf and athletic fields), McCord Park's trails, the 4-mile Lakefront Trail, Hydrous Wake Park, and The Cove indoor water park.
Hydrous Wake Park in Little Elm is a wakeboarding facility with an Aqua Park — a floating playground of inflatable obstacles and slides — and a cable park for both serious wakeboarders and first-timers.
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