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.

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

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.

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.

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!

Pros: roomy spot for the camper, level, no issue with water or electric. We stayed in spot I-45 & it was close to the restroom & showers, which were clean & 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 & 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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!

Partially closed due to flooding

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

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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