We stayed at the campground in Cedar Hill State Park while visiting Dallas. It was a spacious park set among hills and trees with historical sites and hiking trails. It’s among the banks of Joe Pool Lake with swimming, boat launches, and fishing areas. Much of it is under construction due to recent flooding, but there is still plenty to see and the campsites are large and private.
1. PRICE POINT, CLEANLINESS, AND APPEARANCE
We stayed a week and the price point was rather steep since we also had to pay for the Texas State Parks Pass to avoid paying the daily $5.00 entrance fee to the park. The week stay was around $280, but we did have access to the park and full hookups. The sites were spacious and secluded in a peaceful wooded setting.
2. EASE OF ENTERING AND EXITING THE SITE AND ACCESS TO HOOKUPS
All sites were back-in only with plenty of room to navigate our 40′ motorhome with parking for the truck and golf cart. The hookups were convenient and in good working order.
3. AMENITIES/WI-FI
There was no campground Wi-Fi provided, but we had full cell coverage on ATT. There was no pool and the swimming areas at the lake were closed due to recent flooding. There were a couple accessible boat ramps and fishing areas surrounding the lake. There were bathhouses/bathrooms located conveniently in the camp areas. Most of the hiking trails were closed due to flooding and resulting mud.
4. FRIENDLINESS OF STAFF
The staff was very friendly and welcoming. They explained the advantage of the state park pass and how it would save us money in the long run during our stay. They were very informative on directions and how to reach our site.
5. WOULD WE STAY AGAIN?
Yes. It’s a beautiful park, even though much of it was closed due to recent flooding. It was conveniently located to Dallas and the surrounding area, and it was a quiet location to have visiting friends and family enjoy the outdoors. There was plenty to do inside the park as far as exploring, beautiful scenery, and geocaching.
It is a park that has wildlife, including rabbits, squirrels, deer, snakes and spiders. We saw our first live-for-real tarantula (sorry for the blurry picture, but I wasn’t going to get closer for a better shot).
There are many things to see in the Dallas area and we packed in only a few activities while there. We visited Southfork Ranch, Dealey Plaza, the Mustangs of Los Colinas, and the Veterans Memorial Park in Irving.
Here are a few pictures from our hikes in Cedar Hill State Park with family and friends:
Gee, flooding down there, too. Some major highways up here have been closed for a day or so due to flooding. Sure an spoil things.
Thankfully, we got there after the flooding had occurred. The lake was still very high, so their entire marina was underwater. Seems to be flooding in a lot of areas. We are currently in Missouri, and they had a terrible flood before we arrived. My daughter just took me by an entire campground underwater (the entrance sign and the roof of the bathhouse is the only thing visible). I’m glad everyone had notice and evacuated. The weather can sure put a crimp in things!