Trail in Review: Cedar Ridge Preserve

It is my hope to make trail reviews a regular "feature".

Site: Cedar Ridge Preserve, Dallas, TX
Managed by: Audubon Dallas
Cost: $3 donation requested

Time of hike: Early spring afternoon, weekend
Weather: Sunny and warm

I found this site by a simple google search for Dallas hikes and was interested in checking it out on the promise of butterflies and wildflowers.  We were a little early for the wildflowers - they were ready to start blooming and there were some patches of bluebonnets decorating the entrance but they just weren't out in full yet.  And the butterfly garden did not yet have its blooms.  In fact, it looked like it may be in need of some spring maintenance.  Still, we were not disappointed!  There were plenty of butterflies out along the trails, and there was plenty of trail to fill the afternoon.

The preserve has several miles of trails ranging in difficulty from "easy" to "hard" with most at a moderate level.  You can do in-and-outs, loops, or chain several trails together without much (if any) double-tracking.  imagine that this will also allow variety across multiple hikes.  We chained together the Escarpment Road, Fossil Valley, and Cedar Break trails for a hike that lasted about 2-2.5 hours.  The trails were rated moderate to difficult.  We were able to manage all bits, although we felt challenged by parts of the difficult Fossil Valley trail.  Its trick lies in its steep slopes, but plateaus and gentle slopes between the steeper bits allow time to recover.

Most of this hike is in wooded areas more reminiscent of the Hill Country than the Plains.  This offers shade for much of the hike, although some bits are more exposed.  There are a few crossings over streams and run-off paths; one we found had a spot to the side with a bench with a short (12") waterfall and a frog or two.  A highlight of the preserve is the cattail pond, which is home to fish, ducks, and turtles.  There are several look-out points that offer views back toward town and toward Joe Pool Lake.  We think we did spot a fossil or two on the Fossil Valley trail - it was an impression of something in a rock, at least.

The trails are very well maintained and marked.  (In fact, they have volunteers perform maintenance on the third Saturday of each month.)  The trailhead has water fountains, bathrooms, and picnic tables.  There's also the butterfly garden I alluded to earlier.  Signs warn hikers to stick to the paths due to the presence of snakes in the area, including rattlesnakes, water moccasins, copperheads, and coral snakes.  We did not encounter any snakes although another hiker on the trail warned us that he saw a rattler in the middle of the trail.  (MJ suggests that he might have been trying to impress the two ladies who crossed his path first.)  There were a fair number of people out but the trail never felt crowded - so long as you weren't looking to feel isolated, it was a comfortable balance of solitude and community.

All in all, an excellent hike that we look forward to doing again.  A.
(My current "avatar" is a picture from this hike.)

Cedar Ridge Preserve