Cedar Hill State Park Campground, near Dallas, Texas, is a spacious and inviting spot for campers looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. With a mix of tent sites, RV accommodations, and cabins, it caters to a variety of camping styles, making it a popular choice for families and friends alike.

The campground boasts essential amenities like drinking water, electric hookups, and clean restrooms, which visitors appreciate after a day of outdoor activities. Many campers have enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, with one noting, “It was very quiet,” making it a great place to unwind. The park also features beautiful water views and over 10 miles of hiking trails, perfect for those who love to explore nature.

For those who enjoy fishing or just relaxing by the water, the primitive sites offer a lovely lakeside experience. Campers have shared their delight in catching sunsets from their sites, with one remarking on the “pretty sunset right on the water.” Plus, with nearby shopping and dining options just a short drive away, you can easily stock up on supplies or grab a meal after a day of adventure. Cedar Hill State Park Campground is a solid choice for anyone looking to enjoy the great outdoors without straying too far from the conveniences of the city.

Relax by the lake, tour an old Texas farm, or explore our rugged limestone hills and rare prairie pockets. Though we’re just a short drive from the DFW Metroplex, it feels like you’re a world away from the city.

Visit Cedar Hill State Park for the day or weekend. Bring your family to hike, bike, picnic, camp, geocache and nature watch. The park sits on the shore of Joe Pool Lake, so you can also swim, fish, and boat or paddle.

Camp at one of 350 developed campsites, all near restrooms with hot showers. All sites have water and electricity; 150 have sewer hookups, too. Several sites are ADA-accessible. Or hike to a primitive campsite, if trails are open.

Primitive Campsites (Hike-in) People per Site: 4 Number of Sites: 30
Campfires are not permitted in the area. Trail continues about 2.25 miles.
Chemical toilets
Non-reservable

Cedar Hill State Park Campground

Looking for the best campgrounds near Cedar Hill, TX? Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Cedar Hill, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Texas camping adventure.

Cedar Hill

The Best Camping Near Cedar Hill, Texas

Cedar Hill State Park, Cedar Hill, TX
Site# 42

Cedar Hill State Park is only 10 miles southwest of Dallas, but its topography will remind you of the Texas Hill Country. The park is situated on the shores of Joe Pool Lake and it features 30 primitive hike-in camp sites, over 300 wooded modern sites, and more than 1,200 acres of mountain bike terrain. The park also offers multiple boat ramps, kayak rentals, and a swimming beach.

Swimming hole close to Dallas

Have stayed here several times in our motorhome. Great place. 

Excellent Place

They are still cleaning this park due to damage from floods. Call ahead to see which trails are open

Flood

With this park being so close to home, it tends to be one we frequent most often.  With plenty of campsites as well as day use areas, it's good for the kids almost year round. It is also good for the newbie campers as it is only 15 minutes down the road from stores in case you find yourself missing some supplies.  

Our hometown haunt

This park has a very popular mountain biking trail - well worth the stop.

Great spot for Mountain Biking

Cedar Hill packs a multitude of sites into a small space, so the best bet is to hike your gear into the primitive area for the night. Two primitive areas are offered and can sometimes be overgrown, so be prepared. Outside of those areas, there's not much trail space offered, so this park is better used for daytrips and fishing/swimming zones.

Cedar Hill Primitive

We visited Cedar Hill State Park in October, 2016 in a 33ft travel trailer. Overall the park is big, but at the time about half the park was closed due to the flooding in October 2015\. The site was okay, but it's 1st come, 1st serve. This makes it harder to find a good site that is large enough for some RV/s / travel trailers. Although it's close to home, we probably will not visit this park again until it has been cleaned up and the lake access is re-opened.

Probably WAS a nice park . . .

Campsites are modern and very well shaded. They offer water access, electricity, are near facilities, have tables and fire pits. Many of the sites overlook the lake or have easy access to the lake. The area is unique because it is within minutes from Dallas but offers the quiet and solitude that an area farther away from a major city would provide. The trails in this area are fantastic, great for mountain biking, trail running, hiking with small children, etc… It does get relatively dry and hot during the summer, and despite the abundance of trees the trails remain relatively exposed to the sun. There are swimming areas available. If you forget something you have easy and relatively quick access to shopping.

