Cedar Ridge Preserve
Trails: Various
Last Hiked May 8, 2022
Trail Type: Hiking
Distance We Hiked: 5.84 miles
Amount of Time it Took Us: 2 hrs. 14 min.
Our Elevation Gain: 746 ft.
Park Rating: none
Mike & Elaine’s Rating: easy to moderate
Our Notes:
Cedar Ridge Preserve sits on 600 acres of natural habitat. It has about 9 miles of trails where you get to see native trees, grasses, wildflowers, and butterfly gardens. Its elevation is 755 feet, so you get to experience some great views of the surrounding areas. There is a picnic area and restroom facility at the trailhead.
We ventured out on Mother’s Day, and it was hot! We made sure to have our water backpacks filled and took a few snacks. We decided to start our hike on the Cedar Brake Trail, which is the longest trail in the Preserve at 1.9 miles. It winds through cedar trees and over a few streams and bridges. The abundance of cedar trees all crisscrossing through each other is pretty cool. There are some places where the trail has steps up an incline, but the views are worth the effort.
The Cedar Brake Trail connects to the Cattail Pond Trail, which if you go the entire way is 1 mile. We only took it for a short distance to hook up to the Fossil Valley Trail, which is .9 miles. This trail eventually opens up a bit and leads to a pond area with a nice covered deck area where you can sit, relax and enjoy the scenery. There is a trail off of Fossil Valley called the Trout Lily Trail (only .25 miles), but this section of trail was closed due to “angry bees.” We found that amusing.
After making our way through Fossil Valley, we connected to the Escarpment Trail (.75 miles) and onto the Bluebonnet Trail (.9 miles). Along this section of trail there is a pretty cool structure you can climb to get some more great views on a beautiful day. We exited this trail back to the Education Center area where we started our hike.
There were several other trails we didn’t hit on this particular day. One to note is the Possumhaw Trail (.55 miles), which is an easy trail and one that is marked for you to learn more about the vegetation that grows in the area. Be sure to download and take the Field Guide with you to learn about each stop along the way.
Overall, we enjoyed this hike. The Preserve is beautiful and provides a variety of natural things to see and enjoy. Trails are well-marked and facilities are clean. We recommend a visit!
Links to the preserve and trails below:
https://audubondallas.org/cedar-ridge-preserve/#General
https://audubondallas.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/TRAILS.jpg
https://audubondallas.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Trail_Guide-1.pdf