Escarpment/Fossil Valley/Cedar Brake Trails is a 3.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Duncanville, Texas that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
kid friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
forest
lake
views
waterfall
wild flowers
wildlife
old growth
rocky
Has walking, running, and mountain biking (including downhill) from beginner to advanced. Trail steward is constantly maintaining and expanding the area. Rain makes most of the lower trails a muddy mess...also want to check the DORBA site before heading out, as certain days are always closed and rain typically shuts down all trails for a few days afterward.
Great starter trial if you want to explore taking it up as an add in or trail running!
don't miss this one. great hike.
Heavily traveled trails. Lots of people blasting music.
Having said that, it’s nice hiking with elevation gains and losses throughout. It’s the hilliest part of the DFW metroplex.
Nice trails, but heavy traffic.
Very nice scenery! Kids loved it!!!
Hard, steep (had to carry bike a few times) & poisonous snake habitat.
Good trail in Dallas. Not too difficult and heavily trafficked.
I echo much of what has been said. My biggest concern was that many of the dogs I saw were overheated and not doing well. Too many people didn’t have enough water for themselves or their pets. Dogs don’t sweat under their fur so they can’t cool down like humans. If your taking your dog pay attention to their needs and be prepared to help cool them off.
I came at 6:45am on a 60 degree Saturday morning and hiked the Cattail Pond/Fossil Valley/Cedar Brake trails, & tho it was totally packed at 9am when I left, there weren't many people at all on the trails for most of my hike. Really lovely scenery and trails - nothing compared to, like, the Wichita Mountains, but for so close to Dallas it's great, I'll be back a lot. Cattail Pond is a terrific place to be just after sunrise :-)
A complex of trails that are by far the best in the DFW area, in my opinion. Not much solitude, unless you can come on a non-holiday weekday, but the nature and climbs are awesome!
Surprising ups and downs for an urban hike. Despite the amount of cars in parking lot, the trail was not crowded thanks to the numerous options!
Jan 2, 2016- this was a fun hike that had many stops along the way to catch your breath!
Probably the best trail system in DFW, definately the most natural. if only the traffic noise wasn't there to remind you where you're at. Some of the steepest hikes up and down in DFW, this trail will get you in shape fast. Very nice, it's like leaving DFW and going straight into the hill country. Some nice vistas along the way, beautiful trees.
I’ve only done the Fossil Valley portion. It’s gorgeous but has some steep ups and downs.
Moderate trail with some hills.
As described here, this is actually the combination of several trails including Cattail Pond, Fossil Valley, Cedar Brake and Possumhew. Bottom line is that this is one of the very best places to hike in DFW. Bikes aren't allowed here, so there no need to worry about being run over. You will see lots of dogs on the trail, especially the Cattail Pond section. If you bring your dog, keep them on leash.
Before or after your hike (during spring or summer), check out the red plants to the right of the restrooms and you'll hopefully see some hummingbirds.
Nice trail. I would not rate this as hard though- Maybe moderate at the most. It was pretty busy but I did go on a Sunday morning. The trail was well marked and easy to follow. I’ll be going again!
A majority of this loop is in the shade and is a good mix of elevation changes. So far, this is my favorite trail in DFW.
I started coming here for the past few weekends and this is by far one of the best hiking trails in North Texas. The park is very pet friendly and most folks pick up after there dogs.. The trails are for the most part very well maintained.
The best time to see the wildlife is before 9am because after that the park gets pretty busy.
see y’all out there :)
I love this trail!! Felt safe - upkeep was awesome
Add difficulty by going in the following order: (1) Escarpment, (2)Fossil Valley, and (3) Cedar Brake. You'll get an excellent hill workout.
It's a good place to get a workout but there's just too many people, and rude people at that!
9-11 am hot hike, clean trails, moderate amount of people, good time! Signs easily mark trails. :)
My husband and I went there today for the first time. I know it is labeled as hard but I thought it was more like extreme, well at least for me. I'm still a begginer. Super fun, challenging and beautiful. I highly recommend.
It was poorly maintained, but I have to admit it was awesome and challenging. The signs need some work
What the absolute F?!? Poorly maintained meaning vegetation in your face everywhere and in some cases you cannot find a trail very poorly marked you will need a Compass or a GPS. You can go to the church which is where the directions will take you and you are allowed to park at the church as long as you Leave by dusk.
Nice trail, good length. I'm not really sure about it being difficult though. I think kids could do the main loop no problem. The address listed on here took me to a church, not the trailhead, so make sure you look up the address elsewhere. Also, it has the full length of all the trails listed, but most of them are closed down due to neglect.
I love a challenge and appreciated the rugged terrain changes for hiking. However, we had no idea where we were. It was poorly marked with no appreciable trail map available at the trails or online. It was extremely confusing. Any suggestions for a trail map would be appreciated.