Cedar Hill State Park

1570 F.M. 1382
Cedar Hill TX 75104
972/291-3900
Park locator map

Texas Outdoor Family workshop will be held at this park on Saturday - Sunday (November 21-22, 2009).

History: In 1854, John Anderson Penn settled in the rugged cedar-covered hills of southwest Dallas County - an area known as the Cedar Mountains. Today, remnants of the original Penn Farm survive intact in the confines of Cedar Hill State Park. Cedar Hill State Park is a 1,826 acre urban nature preserve located on the 7500 acre Joe Pool Reservoir. The Park's proximity to major metropolitan cities makes it an ideal destination for families who want to enjoy the great outdoors without spending precious time driving. The ruggedness and scenic beauty of the area combined with over 100 miles of shoreline and the water based recreation on Joe Pool is a major attraction. The Metroplex skyline reflects on Joe Pool at night adding to our relaxing atmosphere. The park was acquired in 1982 and was opened in 1991.

The Penn Farm Agricultural Center.

Penn Farm Agricultural History Center pays tribute to the disappearing Texas' family farm and affords a glimpse into agrarian history as farm machinery took the place of the horse and mule almost a century ago. The Farm is open 7 days a week to self-guided tours. There are reconstructed and historic buildings from the mid 1800s through the mid 1900s. The Penn Farm has a very relaxing atmosphere and is perfect for family walks. Self-guided and guided tours are available. Special tours can be set-up for school groups or other groups. Call 972-291-5940 for more information

Interpretive Guide to Cedar Hill State Park and Penn Farm Agricultural History Center (PDF 2.1 MB)

Activities: Camping - Features 355 mostly wooded campsites with a shade shelter over some of the picnic tables. Each site has water, electricity, a fire-ring, a lantern pole, and a picnic table. All campsites are within walking distance of restrooms with hot showers. Additionally, there are 30 primitive campsites.

Mountain Biking - Cedar Hill State Park is home to the premier North Texas mountain bike trail. The DORBA trail, named for the volunteers of the Dallas Off Road Biking Association, was built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers. Over 1200 acres of prime mountain bike landscape are crisscrossed with 15 miles of intense riding. This exciting trail is closed after rainfall so call 972/291-3900 and press star 2 for trail conditions.

Birdwatching - Birdwatching is a popular activity year-round at Cedar Hill State Park. The most sought after bird at the park is the Painted Bunting. Painted Buntings abound in the Park from the first week of May through August each year. The park is home to other neotropical migrants including the Yellow-billed cuckoo, the Indigo Bunting, the Chuck-will's Widow and many others. Fall and winter brings: Ruby-crowned Kinglets; Yellow-rumped Warblers; Gold Finch; American Kestrel; and Cedar Waxwing. Resident birds include the Eastern Bluebird, the Greater Roadrunner, the Loggerhead Shrike, the Red-tailed Hawk, the Great Horned Owl, both the Turkey and Black Vulture, and the Bewick's Wren. The park's bird list contains almost 200 species!

Other Park Activities - Picnicking: Over 200 picnic tables with waist-high grills, and most have a view of the lake. Fishing: Features two lighted fishing jetties and a perch pond for youngsters. Lake fishing includes largemouth black bass, crappie ,and catfish. Slot limit on Joe Pool is 5 largemouth bass limit of fish under 14 inches or over 21 inches, with only one being 21 inches or greater. Crappie must be over 10 inches and the limit is 25 fish. Swimming beach: The park has a gravel swimming beach surrounded by picnic tables with grills. There are no lifeguards on duty; therefore, swimming is at your own risk. Playgrounds: The park has 3 playgrounds conveniently located throughout the park. Boating: Two concrete four-lane boat ramps welcome our boating enthusiast. There is also ample lighted boat trailer parking.

Joe Pool Marina: A convenient store that sells bait, fishing gear, and camping gear, as well as some food products. Yearly boat slip rentals are available. In addition they have an indoor/outdoor fishing barge. They can be contacted by calling 972/299-9010.

Volunteer Opportunities:
Park Host Program - The park host program is designed to assist the park staff with visitor services, fee collection, and light maintenance as outlined in the volunteer job description. In return for 25-30 hours of volunteer service, a campsite with water, electricity, and in most cases sewer hook-up will be provided at no charge. There are four host categories to choose from; Office Host, Campground Host, Maintenance Host, and Interpretive Host. For a Park Host application and information call the Park Host Coordinator at 972/291-6641.
Friends of Cedar Hill State Park - The Friends of Cedar Hill State Park was organized to assist in the promotion, interpretation and operation of the park. As a fund raising and service group, the goal of the friends is to help in the overall operation of the park through sponsoring events, helping fund projects and raising the awareness of Cedar Hill State Park as an asset to the community and surrounding areas.
The Lone Star Legacy Fund - There are financial challenges facing Cedar Hill State Park and the Penn Farm. Site Endowment Funds have been established within the Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas for each State Park site. These endowment funds are known collectively as the Lone Star Legacy Fund. Both Cedar Hill State Park and the Penn Farm have a Site Endowment Fund within the Lone Star Legacy Fund. This endowment has been established for the general support of the park. Proceeds are used for the operation and maintenance of Cedar Hill State Park and the Penn Farm. Tax deductible check donations may be sent on behalf of the park of your choice directly to the Foundation in Austin. Checks should be made payable to the Legacy Fund-Cedar Hill State Park or Legacy Fund-Penn Farm and sent to 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744-3292.

