Love it out here! It's so peaceful and serene. Love the Perch pond that was recently stocked with rainbow trout! The campsites and restrooms are always well maintained. They offer firewood for purchase when there isn't a burn ban in affect. I advise calling ahead to inquire as to trails being open or closed, what the fishing conditions are like, availability of campsites, etc. The staff are always so friendly and nice. Overall I just love this beautiful park! read more

We had a great experience. The staff was very helpful. All of the campsites are beautiful, most of them have a lake view. We stayed at campsite 338, it was very spacious with trees surrounding the entire camp area (very nice for privacy) a lot of flat space for the tent, trees made for hammocks and a perfect view of the sunset every night. Dog friendly, lots of hiking trails & beautiful views. highly recommend Cedar Hill State Park. read more

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This is my local state park. I live a couple minutes drive from here and tmake a dozen visits s year. I am impressed by the hiking trail network and lake access. Also camping sites and even access for some primitive camping. The Penn Farm offers events through year and the Rangers offer wildlife encounters. read more

I have visited Cedar Hill State Park exclusively for hiking and walking. The park offers over 15 miles of trails for hiking of mountain biking, and it has a lot of beauty to offer in the form of plants, animal wildlife, and stunning views of Joe Pool Lake. I have never camped here, but I know that overnight camping is allowed, and I have walked by the tent sites, which seem to be alright. The entire park is right next to Joe Pool Lake, so there are water sport opportunities as well as fishing. Cedar Hill State Park is a great place to go with the family, friends, or a work/church/school group. It's pretty popular, so there are usually a lot of people there. If you plan to camp there, be sure and get a reservation ahead of time. I think it fills up pretty often. The park is only about 10 minutes away from Cedar Hill and Duncanville, so it's easy to get to, and if you forget anything you can always run back into town for food/supplies. Have fun, and be safe! read more

This is a beautiful park. It's SO CLOSE to Dallas, and yet there are hills and trees and a huge lake. Entrance is $5 for overnight, $7 for the day, $25 to rent a campsite for 8 people, and includes a fire pit. We came with a group and enjoyed roasting s'mores over the fire pit at our camp site. Our site was clean and just as described. We walked along the road to the lake, but there were many hiking trails that we hope to return to soon. It's also just down the road (maybe 2 miles) from 'civilization'.... Dick's Sporting Goods, WalMart, Applebees, Dunkin Donuts, etc.... so if you forgot something, or have a 13 year old diva who needs a break from the outdoors.... you're set! We also had cell-signal (Verizon) at our campsite. We will definitely be back! read more

Wonderful park with some lovely views by the lake! I ran a half marathon out here and the course was quite challenging & hilly. There are paved roads throughout the park if you venture out far enough though & it's very shaded & wooded. Which I loved! Great spot for a race too, it kind of makes you feel like you're not in DFW! Parking is sparse but if you get a chance grab friends & get off the beaten path & check out this place! You will certainly not regret it. read more

I spent the day out there today and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I specifically set out to hike the trails. There are only 4 different trails listed on the map and I hiked the two longest ones. Neither were difficult in the least bit but they both were probably 80% overgrown. If I had a machete it would have been a better time but it was obvious no one clears out the trails nor do many people walk them. At some points you couldn't even see the trail, the dead grass, bushes and trees overtook it too badly. Other than the lake, there is nothing else to do here. Even around most of the lake there is no shaded area. I think this place really only serves for fishing and boating and not much of anything else. So for $7 to get in, it's not worth it. I'd rather hike the trails at the cedar hill preserve for free than do these again. read more

My favorite park. Big sites nice lake and very well maintained. The bike trail is fantastic. I'm a geocacher so I have a great time here read more

