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Index:
See also:
Other North Texas Places:
North Texas Activities & Accommodations:
DALLAS LINKS:
Our North Texas Photos
State Fair of Texas - Dallas
Meridian State Park
Oak Park at Navarro Mills Lake
Ft. Parker State Park
Lake Possom Kingdom State Park
Ft. Worth Arts Festival
Lake Joe Pool
Another Lake Joe Pool
Cedar Hill State Park
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See Our Roads Scholar at
Happy Campers Magazine, too!
Scenic Routes in North & North Central Texas
Photos Ft. Worth Botanical & Japanese Gardens
Bluebonnet Trail
Key to Ratings: 1-5 stars with 5 stars being must see. The + indicates
a personal favorite.
Highway 4/Granbury Loop:
Granbury is located about 25 miles southwest of
Ft. Worth
and is a perfect
hub for a scenic drive and visits to several state parks.
The historic town square of Granbury has been preserved and prospers with
boutiques, antique shops and other attractions. Granbury even has
its Opera House that presents musicals and revues throughout the
year. Lake Granbury is mostly developed with private housing
additions, but there are a couple of public areas. Be sure to
pick up a lake map. If you need a place to relax for a few days during
your visit, try Arbor House
Lakeside Inn B&B (800-641-0073). Contact Granbury's Visitors'
Bureau at 1-800-950-2212.
Highway 4 heads to the northwest and is quite scenic in the
foothills of the
Hill Country passing Lake Palo Pinto (nice but mostly
private lots) toward Lake Possum Kingdom. On the opposite side of the
lake,
Possum Kingdom State Park (***1/2) has all the conveniences, or
continue on Highway 4 to
Fort Richardson State Park (****) near
Jacksboro. This park also has camping as well
as restored buildings. From there, either backtrack on Hwy. 4 or head
back to the south on Highway 281 to
Mineral Wells and
Lake Mineral Wells State Park(+*****), a scenic park with a small lake, camping, hiking
and one of the few official rock-climbing sites in the area. The lake
is great for fishing and canoeing (rentals are available). (Just
returned from an overnight stay at Mineral Wells SP [April '97]. Quite a trip!
Mountain Lion advisory distracted us. While looking for them, we
almost stepped on a rattlesnake! Great adrenaline rush for the
hilly, rocky 4 mile hike!)
From
Mineral Wells, return to Granbury either by Highways 281 and 4 or
wind around the smaller roads. FM 1189 through Brock and Dennis is
a pleasant drive.
If you are still in the mood, continue further
south on Highway 144 to Highway 67 and
Dinasaur Valley State Park (****)
where you can view dinasaur tracks on the bed of the Paluxy River.
Highway 201 near the park is worth a short trip along the river, too.
To the northeast on Highway 67 near
Cleburne, you may want to visit
Cleburne State Park (***) that also has
all the conveniences and a nifty hiking trail, too.
Further south, Lake Whitney has both a
state park (**) and
Corps of Engineer Parks. Nearby,
Meridian State Park (****)was built in the
1930s by the CCC and has the expected state park conveniences on a
small lake with nice trail. (It used to have a huge bee hike. Some
fools came in and burned it out!)
Hwy. 174 between
Meridian and Cleburne is a nice drive. Check out the
Brazos River.
Other Interesting Places:
- LBJ and Caddo National Grasslands - LBJ Unit is just north of
Decatur
and may be one of the best kept secrets in North Texas. It's hard
to find, and a detailed map is necessary. There are no signs whatsoever.
It's rough roads on the way, too. But, you will find small lakes,
creeks, hiking trails, and other adventures. The
Windmill Lake Project is a flyfishing lake. See our Grasslands Photo below.
-
Lake Ray Roberts and State Park (***) north of
Denton, home of the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University.
- Lake Texoma has
Eisenhower State Park (***) and
Corps of Engineers Parks on the Oklahoma border
-
Joe Pool Lake (see our Joe Pool Lake Photo Album)
features
Cedar Hill State Park(***1/2),
and River Authority
Parks (Lynn Creek [***] with marina, restaurant, camping; Loyd Park [***1/2]
with very nice hiking trail, camping, fishing but expensive (see photo above); and
Britain Park that's just a boat launch but has access to Mountain
Creek (nice canoeing stream). It's conveniently located just south of
Dallas and east of
Mansfield. In a recent Ft. Worth Star Telegram article (5-18-97), journalist
O.K. Carter described Loyd Park as "dazzling." Well, that may be a
bit of an overstatement, but it's definitely worth a visit.
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The City of Waxahachie is known for it's historic homes.
- Navarro Mills Lake with
Corps of Engineers Parks: Oak Park [+****];
Wolfe Creek Park [***], Liberty Hill [***])
Spring Break Navarro Mills Update: The recent floods have taken
their toll on our beloved Oak Park. Parts of the campground were closed due
to high water. Fortunately, our favorite area next to the trail was high
and dry. But, the trail was underwater. Herb
caught some nice carp on
what is normally the parking lot.
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Ft. Parker State Park (***1/2)
-
Fairfield State Park (***) - Be sure to check out the old cemetery
within the park.
Back to Top
Our Favorite Places to Go in the Metroplex
Frankly, we're not much into the "big cities." But, occasionally, we
feel the need to visit some of the interesting sites in the Metroplex.
The Metroplex is the sprawling urban area around and including Dallas and
Ft. Worth. It also includes Arlington (home of the Texas Rangers),
Grand Prairie (home of the new racetrack), Irving (home of Dallas Cowboys),
Mansfield (south of Arlington), Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and so on...
When we go to the big city, here are the places we like to visit the
most in no particular order:
Miscellaneous North Texas Links:
ARLINGTON & GRAND PRAIRIE LINKS:
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