This was our first camping trip as a family, we have learned a lot about camping since staying at this park a few years ago. We do regularly visit but don't camp here often.

Modern and quiet

Cedar Hill is perfect for a day trip if you’re living in the DFW metroplex. It offers camping, swimming, hiking, biking and the historic Penn Farm. Cedar Hill suffered a lot of damage during the 2015 floods but has rebounded nicely and is a nice place to get away from it all. Warning: not all campsites are created equal and it would be well worth your time to get there as early as possible to get a nice spot. In the summer people are in line waiting when the office opens at 6 AM to claim their spot. There is a lot of wildlife including bunnies, road runners, snakes and deer. There’s great wildflowers here during the spring. It also offers a boat ramp to Joe Pool Lake. If you’re going to swim the bottom of the lake is muddy. Fishing here is really good as well. 

Great metroplex destination

Their website shows very nice spots, but that was not the case at all. Our 5th wheel is 34 ft and the first spot we were assigned was not large enough for the camper. All the spots are small, and there was a major ant problem. Website advertises wifi, but there is only wifi at the office, not in the camping spots. We reserved for 10 days, but only stayed one. The park is on a beautiful lake.

Very disappointing

Coming here was so relaxing!! The lake was my favorite part! There are some great options for activities for the whole family. We enjoyed swimming, hiking, biking, and playing games on the grass area. One great trail is the DORBA Trail- this is a great biking trail!! So glad we brought out mountain bikes. Our dogs loved the lake- great place to cool off. The campground was also nice! Big spaces so you didn’t feel like you were right next to your neighbor. Enjoyed roasting marshmellows at night. There is a great burger joint down the road, also! Great burgers and shakes :). Highly recommend!!

Great activities!

cedar hill was always my favorite park to camp. however flooding and other issues have reduced the number of cool, on the water or sites with a nice view to practically zero. still its close to dallas, has activities for kids and helpful staff.

hopefully itll return

Fire ants and chiggers all over! But the lake was nice.

Ants! 

Wish it was open

This great park offers ~400 campsites along Lake Joe Pool. Lots of upgrades taking place in the park but worth checking out. Bathroom and shower facilities are available throughout the park. Shopping is within minutes drive from park. This is a favorite park of ours!

Large state park and well maintained

Nice lake but there were fire ants and chiggers all over our campsite!

I've been camping here plenty of times as a kid growing up in Cedar Hill, TX. My family and I would camp in the spring, early/late summer, and fall months. Plenty of sites have a campfire grill and picnic table along with electrical outlets. Good camping sites for "glampers" who have to have Internet access and electronic use. Finding/reserving a campsite is super easy at the welcome center where you pay an entrance fee to the park. Plenty of lake to share with other people at this state park. My brother would go fishing at the smaller ponds here. At some campsites, you can here the traffic passing by on FM 1382, but if you can sleep through that noise, you'll be fine. Plenty of hiking/biking trails as well. Great to bring pets. Bathrooms are available as well near many of the campgrounds.

family fun

This is a nice State Park. I’ve probably stayed here close to 2 dozen times.  The whole park is finally open again after flooding a few years ago. Friendly staff, several trails, spaced out sites for the most part, great swim beach, beautiful views. The biggest negative for me is the noise. You can hear traffic noise from just about every site I’ve stayed at. It isn’t enough to keep me from coming back though. Great park.

Stayed here many times 

It’s okay but it’s too pricey for how small it is. Good representation of Texas wildlife and a good spot for family camping. Lots of traffic and places for rvs and such. Good trail system

It’s okay

Had a great time at this park. The site was perfect and level. Grill and covered picnic table. Excellent for hiking and boating. You can’t go wrong with Cedar Hill State Park.