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Great little park we finally had the opportunity to visit. We tried to come a few months back for biking, but were told the trails were closed due to a little drizzle (come on now Texans). Anyway, since the state is quite dry, we were able to visit with some friends for hiking :) And boy was it hot. The park offers a lake for swimming (if you like the whole brown water thing), fishing, and hiking/biking trails. We did about 5 miles of hiking in the middle of the afternoon so we were understandably exhausted but had fun anyway. The trails are well-maintained and the views are wonderful. Suggestion? WEAR LONG SLEEVES/PANTS AND BUG SPRAY!!! My husband and I got totally torn up by chiggers :( I am on a course of steroids and antihistamines because I had an awful allergic reaction to all the bites. Do yourself a favor and spray up. Side-note: Luckily we didn't encounter aforementioned "park officer" another reviewer mentioned, but good grief: I'm glad we didn't. Look out for that one if you do visit. read more

Always wanted to camp with a view of the road.... NOT. Tryed to get a new site and was told my trailer didn't require a bigger site. We are the only camper in this section. Descussed and it really turns me off of the park. The price is no diffrent... and just because we are smaller we should have to have a view of the road. Not a happy camper. Its a wonderful site if you are in a tent. !!!! Argentine ants!!!!! sure have repellent for both your trailer and car! read more

Cedar Hill State Park - Parks Near Me - Cedar Hill, Texas

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With the unseasonably warm weather, we decided to spend a night camping at CHS on Dec 25th. No big deal, just grab a tent, some firewood and a few snacks. Unfortunately, we awoke to ants in the tent. Understandable, since we had some food inside; however, I could not believe that ants had converged upon the OUTSIDE and INSIDE of the car!! We were on a hill across the street from the lake. I dont know why it happened, if we should have done something differently, or if this is to be expected, but we definitely were NOT prepared. I enjoy Cedar Hill SP for a night away because of Penn Farm, clean restrooms and fishing, so I rate it 4 stars. But, BE PREPARED for ants to invade! read more

The state trooper that we met while entering the park was very unprofessional,inconsiderate,distasteful towards my grandmother and I. We arrived at the the park 20 mins before the office was scheduled to close although the park didn't close to 2 hrs after the office was scheduled to close. the state trooper than we had Encountered with was very inconsiderate to the fact that my grandmother could not find her ID. She did not let us know that their was self pay avalanche for after hours pay. The state troopers at this park need some serious customer service training read more

Very nice park. We only stayed one night passing through so we did not get to check everything out. Super clean and nice secluded spots. We had full hookups for our rv so did not have to go by the station on the way. Just a short walk for great views of the lake. read more

Great intermediate mountain bike trails and camping. $7 to get in, or $70 for a state-wide season pass, which allows you to bring in up to 14 guests in one car. Highly recommend! read more

Have been back numerous times to hike the trails as well as camped. We just love the park! Can't wait to bring my kayaks to the lake this summer and do some fishing. read more

Cedar Hill State Park - Parks Near Me - Cedar Hill, Texas

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I've been twice now. I love it! A nice little park with great biking trails. The trails are nice for hiking as well, but they are really built for biking! Great location, being driving distance from Dallas. read more

I come here once a month to hike by myself. I hike the 3 mile trail. It's peaceful and mostly in the shade. The only annoying thing is that the same trail is shared by bikers and I usually have to stop and move to the side when the bikers pass by me. Otherwise, I like hiking here and I love the nature. read more

Nice and quiet. Some sites are a little small so choose carefully. Great for a quiet mini vacation without the hustle and bustle. One of my favorites! read more

This is a pretty state park with a lot of walking trails. All the walking trails were closed due to wet conditions (so couldn't enjoy them ) and if you're wanting a peaceful, quiet nature park this is not the place to go. Because of the location (busy metro area) all you hear is traffic. A major busy roadway is less than 1/4 of a mile away from the sites. Despite having a state park pass & living only a little over an hour away we will pass on going again. read more

