Lewisville, Texas, offers plenty of opportunities for hiking and biking. With pleasant temperatures almost year-round, there are few excuses for not getting out and enjoying the area. From short paved trails that are easy to traverse to tricky routes designed for mountain biking, there’s a little of everything in this part of Texas.
A-Train Rail Trail
The A-Train Rail Trail is a 19-mile trail that runs alongside the DCTA’s A-train rail. It connects to all five stations on the line, passing:
- Downtown Denton Transit Center.
- MedPark Station.
- Highland Village/Lewisville Lake Station.
- Old Town Station.
- Hebron Station.
This trail is available to both bikers and hikers. The concrete surface makes it easy to traverse. There are benches and trash cans located in rest areas along the trail. The trail was constructed in three phases, the first of which was completed in 2011. The final phase of construction was completed in December 2019.
Along the trail, you’ll find several destinations worth stopping at. It passes many of Lewisville’s highlights including the Toyota Railroad Park and Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area. The Lewisville Lake Park and Old Town Lewisville shops are each about half a mile from the trail, so you can access these points of interest with just a short jaunt off the trail. If you get tired of walking, you can easily hop on the A-train at any of the stations listed above to ride along portions of the trail as well.
Central Park Trail
Lewisville’s Central Park is a popular destination for families. It features a playground, band shell, public restrooms, and three picnic pavilions. If you’re looking for an easy trail to enjoy with younger children, the loop around this park is a great choice. It’s 1.33 miles in length and easy to enjoy on foot or on a bike. Consider adding a short hike here to a day at the playground or an afternoon picnic, so you can stretch your legs and explore a bit.
Lake Park Trail
Lake Park is a beautiful destination for summer fun in the Lewisville area. The Lewisville Lake Trail is a 3.3-mile-out-and-back trail with a 95-foot-elevation gain along the lake. It’s easy to walk and appropriate for hiking or jogging. Entry to Lake Park is $10 for a day pass.
Inside the park, you’ll find an abundance of amenities and activities to help you fill the day. In addition to the hiking trail, you can also enjoy the swimming beach, boat ramps, fishing barge, marina, golf course, disc golf course, and athletic facilities. RV camping is available in the park as well.
LLELA Trails
The Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) features six trails, many of which intersect, so you can enjoy multiple trails on a single outing and try out a different path on each adventure. The trails available in LLELA include:
- Bittern Marsh: This 2.1-mile trail passes through a bottomland hardwood forest and reaches two viewing blinds strategically placed along the marsh. These are ideal for birdwatching and wildlife spotting. The trail features several boardwalks over the marshy terrain. This is a looped trail that brings you back around to the entry point.
- Redbud: The Redbud Trail meanders along 1.4 miles and includes two loops, as well as a short out-and-back stint at either end. This trail also winds around the Redbud Campground and passes the Group Campground, so you could easily walk around portions of it multiple times. The Redbud Trail offers plenty of prairie views as well as some views of the river. You’ll find parking and restrooms at both ends of the trail.
- Cicada: The Cicada Trail is a short 0.3-mile jaunt one way that you can double if you’d like to use it as an out-and-back walk. This trail follows a channel of the Elm Fork, but is often dry due to the Lewisville Dam construction. It connects to the Cottonwood Trail at two points, so you can easily join this hike to a longer exploration of the adjacent paths.
- Cottonwood: Covering 1.3 miles, the cottonwood trail passes the Beaver Pond, 1870s Minor-Porter Log House, and prairie restorations. It also includes wooded stretches. This trail is a large loop, with two smaller loops along the way, and two picnic areas to enjoy. It connects to the Cicada Trail and Green Dragon Trail.
- Green Dragon: Covering just 0.25 miles, the Green Dragon Trail serves primarily as a connector between the Cottonwood Trail and Beaver Pond parking lot.
- Blackjack: The 1.5 miles of this trail pass through a cross-timbers forest and prairie glades. It connects to two parking lots. Though it’s designed as an out-and-back trail, there’s a short connecting spur that offers a shortcut back to one of the lots if you prefer a shorter walk.
For more entertainment, you can geocache in the park as you’re enjoying the trails as well. The LLEA gatehouse has two GPS receivers that you can check out to help you find the hidden letter tags in the park. There are 13 geocaches to find throughout the park using the provided coordinates.
North Shore Trail
The North Shore Trail covers nearly 10 miles between Rockledge Park and Twin Coves Park. Both have entrance fees, but you can park outside the gate at Twin Coves Park to access the trail for free. You can also find trailheads at MADD Shelter and Murrell Park. The terrain offers a moderate difficulty level for hiking or biking, with a few tricky areas along steep ledges.
Originally designed as a motocross trail, this route is most popular for mountain biking, though you can trek along it on foot as long as you’re mindful of bikers. The trail may close if there’s heavy rain as it can get very muddy.
Did we include all your favorite hiking and biking trails in the area? If we missed one, contact our team at Huffines CJDR Lewisville and let us know so we can update our listings. If you’re in need of a new vehicle to help you tote your bikes to these trails, we can help you get the perfect ride for all your adventures!
Image via Flickr by Roadgeek Adam