Big and Beautiful 

I stayed in rv campsite 270 on a peninsula and a nice view of the water's edge. The roads in this park are absolutely terrible. The winds were high (over 20 mile and hour wind gusts). And it rained a lot. 

  

I stayed during the week. Not a single other site was taken within 300 yards. Because of the recent rains, most of the trails were off limits. And they have a pretty bad argentinian ant problem this Fall. So, I didn't get to go hiking any. But, I bought some ant killer and sprinkled it around the perimeter of my pad and no ants in the RV! 

  

Overall, it's nice. Well kept. And I was pretty much alone here for my entire 3 day stay.

Quiet. Nice. 

We just love Cedar Hill SP. Awesome trails for hiking.

Very Cool SP

We stayed at two camp sites the 3 days I was there. Close to home and a lot of things to do in the area and at the park.

Park was nice and clean and quiet at night very peaceful. Bathrooms were decent. 

Other than that was a nice park. Best time to visit is in the spring or fall for sure. It was a million degrees when we went so we spent most of the day n the water. 

Beautiful park

So we took out our new travel trailer out for its first quick trip. We made this one a short trip, and it was nice but here are a few things to know about the park. They don’t have a camp store for any of the odds and ends that you might have forgotten, so make sure you double check your lists before you leave home. They’ve got a firewood locker, but it’s by the headquarters at the front of the park. The site we stayed in (108 in loop H) would’ve been a lot better if you had a bunch of people you know camping together. It kind of circled around this communal feeling opening in the loop. We were able to fit our 32’ trailer with my f150 super crew next it to, kinda tightly. The weather was cool with the wind coming off the lake, so we broke out the solo stove!

First trip with the new travel trail

Pros: roomy spot for the camper, level, no issue with water or electric. We stayed in spot I-45 &amp; it was close to the restroom &amp; showers, which were clean &amp; water was hot.  The duck pond trail was nice, but I wasn’t impressed with the scenic overlook. Cons: The trail from our site to the water (200 ft) wasn’t cleared very well. High weeds &amp; brush. The area near the water wasn’t a very good spot for fishing bc of the thick mud. Impossible to swim from our site. 

Nice place to stay

Great State park right off a main road close to Downtown Dallas (15 minutes to the North). Great clean sites that are on smooth roads. Make sure to check out the mountain biking if that’s your thing! 

Great place central to Dallas

We stayed here on the last night of a two-week journey visiting national parks in the West. This just happened to be on our route back home to Louisiana and looked like a pleasant place for us to spend one night. 

We arrived at the campground around 8:00 on a Friday night and had to wait in line to enter the park. The park ranger was very friendly and thorough (albeit slow giving directions for road-weary travelers such as us). We found site 123 in the H Loop easily (sites are clearly marked) and set up camp. We were impressed with the spacing and privacy of the sites. We had a slight peekaboo view of the lake and a beautiful sunset from the trailer. It took us a while to get our trailer leveled as the site was on a pretty big slant (four inches off left to right and eight inches front to back); however, the pad was concrete and quite wide. 

A bathhouse and dumpster were nearby, which was a nice convenience. Hookups were in good condition as well. There was a small back yard with a covered picnic table, fire ring, and lantern post which we thought would be nice if we would have been here longer. This little area was very private from the road and a neighboring site. We would definitely stay here again when our travels take us this way in the future. 

One Night Stay

This trip to Cedar Hill State Park was for a homeschooling adventure, so we did not get a chance to do any camping. We took our co-op class here so we could show the kids some old houses and farming equipment they have at the park.

We went in December of 2019 so there were no leaves on the trees which made the park look kind of empty of nature. They had also recently done a controlled burn which also caused the park to look blackened and crispy. From this particular visit, I can't say that this park is somewhere I would recommend for trees or the view. It's possible that spring is a better time to visit this park, but I don't know personally. 

Also, it is very close to the city so it isn't the quietest of parks either and light pollution probably doesn't allow for very dark nights or star viewing.

Overall I think the park is great for day trips with homeschools, but I probably wouldn't plan a trip to camp overnight.

