Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center

Great area for an easy hike. No elevation changes (pro and con), and feels far more remote than it actually is

Wow. Great park. Lots of trails tho some get wet/muddy. Lots of benches. Prairie, quarry w fossils, river, ponds, forest, wetlands. Bring lots of water and bug spray

Great place to run and hike. Lots of variety in a little package. Just be attentive of the trail conditions and closed signs because things can get wet and muddy. Awesome nature area! Lilly pond at sunrise was amazing!

I loved it, there was plenty to see and enjoy. The weather was perfect and there were signs on trails that were closed.

Quite and clean trails, worthy to visit. Unfortunately the center was not opened and so not many space of parking alone the gate.

I love running this trail when it is dry. Which is not a lot of the time. After rain, since the majority of the preserve is low lands, the pond and creek flood and make mud and mush, cutting off 2/3 of the trail. It stays like this for weeks. I’ve learned it’s just not really worth going during those times. If there hasn’t been rain in a while, I do recommend checking out this trail as I love the 2.5 mile loop that goes through trees, around a big pond which has a giant lotus garden in late spring/early summer, and along a river. I have seen swimming raccoons, blue herons, and a herd of pigs (which will stay away and won’t bother you if you don’t bother them). **Beware of poison ivy— it is abundant off the trail in the trees— brush up on ivy, oak, and sumac identification if you are a curious into-the-trees explorer! Enjoy.

Went bike riding here with my 12 year old son. It was a pretty good experience for his 1st nature bike ride. It wasnt too difficult to navigate. Some trails are closed due resting water. We ran in to one trail that wasnt marked closed, that should have been. Lots of trees help keep it somewhat cool. In riding these trails, I also noticed its a good place to go fishing. Now my son wants me to find more trails!!!!

Lovely little hike. Careful about the snakes.

I can believe that this is not listed as a star watch location. The prairie view from the ranger station is great for night skies. There is even a small pond down the way if that is your thing after a picnic on the benches. The highlands trail is for those looking for wildlife of the 4 footed kind. The wetlands trail gets thick quick with plenty of chances for bird and other critters to be seen. Very well maintaned trails. The missing star is for the port a john. Thing hasnt be touched in 40 plus days.

Beautiful trail. Watch for wildlife. about 3 miles around. Trails closed if its recently rained. If theres a sign that says Trail closed, believe it...its not possible to cross through the ridiculous amount of mud/flood. Be safe. Bring water. Bring a friend.

Nice nature trail. The best Ive found in Denton.

Great trails. Tons of wildflowers and great views. It was a little bit too muddy for us to make it to the wetlands but going a few days after any rain will fix that next time. We didnt use any facilities but they appeared fit for purpose. Would recommend a trip here for a short (2-3 mile) hike with mild inclines and nice scenery. Bring a bottle or two of water!

We were just trying to find a place to go for a walk in the woods. We had a great walk and will be back.

This place is a great find! It is free to enter, parking is limited. You park by this little gate off the road and walk in. I am told they have events here so it would be busy on event days and they open up the gate for more parking. Great place for running, bird watching, walking, awesome for bringing your dogs! We took our RC cars out and played around one afternoon. It is a hidden gem!

Rustic paths and interesting wildflowers. Great place to get out and enjoy nature.

Cute little trails! My doggos love coming here!

Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center is a gem of a place for nature outings. Featured are prairie, wetlands, and bottomland forest habitats for a variety of experiences. Numerous trails provide as little, or as much time as you have to spare. Check their Facebook page for current trail conditions as this is in a floodplain and some trails may be closed for high water or very muddy trails.

I really like this nature preserve. Ive been looking for some good places in Denton to get in a good walk around nature and Im really glad I found this place. I havent explored the whole trail but I liked what I saw the couple times I went.

Great place to explore there is a nice quarry with fossils and a great prairie with ancient Plant life excellent place to Hike...

Some excellent, wide, trails appropriate for a family outing. I saw several species of ducks and cranes along the wetlands trail. Some wild hogs were present as well. During rainy season northeast section of the wetlands trail will have muddy sections.

Love it here great mushrooms this season.

Beautiful. Well worth a visit. Youll feel like youre miles from anywhere. Trails are accessible for children and novices. Only a porta-potty for amenities, so come prepared. Bring a snack and enjoy lunch at the little table in the woods off the trail (but please take your trash back out with you)!

Fun place to walk your dogs in the heat.

Beautiful nature spot in Denton. Great hiking/walking trail and beautiful scenery along the way. Free admission and not usually busy with people.

Fun hike, interesting and relatively easy trail.

The staff are inviting, bubbly, captivating, and well informed. The natural trail and landscapes were both exhilarating as well as beautiful. This is a great place for school field trips, nature enthusiasts, compnany bonding walk, or a first date. Whatever the reason or occasion Clear Creek Natural Heritage is a MOST experience!-Josephine C

Free and small enough to be done easily in one go. Interesting and tranquil. Bit of a muddy mess after the recent storms, cool in the shade and unexpectedly fun!

Lower trail was flooded, but the rest was great!

My son and I went for a hike yesterday. It was our first time there and we loved it. Will defnicely be going back for more hikes in the future.

Peaceful an mind ezzing

Great outdoor space, ideal for trail running, mountain biking, fishing, hiking, etc. It is located just outside of Denton, TX and has about 5-10 miles of trails. Mostly flat and easy hiking. Make sure apply bug spray before going or else you will have to deal with the numerous bugs that are there.

A beautiful hidden nature walk if not a little overgrown in a few areas. It doesnt seem to get tended to on a regular basis but overall a great 2 hour loop hike.

