Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Hike
One of the most popular—if not the most popular—hikes in the region, this trail can sometimes feel
loved to death. Conditions are crowded on many weekends. Mountain bikers flock here. You'll have to
share the trail with them for most of the stretches, so be listening for wheels crunching behind you.
The hike starts off at Rockledge Park and winds over cliffside trails overlooking Lake Grapevine.
Avoid this trail after a heavy rain, when it's muddy and sometimes impassable as the lake overtakes its
banks. You're just a few miles north of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, so be ready for the
shadows of largebody planes to hover overhead through portions of this hike.
The area is also home to fossils, and some were found a few years ago when lake levels were very
low. Due to damage by vandals, the fossils were covered up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
which oversees this lake and its watershed, and their location is kept secret.
The trailhead is located by the parking lot. Enter the trail and head up a small hill to reach the
lakeshore. Follow the shoreline to reach a series of cliffs. The path then meanders away from the lake
slightly, still providing an occasional glimpse of water as it enters the forest. Bear right at the first two
forks you encounter. At the 1.0-mile mark, cross a small bridge and go right when the trail widens out
a bit. At 1.2 miles there's a scenic overlook before the trail heads into a grassy meadow. This is a good
place to turn back if you want to shorten your hike.
At 1.6 miles you will cross over a road and head into a picnic area. Pick up the trail as it heads back
into the woods. Veer left when the trail reaches another fork, following the paved road until it becomes
a dirt path. Keep left at the next two forks, following the trail as it becomes a paved road again.
At about 3.0 miles cross the road and follow the trail as it turns back into a dirt path, winding
through the forest until it reaches the MADD Picnic Shelter at Murrell Park, the turnaround point for
this hike.