Area Attractions: Not far to the north, the Dallas and Ft. Worth Metroplex contain such attractions as professional sports teams that include the World Champion Dallas Cowboys football team, the Texas Rangers Baseball team, Dallas Stars Hockey team, Dallas Mavericks Basketball team, and the Dallas Burn Soccer team. All just 20 minutes from the Park. Other attractions include Ft Worth Stockyards and Water Gardens, Omni Theater, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony, Dallas Opera, Billy Bob's Texas in Ft Worth, Dallas and Ft Worth Zoo, horse racing at Lone Star Park, Nascar racing at Texas Motor Speedway, Traders Village flea market, Farmers Market, Deep Ellum night life Dallas Zoo, Dallas Nature Center, JFK Memorial, Six Flags Over Texas, Ft Worth Botanical Gardens, Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History, DFW International Airport , Ammon Carter Art museum, Will Rogers Coliseum, and the State Fair of Texas in October.

Campsites & Other Facilities: Facilities include restrooms with showers; picnic sites with tables and grills; hike-in, primitive campsites; campsites with water and electricity; 4.5 miles of hiking/backpacking trails; 10.3 miles of mountain bike trails; 2 boat ramps (ten lanes); group picnic pavilions (capacities 50 and 100); and 2 trailer dump stations. All campsites have electricity and water and are located in wooded areas. Nearby Joe Pool Marina (972/299-9010) offers a year-round grocery store, plus boat rentals, and a fishing barge. Wireless internet access (Wi-Fi) is available for park visitors to use. Listing of State Parks with wireless internet access.

Fees
Map of Park(Overview) (PDF 154.9 KB)
Map of Park (Northside Detail) (PDF 100.1 KB)
Map of Park (Southside Detail) (PDF 106.6 KB)

Check availability/make reservations for Cedar Hill S.P.
You can also make e-mail reservations, fax reservations or phone reservations.

TPWD Photo © Linda Dunn

Cedar Hill has some of the best
mountain bike trails in Texas.

Natural Features: The park is refuge to 5 native tallgrass prairie remnants which are federally listed as endangered. The tallgrass prairie remnants are the most important natural resource in the park. These small remnant prairies are dominated by Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Sideoats Gama, Switch Grass, and many other native grasses. Other plants of interest in the prairie land include Rosin-weed, Old Plainsman, Wand Milkweed Antelope-horn Milkweed, Celestials, Spiderwort, Sensitive-briar, Purple Coneflower, Bluebell, Blue Sage, Fleabane, Ladies Tress, Iron Weed, Engleman Daisy, Maxamillion Sunflower, Downy Paintbrush, Heath Aster, Trout Lilly, Standing Cypress, Eryngo, and others. Eastern Gamma grass was reintroduced by park staff in selected areas as well as Meadow Pinks. The Cedar Hill area is unique in that historically it is where two climax eco-systems converge.

The tallgrass prairie and its rolling black clay soil clashes with the rugged limestone escarpment. Hundreds of years ago an ancient cedar forest covered the escarpment. It was in that rugged ancient forest that Golden-cheeked Warblers thrived. Sadly the Golden-cheeked Warbler is on the verge of extinction due to habitat destruction. Because of the unique habitat of the park the Golden Cheeked Warbler was recently spotted in February 2004. The tallgrass prairie was migratory habitat for the Eskimo Curlew now thought to be extinct. The transition zone between these climax ecosystems was full of brush, interspersed with grasses and small trees that were burned frequently by the prairie fires. This was home to the endangered Black-capped Vireo last seen in the area in 1993. Overall, the park is dominated by upland forests that include cedar elm, honey locust, mesquite, and juniper trees. In the scenic, wooded hills, common animals include bobcat, coyote, fox, squirrel, armadillo, and raccoon. Lake fishing is good for large-mouth bass, white bass, crappie, and catfish. The park is also an excellent flyway for Neotropical birds.

More information on the wildlife mentioned here:

Texas Wildlife Factsheets.

Urban Fish and Wildlife Office: Texas Parks and Wildlife's Urban Fish and Wildlife Program seeks to educate citizens about the wildlife of Texas by involving them in activities that benefit wildlife and wildlife habitats. The program consists of a team of 5 Urban Biologists scattered throughout the metropolitan areas of Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. These biologists work in cooperation with schools, city governments, civic groups, businesses, and private landowners to foster sound land management practices not only within metropolitan areas, but beyond.

Elevation: 616 feet above sea level.
Topography: The topography is unique in that the blacklands roll into towering limestone escarpment. The escarpment has outcrops that run from Mexico to Kansas. The park is reminiscent of the Texas Hill Country and one will forget they are in the Metroplex while visiting Cedar Hill State Park.
Weather: January average low 36 degrees; July average high 95 degrees. Average first freeze: November 13 Average last freeze: March 23. Wettest months are April and May.

National Weather Service forecast for this area.

Schedule: Open at 8:00 a.m. every day of the year. Our front gate is locked for visitor safety at 10:00 p.m. every night of the year. The park headquarters hours vary from season to season so call in advance at 972/291-3900. An honor box at headquarters is for the collection of entrance and camping fees after hours. Check the Calendar for events and access restrictions scheduled within the next 3 months.
Latitude (degrees, minutes, seconds) N: 32° 37' 18.19" Longitude (degrees, minutes, second) W: 96° 58' 44.86"

Directions: Cedar Hill is located 10 miles southwest of Dallas, 4 miles southeast of Grand Prairie, and 3 miles west of Cedar Hill and is accessible via FM 1382. From US Highway 67 exit FM 1382, 2 1/2 miles north on the left. From Interstate 20 exit FM 1382, 4 miles south on the right (on the Joe Pool Reservoir). The park is skirted by FM 1382 and Mansfield Road. Cedar Hill location map media download (PDF 29.9 KB)

Current conditions including, fire bans & water levels, can vary from day to day. For more details, contact the park.

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