About Tandy Hills Natural Area:

Tandy Hills Natural Area (THNA) is a 160-acre indigenous remnant of Fort Worth prairie located in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas. The land was obtained by the City of Fort Worth Parks Department in the 1960s and designated a “natural area” in 1987. Since 1990, the park has been managed by the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.

Noted for its unusually complete collection of prairie flora, THNA contains more than 500 native plant species. The show of spring wildflowers is unsurpassed in the Metroplex. The land is a living demonstration of how most of Fort Worth and the Great Plains appeared in predevelopment times.

River Legacy Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, began in 1988 as a unique public/private partnership with the City of Arlington. Our mission is to preserve and enhance the parkland along the Trinity River as an extraordinary educational, recreational and natural resource.

River Legacy Parks opened as a public park in 1990 with just 376 acres. Thanks to the Foundation’s donors and partnerships, the park has grown to become a 1,300-acre oasis along the Trinity River.

The Foundation founders knew from the start that an educational facility was necessary to ensure future stewards of the parkland. Thus, in 1996,River Legacy Living Science Center opened to the public.  The nature center features interactive exhibits, aquariums, terrariums, environmental education programs, a gift shop and nature trails.

The Texas Buckeye Trail is a natural surface nature trail  that meanders into the Trinity River's hardwood bottomland forest. Trail destinations include the River Overlook and the Buckeye Grove. Both paths will lead you to the river's edge deep into the forest surrounded by mature Bur Oak, Cedar Elm and Pecan trees. This trail provides the hiker a true wild outdoor experience less than four miles from downtown Dallas!

The trail to the River Overlook is now paved for wheelchair access.

Eisenhower State Park, with 463.1 acres, is located in Grayson County, northwest of Denison on the shores of Lake Texoma.

Activities: Some of the activities include picnicking, hiking, biking, nature study, fishing, boating and boat rentals, water skiing, swimming, wildlife observation, ATV and mini bike use (OHV permit required), and a variety of camping.

Tours/Programs: Nature/environmental programs are frequently scheduled throughout the year and upon special request with enough lead time. There is a small amphitheater available for group use.

Situated along the shores of a 30,000-acre reservoir Ray Roberts Lake State Park Complex consists of two state park units (Isle du Bois and Johnson Branch), six satellite parks (Jordan Unit, Pond Creek, Pecan Creek, Buck Creek, Sanger, and Elm Fork), Wildlife Management Areas, wetlands, waterfowl sanctuaries and the 20 mile Ray Roberts Lake/Lake Lewisville Greenbelt Corridor. Birdwatching, water sports, riding horses or backpacking along a scenic trail, Ray Roberts has something for everyone.

The Texas Outdoor Family program is designed to teach you and your family the basic outdoor skills you need to enjoy a great overnight camping experience.

Texas Outdoor Family (TOF) workshops are hosted at state parks where your family receives hands-on experience learning basic outdoor skills. You will learn everything you need to create great memories enjoying the outdoors with your family, including:

  • How to set up and break down camp (including your tent)
  • Fire starting
  • Outdoor cooking
  • Guided walks
  • Nature activities
  • How to use a GPS
  • Geocaching
  • Introductions to a wide range of outdoor activities (such as fishing, kayaking, wildlife watching) depending on the site location, facilities and the season of the year

Best of all, no experience is necessary and you get all the help and advice you need from highly skilled outdoor specialists and trained volunteers!

Activities: Activities include camping; lake swimming (unsupervised); fishing; boating (no skiing/tubing, or jet skis permitted); rock climbing (climbers and rappelers must check in at headquarters); mountain biking; equestrian camping, horseback riding (visitors must provide their own horses); and hiking. Note: Trails may be closed during wet weather. Climbing is prohibited when the rock formations are wet (Call the park to verify climbing area is open, if it has rained in the last 48 hours of your planed arrival.) More information on the Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway.

Dinosaur Valley State Park contains some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. The dinosaur tracks are located in the riverbed, so please call ahead to check on river conditions. There are two fiberglass models; a 70-foot Apatosaurus and a 45-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex. They were built, under commission of the Sinclair Oil Company, New York World's Fair Dinosaur Exhibit of 1964 - 1965. Other activities include camping, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking,Equestrian use in a separate 100-acre area (no horses furnished), river swimming and fishing, and wildlife observation.

Dinosaur Valley State Park, located just northwest of Glen Rose in Somervell County, is a 1524.72-acre, scenic park set astride the Paluxy River. The land for the park was acquired from private owners under the State Parks Bonds Program during 1968 and opened to the public in 1972.

Windmill Hill Nature Preserve is 75 acres of land, set aside by the City of DeSoto and Dallas County as a nature preserve. Nestled in woods providing shade in the summer, there is a great hiking trail with gentle slopes and some very steep hills, which can provide a challenge at times. There is a bridge that crosses Ten Mile Creek, named in memory of the late Steven Ray Vaughan.

The Friends of the Katy Trail is a non-profit organization founded to
organize community support for the Katy Trail, to advocate support for
the Trail, to raise private funds for the completion of the Trail and to
help the City of Dallas plan, build and maintain Trail improvements.


The Katy Trail is a 30-acre linear park running through the densest part
of Dallas. The pedestrian and bicycle trail connects 125 acres of
interrupted urban parkland with more than 300,000 residents living
within a mile of the park. The Trail currently extends 3.5 miles from
Lyte Street near the American Airlines Center to Airline Road near SMU,
part of a future plan to connect White Rock Lake to the Trinity River.

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