BEWARE THE PARK OFFICER as he is one MAJOR JERK - To me the park is fine, nothing great, just ok. The real reason Cedar Hill State Park gets 1 star is because of their jerk park enforcement officers. We got stopped because we were "speeding", probably going like 2 miles over the 20 mph speed limit. The park officer was driving in his truck with no radar gun so not sure how he would even know we were speeding just 2 mph over as he is moving in his vehicle with no radar gun. He turns around and tailgates us for over a mile, and I mean he tails us very closely. He finally turns on his lights and pulls us over. He then accuses us of drinking alcohol and asks the driver how much they had to drink. No one in the car had taken a sip of alcohol so we responded that we hadn't had any alcoholic beverages. The park officer then sarcastically asked if we were sure, because he definitely smelled alcohol. Again, we responded with the truth, that we hadn't drank any alcohol. The park officer asked if we were sure again. So we said yes we were sure. He then asked the driver to step out of the car to take a breathalyzer test cuz he was certain he smelled alcohol on us. The breathalyzer was administered like 4 times because it was not reading properly. Of course the reading on the breathalyzer was 0.0. We received no apology from the officer for being a jerk and falsely accusing us of drinking and lying. On top of that, my wife drove into the park to meet us later that same evening. It was dark and she noticed a vehicle tailgating her very closely for quite a while, so naturally she became uncomfortable. She decided to accelerate a bit to create a little space between them and when she did, the vehicle behind her turned on their police lights. It was the same jerk park officer. She wasn't accused of drinking, but wow, what a major A$$h0le. This park officer was just too much of a jerk for us to return to Cedar Hill SP. The more I think about the harassment we received from this park officer, the more I dislike this park. And you know Cedar Hill SP will do nothing about this park officer, so I don't anticipate any changes real soon. Its too bad. Please BEWARE the park officer as he is one major JERK!!!!!!!!!!! read more

No laundry, no cable, no beach, no fishing, and so on. I know they had a bad flood in June and it did damage. But they are still charging a family of four $45.00 a day!!!! read more

Awesome place to visit if you want to forget you are in DFW for a day. Very nice, heavily wooded trails for hiking and biking; trail loops are well-marked and you can choose from three distances (2.5 miles, 7 miles, 10+ miles). Campsites were available, and while I haven't done any camping here, it seems like it would be a great location to do so without departing the metroplex. I observed numerous fishing piers and boat ramps surrounding Joe Pool lake. The $7 per person (no, not per vehicle, per person...) entry fee is a little steep, but the trails are well-maintained, so they appear to be putting that money to good use. read more

This is a very nice park, and it is very convenient to the city. My only real complaint is that there are no paved walking/biking trails. Although infrequent, there are times when you want to walk or bike at a state park right after a rainy day. There is plenty of space to accommodate it. Of the state parks within an hour of me, Ray Roberts gets my nod because of this miss. read more

Having a great time here with my wife for our anniversary.. We sorta "glamp" and not rough it. We are right on the water and isolated but all the sites seem pretty well layed out. It is much easier to not get busted drinking when you're only camping with two and not a loud ass bunch. *sips whiskey. Did some fishing until a snake freaked out the wife.. The army put on a pretty sweet helicopter show last night. 15 attack helicopters practicing their moves for a couple of hours. Not usually a fan of state parks because there is always a Ranger Rodney (as we call them) trying to screw with your good time. Hot showers, cleanish restrooms. Will def come again. Okay, back to the tent to watch a movie. OH! I have 4G LTE service with TMOBILE! and their service always blows, so that is a plus. Happy camping! 343 read more

We arrived the day after a rain storm. So the hiking trails were closed. I think that was a little overboard on their part because there was no evidence that much rain fell at all. We did do the Penn family trail which was very interesting. You walk through a family farm of the 1800's. The park itself is very nice as well as the picnic and camping facilities. I would highly recommend this park , but call first go the trails read more

We have been here a few times and I figured I would write a review now. Start off by saying the entrance to the park is not as visable as I thought it would be. The people working at the gate have always been really friendly. I have been inside to get my lifetime veteran pass and the lady polite and helpful. The kids loved playing in the lake in the summer. My little one is used to living by the ocean so she was asking where the sea stars are. There is an old farm there with some old machinery and my kids always request going there. This last time that we went, we figured we would look at a different area after the farm and we found trail. It was 2 miles I think, we walked it and my kids were nice and tired when we got home for the day. I guess we will fave to use that trail more often. read more

