Crystal Canyon Natural Area

Review: Crystal Canyon Natural Area is a short but pretty trail. If you live nearby, it’s worth a visit, or if you are going somewhere else and this is on the way, good to pop in. Due to the short trail though, it’s not a place I’d go out of my way to visit.

Distance: A .4 mile loop trail

Area of Town: Arlington, near River Legacy

Facilities: No bathrooms, but there are several benches along the trail

Suitable for: Hiking

Type of Trail: Natural Trails

Shade: Mix of shade and canopy depending on time of day

Where to Park:  There is a very small parking area (maybe 8 or 9 slots). Keep an eye out for it, it’s a blink and you’ll miss it entrance.

Official Site: Crystal Canyon Natural Area

Nearby Trails: River Legacy Park, Village Creek Drying Beds

I was playing around in AllTrails looking for trails that I’ve not heard of before, and saw Crystal Canyon Natural Area. The name intrigued me, and there wasn’t much information available online. From what I saw, the trail was very short (.4 miles) but pretty, and a few articles talked about natural trails and I also found this one. Since I was already going out to Fort Worth to check out another place, I stopped here on the way home.

The park is just south of River Legacy Park, and at the bottom of a fairly steep hill. In fact I almost missed the turn-in, to a very small parking lot. It holds about 8-9 cars. Based on a few reviews it gets busy on the weekends, so be aware.

The park contains a .4 mile loop trail, which is composed of mainly gravel and stone. You’ll find a few bridges and benches scattered along the trail. As I set out, I heard a lot of road noise, but the further in I got, that road noise fell away to be replaced by birdsong.

You’ll also find quite a few signs throughout the trail, talking about the flora, poison ivy, creating ecologically appropriate trails, and other topics. They did a great job on those!

The name of the park is from the geological formations in the area, and the ‘crystal’ like rocks and other formations found in the area. I’ll be honest, I found it a bit confusing. The two articles I referenced above talk about the nature trails you can take through the preserve, but the map I included above tells visitors to stay on the path. I did see two nature trails that veered off the trail, one led to a dead end, the other took me to a dry creek bed. I didn’t explore too much, the park felt so isolated and nobody was around, and the culture map author said they encountered homeless in the park. Also, neither of these trails seemed like they led anywhere, definitely not the kind of trails the runners would use, as the other article talks about.

As it was, the loop was a nice .4 mile path with informational signs that give some great information, but it’s not anything I’d recommend you making a special trip for. If you are in the area and want to check it out, it’s worth a visit. Maybe you’ll have better luck finding other places to explore?

Have you been here? Did I miss where the trails were, and need to make a return trip? Let me know in the comments, as my experience didn’t match the other two articles’ authors experience.