Nice park for a homeschool day trip or hike

Nice park, but large portions were shut down for renovation in 2020, including the swimming beach. There were nice camp sites with full hookups. Lots of trails to hike. They even have an old farm to tour. Plenty of fishing spots. 

Under renovations

St Patrick’s Day 2018 we head out to Cedar Hill State Park on the banks of Joe Pool Lake. Cedar Hill State Park is one big Texas State Park! With over 300 campsites you are sure to find one to your liking! A visit to the historical Penn Farm, heavy spring rains and lots of paved roads for scooting make this visit to Cedar Hill State Park a truly unique Texas State Park Visit for the Dude RV crew!

There are 5 camping loops in this park! If you are wanting a lakeside campsite there are many options. The 3 loops on the north end of the park are close to the very busy road so there is road noise all the time.

The Penn FArm exhibit is very cool for the whole family and is ADA compliant but a bit on the rough side for handicap scooters. 

The day use area was in need of some work on my visit but I think the day use area has since been rebuilt.

You can see the several videos of my visit on my YouTube...DudeRV

One of my least favorite Texas State Parks To DAte

We stayed here seven days, we could not hike because of all the rain, The trails were closed￼ , the mud over here really sticks to your shoes so it’s not a good idea or fun at all to hike, so we did the few little areas including roads , nice rock paths that were not muddy. We had a good location big and private, we enjoyed it.

Big park, Great location.

We had a great time. It was really busy but that’s okay, we still enjoyed it. 

No complaints 

Although a small park, the design is thoughtful and you don't feel like you are so close to the huge DFW area.  The sites are tight (we have a 30' rig) but I did see a large 5er do some tricks to get into his spot, but he got 'er in there.  Because the sites are so compact, the covered table, fire ring, and nice flat tent area is behind the RV pad.  See the picture posted.  It is an interesting layout, but it does work.  Quite a few of the lake-side spots are closed, looks like previous flood damage.  Lake level was good.  Fairly clean and nice.  But ongoing improvements are being made.  I would stay there again.

Nice rural feeling near large DFW metroplex - June 2020

The park is designed with small loops for 15-20 camp sites in each loop.  Very little traffic right by the individual spots.  Easy in and out of park. 

Very nice park, near the city

Not as quiet and a bit more busy than most Texas state parks we frequent but the kids really enjoyed watching the planes and the skyline views at night.  Cant beat full hookup either.

There are plenty of city comforts 10 minutes away.  We stopped in the area mostly to disc golf and hang out at the campsite so didn't try any local places eat.  At the park there is a nice variety of trails and lake access as well but there were lots of renovations going on so some of the areas were closed.  

It was a great place to stop after dealing with the Dallas traffic heading south and will stay again.

Nice urban views 

Cell data good on Cricket &amp; Visible. Nice park with smallish loops. Some sites are really small so do your homework. Friendly &amp; helpful staff. Full hookup worked like a champ, minor leveling adjustments. When we spent 3 nights here we could see the planes more than hearing them, but possibly we were on inbound side of DFW due to current winds.  We would repeat if on our route. 

Pretty descent, fairly quiet considering proximity to Dallas & DFW

We reserved a spot that evening and had wonderful views of the lake around sunset. The staff were kind, facilities were very clean, and the lot was spacious! My only complaint (as others have said) is that the trails were closed, especially because it didn’t seem muddy or wet. Regardless, we explored the campground for a bit and I believe there is a nature preserve adjacent to the campground with trails, if the state parks trails are closed.

A lovely place to stay!

Large park with a variety of campsites. Shaded areas available. Very clean. 

Nice campground 

Not the redwoods, but a pleasant forest anyway.  Lake is nearby, and fishing permits in Tx are cheap and easy to grab online.  Fairly quiet, but the sites themselves are private a shaded for the most part.  The highway is close by, so you hear cars a little bit but you'll never see them.  

Private Campsites, Sufficient Ammenities

Last there in Dec 2019 and the area was very barren. The hiking trails were very nice though and had a lot of variation. They were being used mainly as mountain bike trails but were still plenty fun for hiking and taking in the rest of the views. 

