By Nicolas Henderson

Staff Writer

@happenstance98

As the school year winds down and temperatures warm up, many students are looking for ways to take advantage of the nice weather and get outdoors (when it’s not flooding, of course). One way to enjoy the outdoors in Texas is to visit one of the state’s many state parks. It might be a bit of a drive to some of them, but it is worth it to get away from the busy everyday life of the city and enjoy nature.

Bonham State Park –

Nestled less than an hour and a half away from us to the northeast is the small town of Bonham. Bonham is the ending point of highway 121, and the home of Sam Rayburn, who was the longest running Speaker of the House in American history. It is also home to Bonham State Park. Located amongst rolling hills and an abundance of trees, this park is a great place to get away from the business of big city life and enjoy the serenity of the outdoors. You can do this by walking one of the parks trails, or fishing in the small state park lake. The park fee is $4.

Cedar Hill State Park 

The closest park to Dallas is Cedar Hill State Park. Located in, you guessed it, Cedar Hill, the park is nestled along the southeastern edge of Joe Pool Lake.  For a $7 fee, you can hike one of the park’s many trails that wind throughout Cedar Hill, try your luck fishing at the fishing jetty, take a tour of a historic farm, and much more. Though less than 30 minutes from downtown Dallas, the park is full of picturesque hills, and during bluebonnet season it is a photographers dream.

Cleburne State Park 

Want to get a little further away from the city? No problem! Head just a little over an hour south and you will find yourself in Cleburne, Texas, home of Cleburne State Park. Cleburne is at the very northernmost edge of the Texas Hill Country, so the park has some nice views. For $5 a day, you have access to the parks numerous trails, many of which offer great views of the Nolan River valley, which runs below Cedar Lake. Cedar Lake is located entirely within the park, and offers bank fishing as well as boating.

Dinosaur Valley State Park 

This one is likely to be more familiar. Remember those dinosaur tracks you visited as a kid? Did you go to the Fossil Rim, the wildlife center afterwards? If so, you have probably been here before. Located in Glen Rose, Texas, the park is full of hiking trails, swimming spots, fishing spots, and more. Like Cleburne, this park is located at the northernmost edge of the Texas Hill Country, so the park is full of beautiful limestone bluffs that wind along the Paluxy River. Before you go you have to check out the famous dinosaur tracks in the Paxuly riverbed, of course. After a fun day at the park you could head over to downtown Glen Rose and grab a bite to eat (I recommend the Bottle Cap Cafe – great homestyle meals, and it is located inside of a former Coca-Cola bottling building.) The park fee is $7.

Eisenhower State Park 

Want a true lake getaway? This may be the park for you. Located along Lake Texoma in the town of Denison, this park offers hiking, fishing, camping, and much more. Texoma and it’s striped bass is an angler’s paradise, the beautiful cliffs that line the southern shore of the lake make for some great photo opportunities, and the lake is so big that you could spend multiple days finding things to do along it. The park fee is $5.

Lake Ray Roberts State Park 

The second closest state park to the metroplex is Lake Ray Roberts state park. No more than thirty minutes from Coppell, the park consists of two sections, the Isle du Bois unit, located in Pilot Point, and the Johnson Branch unit, located in Valley View. Both of these park units offer fishing, camping, hiking, and more. The park fee is $7.