Lake Tawakoni State Park

Review: If you are looking for some peace and quiet from the city grind, Lake Tawakoni State Park may be the answer! Just an hour east of Dallas, this state park offers quite a few trails to select from. Whether you want to explore the forest, or meander along the lake’s shore, there’s a lot of terrain to cover here. This is also a great spot to see wildlife, I saw five deer on my visit, not to mention the birds, dragonflies and other animals I encountered.

Distance: Almost 5 miles of natural trails

Area of Town: Near Wills Point, east of Dallas

Facilities: Standard state park amenities including a headquarters building with restrooms, additional restrooms and showers, parking, and more. There are also picnic facilities available, and a small amphitheater.

Suitable for: Hiking / Trail Running / Biking / Paddling

Type of Trail: Natural or Gravel

Shade: Lots of shade. There are parts along the lake where you’ll be open to the sun and by the pocket prairie, but the majority of the trail is shaded by the trees.

Where to Park: There is plenty of parking near the trail heads, although parking at White Deer Trail is limited

Official Site: Lake Tawakoni State Park

Nearby Trails: Nothing really, perhaps Purtis Creek State Park (but it’s about 50 minutes away)

Just an hour east of Dallas lies Lake Tawakoni State Park. While not one of the larger state parks in the DFW area, Lake Tawakoni boasts just under 5 miles of multi-use trails (suitable for hiking or biking), lake access for paddling and fishing, and ample opportunity to relax and unwind away from the city. As I was preparing to come out, I’d seen several other sites mention how this was a great spot to see wildlife, and I wasn’t disappointed. I saw deer right when I drove into the park grounds near the ranger station, and encountered other deer on the trails, including a fawn and its mother. So keep your eyes open and you may encounter some yourself!

Once you enter the state park and pay your fee (or use your annual pass), you will head into the park. There are three main trailheads here at the park. Just past the Pear Trees Pond, you can either make a right to the White Deer Trail, or continue to the main trails. This article assumes you go to the main trails, and continue forward until you see a large parking area. Turn into that, and park near the small amphitheater, as that’s where the trail starts. There are also picnic tables scattered along the lake shoreline, and some nice views to take in before you enter the forest.

Just to the left of the amphitheater you will see the start of the Farkleberry Trail, which will lead you into the woods and provide access to the Blackjack, Orange Osage, and Red Oak trails. The ranger told me when the best way to do these trails is just to be consistent. Either always hang a left, or always hang a right. So I decided to always hang a left!

Note of warning: When I was at Purtis Creek State Park, I encountered a ton of bugs that made my hike unpleasant. While there were a lot of bugs at Lake Tawakoni State Park, they didn’t bother me since I sprayed myself with bug repellant. I’d recommend coming prepared with Deep Woods spray.

As I walked down Farkleberry Trail, I was struck by the quiet as I got further into the forest. So many of the trails in the metroplex don’t give you that sense of being immersed in nature, due to the background noises of cars and planes and other sounds of modern life. The further I got away from the parking lot, the less and less I heard anything except for the sound of cicadas and the song of birds. The trail was also not as densely packed as many trails in the area are, these trees were spread out a bit letting me see into the distance.

Everything was green from the recent rains, and the dappled light made it very picturesque. The trails here were sandy, rocky in spots, and wide and well maintained. Later in the hike the trails had some spots that were more narrow and overgrown, but for the most part the trails through this area were well maintained and wide.

I also noticed benches scattered throughout the trails, and some in scenic spots if you want to take in the lake views.

Eventually I came to the 1.5 mile Blackjack Trail junction and headed left further into the woods. When it wound back around I ran into the Osage Orange trail, and took another left around that loop. Eventually I hit the Red Oak Trail and again made a left, out towards the lake, and then back around as I wound my way back to the Farkleberry trail, and headed back to the trailhead. I felt like I had the trails all to myself, I only encountered a few others out on the trails. I kept my eyes peeled looking for wildlife, and I did run into a deer, which at first I almost didn’t notice. I also noticed a few other things, including dragonflies and fungus growing on the side of some trees. Sometimes I’m in a hurry on my hikes, this is one I recommend you take your time and your eyes peeled for what is around!

The Spring Point Trails are next! If you head back out to the park road, you can hang a left, and head towards the Spring Point Trails. I made a mistake and turned right where I wound up at the Spring Point Branch Trail vs the Spring Point Trail. If you want to do the Spring Point Trail, don’t make that right, just keep going straight. They both take you back to the same spots, it’s just one is longer than the other.

The trailhead at the Spring Point Branch Trail is obvious, there is a wooden awning with a sign indicating the start of the trail. This again is a flat easy trail, well maintained, and it took me to a pocket prairie. I paused to take in the sights here, it was really pretty, and I heard a rustle to my left, and saw a doe staring at me not far from the trail. She then continued to eat, always keeping an eye on me, and then I noticed she wasn’t alone. There was a fawn just in some tall grasses. The fawn wasn’t concerned about me at all. I watched them for a bit before I headed on to the Spring Creek Point East Trail.

The Spring Creek East trail took me along the lake’s edge. There were many vantage points to take in the views, and access to the lakeshore as well. If you wanted to bring a collapsible chair you could stay awhile and enjoy the views and sound of the waves lapping against the shore. This trail will eventually loop back around and take you to the pocket prairie. I didn’t care to go down the main Spring Point Trail, it was hot, and that would take me further from where I parked.

Before I left I waned to check out the final trail, the White Deer Trail. If you drive back towards the Ranger Station, the next turn to the left once you pass the Amphitheater will take you to the White Deer trailhead. This trailhead is near some camping spots, there were only 3 parking spots at the trailhead. This .4 mile loop trail was described as a great spot to see wildlife in the park, but I didn’t encounter any on this path.

This trail was much like the others, it was a wide well maintained rail through the woods. No lake views here, so I’d mark this one isn non-essential. If you are looking to continue your adventures in the woods, this is worth seeing. If you are ready to get going, this is the one to skip vs the other two sections.

I enjoyed my visit to Lake Tawakoni State Park. I love when I encounter wildlife, particularly deer, so seeing five of them in one visit was a highlight. The trail mileage here may not be as impressive as some other spots in the area, but the feeling of being alone in nature can’t be beat. The forest felt vast, the lake views were beautiful, and everything here was well maintained. I would definitely return here again in the future. However, when I do, I’m going to bring either my hammock or a collapsible chair so I could relax along the lake and just hang out for a bit.