  

Would recommend some sort of heater or extra layers for winter camping but wasn't terrible. 

  

Lost pictures on my old phone.

Growing back

This park is just outside the DFW area which makes it a great alternative to staying in an expensive hotel. It’s only about 30 minutes to downtown Dallas but it still feels like you’re way out in nature. I stayed at site #77 in the Shady Ridge area. It was an RV site but there was plenty of room for a tent. Plus, you have water right at your site. There are hiking and biking trails, swimming and fishing. There was a little bit of road noise from the nearby highway but it wasn’t too bad. 

Close to DFW

A great park near our home and just right for our first trip out in our new RV. Some road noise from the highway but beautiful nature all around￼. All the campers we met were friendly. Lots of hills for good walks. Unfortunately the trails were closed because of rain. There is a big variety in campground areas￼￼￼, but most are set into the hills. 

First Time

We ended up changing our trip last minute and ended up in Ceder Hill. It was the closest place to Dallas and most attractive. Once we saw the spot, we fell in love with it. This is what RV life is supposed to be everywhere. And it only costs $25 a night, plus $5 per person.

Private, quiet, and gorgeous place to stay

The issues we did have with this campsite, arriving after hours and someone taking our original spot is not the fault of the park. And other than those 2 things, our stay was great. Easy to get in, easy to sleep, and easy to get out! Great stopping point. 

Overall Great Experience 

We stopped here with our 38’ travel trailer for an overnight on our way north. The ranger at the gate was very friendly and informed us that due to flooding and the lake being 7 feet above normal, all the trails and boat dock were closed. 

We had a nice shady site, #224, in Loop G, which was easy to back in to and long enough to leave our rig hooked up. The pad was asphalt and oddly our trailer was perfectly level when we parked.

The park is very overgrown and perhaps due to flooding and recently heavy rains has not been mowed in quite some time. The sites are very private due to lots of overgrown brush between. There was a fire pit and picnic table which we did not use due to a large wet muddy area. There was lots of poison ivy around the trees.

The bathhouse could have used a good cleaning and I was glad we had full hookups and did not need to utilize it.

The park is close to DFW and convenient for a quick stop over.

We had 4 bars reception with AT&amp;T and 2 with T-Mobile and were able to stream in the evening.

This is a very large spacious park, but seems run down and needs lots of attention.


Needs some TLC If I could give 3.5 stars I would

I’m a brand new RV’er in a Class B van. In SEP 2021, was my very first RV camping in my van. I was at pad #200. The pads where many of the RVs overnight camp are in lumpy, hilly condition. If you have a way to level your rig then that may not feel too bad to you. I don’t have that capability. 

The individual picnic areas are in bad condition. We didn’t use them. The sugar ants are a huge problem but I was warned of that so I stopped at Home Depot on the way and bought poison to spray on my cables and tires. I had zero ant issues because I sprayed as soon as I set up my utilities. 

TMOBILE Lite actually works well enough there so that’s a plus. I suggest you have a drinking water hose that is longer than 15’ so you can position your rig in the best position and have the room to do so. 

It was a long drive to get to the side where Joe Pool Lake is but once we arrive, we ate breakfast in the rig in the lake access parking lot, and then we walked to the lake and let the kids played for 2 hours chucking rocks in the water. They enjoyed that part, but that was it. They were too hot because I took a while for my RV to cool off inside. 

I will go for an overnight trip again because it’s close to home. However, I’ll bring my bike, leave the g-kids at home and I’ll enjoy the quietness and beauty of the lands on my own. My g-kids can come when I just want a day trip, until I can own a larger RV to have the space for everyone. 

