Located off Northwest Highway near White Rock Lake in the Lake Highland area of East Dallas. Flagpole Hill Park is a pretty big place, with probably 100 acres or more to it's claim. I really don't know it's official size, [looked it up, it's 107.1] but it's superb in gentle rolling hills, easy to traverse paths, is well marked, and offers a beavy of various amenities. There are slopping gradient paths for intense walks, jogging, or bicycling too. With connected pathways for safety to the nearby lake. A playground is being built, and is projected to be completed by the Fall of 2018.
There are several parking spots dotted around this park. The front lot has about a dozen half shaded places to put your car. Right in front of this magnificent super tall and commanding Flagpole, one can easily traverse the well laid out stairs to get to the first vista area. Peppered with scented Evergreen trees and mulberrys, one can see quite a bit from this vantage point.
Further down the park path is a covered dining area Pavilion spot with a dozen picnic tables enclosed for a cooler dining experience. There are also several wooden tables out on the park greens, under gentle mature Oak trees with spotted moss. The views here are the best in my humble little opinion. And is a great place to bring a fun checkered tablecloth, picnic basket jammed pack with all kinds of delicious food, where you can fly a kite, play lawn darts, or croquet. Or bring a book and listen to some chill music.
A cottage bathroom building is a couple hundred yards away from the dining area. I saw some guy picking up dead branches for fire kindle. I don't know if the City of Dallas allows the wood to be burned. I know several state parks here in Texas prohibit tree branches to be used as firewood. So call the city or parks and rec department office to be sure, nobody wants a fine for that simple misunderstanding.
I really enjoyed the peaceful vibe of this park. With elevated views, it keeps the city traffic and noise down. And allows for the natural surroundings of delicate winds and nature to serenade park goers. Getting outside and enjoying every park space we have here is so helpful in getting me to decompress. Anxiety is not an issue. But my stress from the nutty, insensitive DFW driver's does seem to get my blood pressure pulsing higher than it should. Slow down people. For the love of safety.
Immersering ourselves in nature as often as possible has also been scientifically proven to be so beneficial. There is a great term in Japanese, called "Shinrin-Yoku", which roughly translates into "forest bathing." Being among the green, brown, and yellow of trees, leaves, grass, flowers, and the furry critters has a way of resetting our internal bio-rhythms. Our stress goes down. We breathe easier. Life doesn't seem so daunting, cause it can sometimes. I really like this concept and philosophy. We are born from nature and should return to our truest environment on a regular basis. I honestly worry about humanity living in such an artificial "modern" existence. Removed from everyone and everything. We are not meant to be isolated. Humans are social animals that require daily, meaningful interactions.
So, my happy funny suggestion is, go hug your friends and family at an outdoor cafe or go hug a tree!! Of course you will feel much better afterwards. By the way, there was a study conducted, that showed a significant amount of human DNA, aka our genes in our particular genome. Over 500 pairs were either turned on or off, in better support for a healthy physiology response after several hour exposure in nature. WOW!! Take that for better health. Get outside folks. For reals. Enjoy your city parks. Yeah you might sweat a bit. No worries. You might encounter a bug or two. Push them out of your way. Shower when you come home to rinse off anyways. And just chill man. Peace. read more