Balcones Trail

Review: A relatively new trail in Cedar Hill, the Balcones Trail is a 4 mile paved path that connects several of Cedar Hill’s premiere nature locations. Starting north of Cedar Hill State Park, the Balcones Trail passes by Cedar Ridge Preserve and the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, before it dead ends south of there. The trail has two rather interesting structures that make for great photo ops.

Distance: 4 miles of paved trail

Area of Town: Cedar Hill, just east of Joe Pool Lake

Facilities: Not much. There is water and air available at the installation by Cedar Mountain Preserve, and there is a little bit of shade underneath the observation area. No bathrooms except for Dogwood Canyon or Cedar Hill State Park, so plan accordingly.

Suitable for: Road Biking, Running, Walking

Type of Trail: Paved Trail

Shade: Very little shade. The only shaded spot I saw was underneath the observation tower.

Where to Park:  There isn’t an official parking lot for Balcones Trail, so I would park at Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center.

Official Site: Cedar Hill Trails Site (I couldn’t find anything else)

Nearby Trails: Cedar Ridge Preserve, Dogwood Canyon, Cedar Hill State Park

(Photo taken from a sign, I couldn’t find anything better)

Cedar Hill is known for their spectacular natural trails across multiple areas, from the Cedar Hill State Park to the Audubon managed Cedar Nature Preserve, to the Open Spaces managed Cedar Mountain Preserve, the spectacular Big Cedar Wilderness Area managed by DORBA, or the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center. The Balcones Trail is the latest addition to the area, but it’s different in one key way, it’s paved.

The four mile paved Balcones Trail links three of the above (Cedar Hills State Park, Cedar Mountain Preserve, and Dogwood Canyon), via a concrete pathway that follows Beltline Road. This trail is fully exposed to the sun, and while you will see nature off one side of the path (away from the road), you’ll also hear and smell the vehicles passing by on the eastern side.

I went on a hot July morning, and there was no relief from the sun. I’m glad I brought water, and glad that I started early. I wasn’t able to find any good info on parking, so I first tried to park at Cedar Hills State Park. There is some parking, but it’s after the Ranger Station, so parking here either requires payment or a Texas State Parks annual pass. I don’t recommend parking here, it’s a bit of a walk back to Beltline and there is no sidewalk. I would recommend parking at Dogwood Canyon’s parking area, which is open even when the center is closed. There is also a restroom here, which is open to the public. You could I guess also use the restroom at the ranger station at Cedar Hill State Park, but again it’s a bit of a walk back to it from the Balcones Trail

There were quite a few people enjoying the trail when I was there, mainly walkers and runners, with one guy riding on his e-bike. Like I said, there is some nature to see on the western side of the trail, I saw quite a few wildflowers that were still in bloom even this late in the season. The trail also has several trail markers. Distance is measured periodically, but more interesting are some informational signs that talk about the parks you are near. See below for a few examples of the signs, and the beautiful sunflowers I saw.

Most of the trail is rather flat and straight, however there are two interesting structures along the trail. They look like modern art installations! The first one I encountered was just north of Dogwood Canyon. This structure had both water and air (for bikes) available, these interesting silver posts to lock your bike to, as well as some seating. No shade. If you look west of the structure, you’ll see a path that leads up into the wooded hills. This is how you access Cedar Mountain Preserve. It’s really an interesting structure, and a great spot to take some interesting photos. There is no shade here.

The second structure is just north of Cedar Hill State Park, and is a raised path to an observation area. From here you can see Joe Pool Lake. The architecture of this structure is very similar to the one close to Dogwood Canyon, and is also beautiful. There are some areas to sit at the uppermost part of the observation ‘tower’. Again, there is no shade to be found here, except for one little area beneath the raised walkway. You’ll also find bike posts here as well.

And that’s about it. If you do go visit, remember to bring water and a hat, especially if you go in the summer. The main attractions for this trail are the installations that were built out, and proximity to a few of the trails in the area. Keep in mind, the trails in Cedar Hill State Park are not anywhere close to the entrance to the State Park off of Beltline. Otherwise you can bike the eight miles out and back, perhaps exploring the state park roads for extra mileage, or just explore on foot using both the paved and dirt trails available at Dogwood Canyon or Cedar Mountain Preserve.