Pilot Knoll Trail

Agree with other reviewers... Very nice trails except for a bit of trash, some houses, and some road noise. But, overall quite nice. Not crowded during the week at least. I would describe it as very flat, but there are additional trails beyond what’s shown here so it’s great if you are looking for a long hike.

Nice trail. Lake on one side. Occasional houses on the other. Nice easy going. Wouldn’t do if it rained; it looks like it gets pretty mucky. Not many people on trail with us.

this trail is pretty nice. you can almost double the length if you do the additional section (not shown on this map, but marked at a trail map). Pros: fairly even most of the way, lots of trees and woods, fishing spots on hickory creek, nice little ups and downs, wide enough trail, lots of off trail meandering places. Cons: even after a light rain, trails get pretty muddy. black gumbo + red clay makes most of the trail messy esp after rain showers. loved sharing the trail with horses, but they muck up the trail pretty badly if it's wet. there's a good amount of trash along the way (big trash too, like rusted out metal pieces) which isn't as nice. about 1/3 of the trail is backing up to houses, which isn't my favorite, and a lot of city noises. still, overall, a nice trail for inside the city wandering!

A great length trail in the Denton area! Usually pretty quiet and shaded. The scenery is pretty consistent as woods for a while but the ends of the trail have beautiful views of the lake!

Nice and easy trail. Saw several others out enjoying the trail. Easy hiking/ walking paths.

beautiful for trail running. I was a dumb and went right after lunch on a Sunday, so there were tons of people. the only complaint I had were people smoking cigarettes on the trail which was unpleasant, and people taking up the whole trail when they see someone running towards them. but no complaints about the actual trail. really pretty, some nice quick hills, clearly marked.

Beautiful lake and view. Number of friendly horseback riders.

Nice easy hike!

Pilot Knoll / Hickory Creek is a really beautiful hike/bike path. If you like dragon flies you’ll love this trail. There are bunches! While most of the standard route is fairly stress-free to navigate, there are portions that will prove challenging. Steep uphill climbs, rocky terrain, and some spots with deep ruts from weathering, run-off and mountain bikes makes the roughly 6-mile in-and-out course less-than-routine. It’s no walk in the park. Add heat and humidity like today and it’s a good work-out and far from easy... A word of caution: the underpass was almost unnavigable - even a week or so after a rain event, the mud was so deep and so heavy it was almost impossible to get through. Take the path that leads up and over instead of crossing if you see mud...

Started out from the trailhead at Old Alton Road. There was only one little piece far in that was muddy, mostly easily walked around. However, the underpass was flooded and marked the end of my hike.

Best easy access "green tunnel" trail for running, hiking or in horse near Denton. No need to enter the park, there's free parking outside or early mornings. Major complaint: April 2017 the tunnel under the village parkway was flooded side to side so on horse or bike you might be okay but my run was not the 4-5 planned. A few nice little spurs down to the lake and hard to get lost!

Plenty of shade, clean trails and trail markings were easy enough to read.
We will definitely be coming back

very nice trail, marks is OK. easy to hike trail.

Trail a bit confusing. Nothing marked after P6, but still a nice walk.

Trail was nice but a little more overgrown than I expected. Will visit again for sure but with different gear next time.

This is a great trail!

The main trail here appears to be Hickory Creek as the route I took was called that hit matched the GPS record of others that are posted in this app.

That said, I will definitely go back here. The trail runs directly beside a bunch of farms with very inquisitive horses and one charming donkey. (Please don't feed them!)

I did 8 miles total on this system and the woman at the Pilot Knoll Park kiosk was both very friendly and extremely helpful.

I've added a few pics!

I enjoyed this hike, very few people after you get about 1/2 mile into it. I parked on the side of the street at Old Alton and did not see anyone after the first 1/2 mile until I made it to Village Parkway. I would say that about 95-97% of the trail was dry today, and the 3-5% of the trail had standing water and soggy area. Those areas were comfortable to walk around. I recommend it, little elevations overall easy Hike in my opinion.