Some camp sights needs TLC badly

I’ve been there twice and have had a great time….quiet,clean convenient to the DFW area..nice fishing area and water sports rentals available…will be going to this park a lot..had full hook ups…has 30/50 amps..water/sewer…a lot of tent spaces and spots with just water/electric…a great variety…

Great place

We loved the location of this campsite. Right next to the water, just outside Dallas, and very secluded. Great hiking and biking trails. Park workers were very helpful and kind. We would have preferred to stay here in warmer weather, but other than weather, it was great. Facilities were clean and well maintained. We got decent cell reception with T-Mobile 

Escape from the City 

I tent camped here one night with my friend. Our site was perfect for us. It was close to the restrooms and privacy from others was great. Views of the lake were beautiful! I recommend if you just need to get out of your house for a bit!

Great, local camping

It is a big state park with everything trails for hiking, biking,m you can do fishing swimming. We really enjoyed our stay. 

Great state park

An affordable place to stay while checking out the metro, an even better place to get away from the metro. Beautiful night skies, amazing water views. Heavily shaded. We hiked to our primitive site. Over 10 miles of hiking trails. Lots of day use areas and boat launches spread out. Affordable Kayak and paddle board rentals. Bath houses were below standard. 

Amazing state park in DFW

The park was nice and quiet. All amenities worked ok. Down side was grass was not mowed and almost 8” tall. Would come back. Stayed 3 nights

Quiet spot

I stayed at Abilene State Park the night before and loved it so I chose another Texas state park. I had some issues with getting settled. I was first put in a loop and site that was next to a freeway and it was just too loud. I was switched to another site that was too small for my 25’ rig. The third time was a charm. The staff was apologetic and helpful. One of the loops I tried had a bathroom closed down for renovation so I am not sure why they were putting people there. A lot of the infrastructure I saw was a bit dated. Overall a good park but not as nice as Abilene.  It needs some TLC.

Nice Park But Needs Work

Primitive camped with family few nights. Friendly park rangers and other campers. Short walk to restrooms and showers. 

Fall camping

Nice state Park. We stayed here 3 nights. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Although the park has been around awhile it is maintained well. Our site had plenty of room to the next site, had a covered picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hanger. Water pressure was 50 psi, sewer hookup was close, but electrical box was in the front and most modern RV's electrical connection in the back (30 foot cable just reached). The park is close (2.5 miles) to Cedar Hill where you can find shopping, dining, fuel, etc. Would stay here again.

Nice State Park

We got a primitive campsite right on the water and we’re able to fish a little bit once we arrived. We got there after 5 but there is a kiosk where you can check in and grab a map to find your site easily. The park is pretty big and there was a nice fire pit and picnic table we could use. It was still really hot during the time of year we went, but other than that it was nice. 

Pretty sunset right on the water

A very big old park. Getting an overhaul. Was here in January but would love to see park in season. Many different types of sites. Has a fish pond, wonderful beach and day sites. 

Very big park. 

Stayed here for a long weekend in January 2024.  Very quiet.

Great State Park a short drive from Dallas 

Here for 1 night in April. Lots of Construction going on &amp; apparently lots of rain. Some sites muddy.0

Nice overnight

Very clean and picturesque park, would come back for sure 

Great park

I love camping at cedar Hill State Park it's always clean quiet the customer service you received is very good restrooms are always need and clean

Very peacful

We arrived after hours after calling and instructed to just go to our campsite. The park had absolutely no signs indicating where the campground is. We were surprised to find a very sloping site with the cement bumpers missing rebar and very unsafe. No after hours phone number and no campground host. Is this any way to run a campground? We flagged down another camper who indicated that three sites were available when he checked in a couple of hours earlier. This is the first time that we encountered something like this in our years of camping. No one here to answer questions….sites in terrible disrepair still being represented as safe. We had to replace in the hopes that someone would not arrive to claim their site. In the morning we experienced pounding on our door to be challenged by armed…yes, they had guns, officers questioning why we were “squatting” Needless to say this campground is very disorganized and needs an after hours emergency phone number, campground host, safety inspections, as well as a manager who cares. 

Not too impressed

The RV sites have a full backyard in them with fire pit and easy access to hook up. The road in front feels kind of busy though, from the satellite view it looks pretty quaint but in reality it's kind of busy.

Photos of Cedar Hill State Park Campground

Real photos from real campers