Lakefront Trail

Review: Lakefront Trail in Little Elm is a four mile gravel trail that extends from McCord Park to the Hula Hut. It’s a nice wide trail, although if you are planning to bike it, I’d recommend using a gravel or mountain bike vs road bike. The views aren’t spectacular, so it’s a nice place to visit if you live nearby or want some gravel, but probably not worth the drive if you are coming from further away.

Distance: About 4 miles per the official website, when I visited part of it was flooded so I can’t confirm.

Area of Town: Little Elm, north of Frisco

Facilities: McCord Park is rather nice, and does have facilities and a splash pad. Along the trail there is nothing.

Suitable for: Hiking, Biking, Trail Running

Type of Trail: Mainly gravel, but paved in McCord Park

Shade: Mainly open to sun

Where to Park: McCord Splash Park is where I’d recommend parking

Official Website: Official Website

Nearby Trails:  Tribute Shoreline Trail, Colony Shoreline Trail

The Lakefront Trail in Little Elm is one I stumbled upon by accident. I saw a post on Reddit about a local bike rider going out for a gravel ride on it, so was curious. Gravel riding is gaining in popularity, and we don’t have that many gravel trails in the area. 

Note: If you do plan to bike the Lakefront Trail, I’d recommend using a gravel bike or mountain bike. Road bikes can handle some light gravel, but aren’t recommended.

Trying to get to the Lakefront Trail wasn’t simple. I just typed in Lakefront Trail into Google Maps and it took me into a neighborhood of manufactured homes, which I do think there is a spur in the area to get to the trail, but didn’t see a good parking area. I then tried to go to McCord Park, which took me on a road that passed over the park (but couldn’t get down there). Finally I tried parking at the McCord Park Splash Area, so third time was the charm. 

To get to the Lakefront Trail, you’ll need to take the paved trail into the park, heading in a northeastern direction. I passed around a dog park area, and as I got further north, I was able to turn back towards the West which led me along the creek under Whit Road. Shortly after you pass under Whit Road, the paved trail will turn into gravel and you’ll be on the Lakefront trail.

From here the trail meanders around, and you’ll mainly see trees and shrubs along either side of the trail. Towards the end of the trail that I was able to ride on, there were some views of the lake through the trees on your left (heading out from McCord Park). Unfortunately when I went to the trail, it was flooded out so I wasn’t able to make it all the way to the end. So when I reached the flooded section I turned back around and headed back to McCord Park. If you do want to pick up some extra miles, you can take the paved trail further into McCord Park and beyond although both segments will terminate into residential areas.

It’s a nice trail if you live in the area, or want to get some miles on your gravel bike. The views here aren’t as nice as the Colony Shoreline or Tribute Shoreline Trails, but it’s a nice well maintained trail if you live in the area.