Completed this out and back today. There is really quite a trail system built out in this area, but unfortunately the flooding of the past year has really turned much of the area into a less desirable area. You can see that the trail was under water for a long time, the high water lines on the trees tell the story.

The lakeside trail is still quick soggy in areas even though we have not had rain for a while. The trash is surprising. It is sad to think that there was that much floating around in the water to be deposited here.

The hike itself is nice easy path with just slight elevation gains and losses We departed from the parking lot located just outside the main park entrance. There is lots of parking there and you do not have to pay the park fee. The trail is well marked and easy to follow.

The first part of the hike is along the property line so you are walking along side the backyards of the neighbors. After about 8/10 the of a mile you are away from the houses for a while.

There were a number of other hikers out today, but it certainly was not crowded.

2 days after a hard rain, trail was passable but muddy in spots.

Hiked 2.0 miles couple of days after rain storms.

Excellent trail right outside of DFW. It's a well kept trail and moderately difficult. Nice views and well shaded for much of the trail. You can either park right outside the entrance to the park or there is a lot about 3/4 of a mile up the road from the park entrance that's a great place to park. You don't have to pay and enter the park to hike the trails, just park in one of the lots outside. I recommended boots or tennis shoes for this one due to a lot of loose dirt that gets into hiking sandals.

Hiked the trail today for a total of 5 miles, the weather wasn't too bad, it dropped down to the low 80's so it made for a great hike. Lots of sand across the trails but it's nice that there's lots of shade. I took my dog with me but we encountered horseback riders about 5 different times, so be sure your dog is okay with horses or just don't bring them at all.

Great trail for a quick get a way from DFW. Very sandy, but nicely shaded even on a bright sunny day. I started at the park entrance of pilot knoll and went to the bridge and back. Total trip was 8 miles.

Great trail for my young family. Just a nite that you don't actually go into the park (and don't have to pay the $10). Park near the gate house and the trail goes both left & right from there. We ran into a few riders but not so many that we were bothered.

My dog and I hiked the whole 9 miles, out and back. It was enjoyable-- pretty scenery, well maintained trails. It's mostly flat--there are a few tricky spots near Lake Lewisville. The old bridge is a neat feature. We only saw a few other people-- including 2 horseback riders (remember to always yield to horses). The cons? There are no bathrooms or water fountains here. Parking is limited.

I did a 9 mile hike, out and back from the Old Alton Bridge trailhead to just before Pilot Knoll Park, with some side wanderings. This is an easy hike, although the thick sand in places is tough, and you have to be vigilant for horse droppings. I met about 10 riders, and a handful of folks out walking. It was VERY hot (mid-August). I'd imagine this trail is better in the spring. Walking across the old bridge, twice, made it all worthwhile for me!

Love this trail! Lots of shade along the way and the wildflowers are blooming. The sign from the Old Alton Bridge side does says pets on leashes in response to one of the reviews I see here that say pets are not allowed. Glad I found this one. It's a nice change from paved trails near Denton.

This trail is a great choice for a "nature hike" for families or anyone who needs to get away from DFW for a few hours. I met 5 horseback riders and a dozen hikers in a leisurely four hour hike. (Note, no bikes, or pets allowed). The trail was well marked and there are several parking spots along the way if you want to vary the hike. The difficulty was easy with a few moderate climbs to make it more interesting. Nice views along Lake Lewisville and up Hickory Creek to the historic 1884 iron bridge. I plan to hike the other side toward Sycamore Bend next outing.

This is a great trail. Bikers are not allowed. There are views along the way of the lake as well. The trail was not crowded at all. We began the trail at the entrance of the Pilot Knoll Park; however, it only opened at 7am. This was summer hours, winter hours might be different. If anyone needs to start earlier, there is additional parking up the road without needing to enter the park.