What a dump! I can't believe Texas would allow such a popular park to decay to this point. Cedar Hill was the last stop on a two week camping trip through the Ozarks. We were told the park was damaged by the May flood but couldn't believe the delapadated condition of the overall park. The entire camping area we were assigned was completely abandoned and the campsites were all overgrown. The park looked like it has been abandoned for several years. Most of the asphalt at most of the sites was beyond repair. Our site was surrounded by 6ft tall Johnson grass and the utilities were next to the grass. Nice touch in chigger season... We didn't stay. Tried calling the Online reservation center to request a refund but gave up after 30 minutes on hold. We've camped in at least 20 states over the years and this place by far is the worst. Shame on you Texas state parks!! read more

A great place to explore. The Penn Farm area needs some renovation. Had a great afternoon at Perch Pond laying on a dock and fishing.

Four stars four beauty, friendly staff, and hot water in the showers. The only reason star number five didn't make it was the tremendous wind storm that ripped apart our tent in the middle of the night. That, and the echo of some strange machinery from a factory/ secret alien military base across the lake.... But the staff is gracious, the view is fantastic, and if we had three days and fishing poles, this would have been the perfect get away if your good with standard rustic camping. Pardon me while I go work on the right way to stake my tent wind flaps down...... read more

This place has so many trails! Be surrounded call in advance to ensure the trail you're planning on discovering is open! I made the mistake of not calling or checking their site/app if the trail I wanted to hike was open. I also went sunset kayaking here with the Audubon, highly recommend that or any outdoor activity! read more

Love to bring my dogs here. Very nice place. Hiking trails are good. Haven't camped here yet, hopefully soon.

This is a really large state park. Joe Pool lake is a great amenity to have here. The swimming area is large and the lake does not drop that low for some reason. They have a whole lot of rv camping lots, but so many of them are so small an average rv or trailer will not fit. There are a good amount of trees to shade your camper. The park offers hiking trails and even has a little farm in the middle. The front staff have always been very nice and helpful to us. read more

Given that this is so close to the DFW metroplex, it is not surprising that one can hear the traffic on the nearby freeway. Kind of spoils the "I'm a nature buff" mood. Having said that, kudos to the Parks and Wildlife folks for preserving a natural area near an urban area (friendly folks at the front office which seems to be open later than some). While this isn't the prettiest of the state parks (on this road trip we also enjoyed Mineral Wells and Abilene), it is worth seeing and convenient for a weekend camping trip next to Joe Pool Lake) with the kids...a great way to expose them to nature and to begin developing in young future taxpayers and voters an appreciation for the diverse array of our state parks. Definitely worth the short trip from the metroplex! read more

My wife and I were going to the Cedar Hill State Park today because there was a special event there. When we arrived, all the signs showed that most of the park was closed for various reasons. We went up to the Park Ranger to pay the fees. $7.00 per person, and it appears that most of the park was closed for access! I was going to pay the $7.00 each for my wife and I anyway, and handed the Ranger my credit card. No she said I don't do credit cards, you have to get out and come in to pay with a credit card. Now there is real customer service from someone who could have cared less if we went in or not. I said no thanks and left. The Ranger said have a nice day!!!! read more

Fun place to visit. Went to Dogwood Canyon and wanted to swing by there. It was definitely worth the 7 dollars to go in and visit and see the marina and walk the trees. read more

We camp here all the time. Staff is usually helpful. Sites range from level and spacious to smaller hilly areas. Penn Farm is neat. Child likes the old tractors. They do have full hook up sites. The State of Texas has completely failed to fund the state parks. It is a travesty that our Republican leaders care so little about the state they claim to love. Even a 25% increase in funding would allow state parks to rebuild. Cedar Hill has no functional play area for children. Staff said they need funds for repairs. Come on Texas! read more

This park has been generally closed to public for three years , you can't get to beach or good fishing areas. Friends, family and myself have purchased park passes since 1991 when it opened, I would like to make a recommendation for us that can't go to other state parks and that is to stock the fishing pond on regular basis with catfish, bass and trout. This way we could feel like we are getting our monies worth . Think about us old folks who have limited funds and vehicles read more