Clear Creek is kind of a hidden gem on the North side of Denton. Unlike other city parks, this one is truly more wild. You will most likely encounter wildlife. The trail system takes you around the large pond and I believe is about 2 miles round trip. Do not wear shoes you want to keep clean. If its been rainy, parts of the trail will be muddy. Especially the wetlands trail. Its actually, literally, a swamp. Spend any amount of time in this park and you will run into many species of birds, racoons, coyotes, feral hogs, armadillo and more insects than youd probably like. The place is never crowded so you can find peace and quiet there practically year-round. Its a great place for nature walks/runs or photography.

This place is really hit or miss. Its either gorgeous or completely flooded. Youre either the only one or its packed. Its really lacking parking. There always seems to be 2 idiots parked incorrectly so they take up several spaces. The gate should always be opened on weekends so people can use the upper parking. Families need to teach their kids how to be respectful. Leash laws should be enforced. When its flooded it should be posted. Texas has to be the worst state to live in if your a hiker.

Great place to go for their scheduled activities. I havent been on the trails yet but hope to soon.

Amazing trails! Wetlands trail is very grown up but still very fun.

A beautiful place with long trails where you can wander completely out of sight of civilization, fish or paddle your boat in the ponds, and see all sorts of birds and animals in the woods and prairie. The parking lots outside the gates are small, but that doesn’t matter if you leave before the park is closed for the night.

Its not to busy so I can fly through there on my mountain bike

A pretty boring park without much plant variety. You might encounter deed, owls, rabbits and squirrels. Some red cardinals spotted as well.

Great place for outdoor activities like birdwatching, bugcatching, dog walking, easy hiking, and for seeing the sunset.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. This place is a breath of fresh air. Secluded, quiet. During the summer, expect to see more fireflies than youve ever seen in your life.

Good, well-kept trails, especially since a group of volunteers from the area comes out about twice a month to keep them maintained. Lots of shade on most of the trails. I wish there were more trails because I like going here so much. Just watch for snakes and other wildlife.

This park would be great if it were not flooded and unmaintaned. Both times in the past 6 months I’ve been I have almost died. Once we were lost because every trail became completely flooded and the muddy areas do not have a puncheons, and saw and heard a pack of 10 hogs. Run near us. The second time, today, we roughed through the whole trail and kept pushing through muddy trails with no alternate route. While treading the mud we encountered a cottonmouth snake that jumped back and hissedat us. If the trails could be as maintained as the prairie then the park would be amazing.

Very conveniently located in Denton. Very pretty.

Such a fun little trail. If you dont mind mud and bugs. Its really fun to try and spot all the different colored mushrooms after rain.

Best park in the area .It is semi primative. So those who like paved trails should stay home. Love this park.

About a 3.5 mile walk full circle. It gets a bit muddy after a rain, but its a great place

Always enjoy hiking the trails

Starts out nice, but its always flooded. We can never walk a full trail.

Is a good place to do nature walk, and is long to

Very nice place not alot of people and relaxing there are bugs they like bright colors

Cool little place to hike or run. I also like to fish here but old guys beat you to the river every time haha. If youre fishing, try going on a cold or rainy day so all the old-timers are at home.

I have been hiking here for eleven years. Birding is exceptional with water and shore birds, prairie birds and forest varieties as well. Dusk is a brilliant time to see armadillos and owls. Hikers should be vigilant in scanning the trails ahead of them, especially the wetland trails in the spring as water moccasin, sunning on the trail (aka Cotton mouth snakes) can easily be mistaken for a branch or stick. (Though I have only seen one in all these years- which I nearly stepped on, they are present). Feral hogs, dear, coyote, bob cat and many other wildlife call this place home- please take your trash back out with you.In recent years the trails have been mostly well maintained and new signs have been added and a new parking lot (off of fishermans trail, near Hartlee Field Road). Saturdays can be busy and sometimes during the week many children from local schools explore the trails. Usually, however, I never run into more than one or two other hikers.It is a good idea to download an image of the map or take a picture of it if you are not familiar with the trails as GPS signals are not reliable here. The trails are fairly easy but a jogging stroller can be easily stuck (Usually on the high trail or wetlands trail) if it has been raining at all. Otherwise the fishermans trail and prairie trails are more easily managed with a jogging stroller.I could say so much more but some things are best if left to be discovered!

Great out of the way place for trail walking. We will definitely be back! Make sure to take a good pair of athletic shoes, bug spray, a snack, and water!

Butterfly festival. Free flower seeds and lots of information on how to create butterfly and bird sanctuary places.

This place is a great.

4.5 miles of beautiful woodland trails that follow the Clear Creek-Elm Fork confluence, wetland forest, and a short prairieland sprint. Great for hiking and biking! Wait a few days after rain; it can get pretty muddy!

Who knew? What a gem tucked in Denton. A ton of rain the past 3 weeks so the trail was partially underwater. Still well worth return visits.

Nice variety of trails through the trees and the wetlands. Rode my gravel bike and brought my son on a trailer. Was a little bumpy for him but he had a great time. A couple of the trails are probably too rough for a trailer but the loop and most of the major ones are just fine

Great hike around a large pond and for free! Beware the mud and trail closures after any rain.

This place is wonderful!! Would love to take my son back when it’s not as muddy! Great staff!

Wonderful trails, very well kept up, favorite place in Denton for a hike and its close to the sqaure for how secluded and preserved it is. Always see animal life, always is very quiet. 11/10

Definitely check this place out!....Just not after it rains

Very beautiful trail that Spring time turned into a little jungle. First time there. I started my easy run on a trail without any idea of where I was going. I ended up completing a loop it seems starting at the Rockery, then the Duck, Fisherman’s and ended coming back with the Weather Box Y Prairie trails.Awesome place. Very well preserved and planning to come back!

This place has the nature I have been craving since I moved away from the mountains. The wetlands area is beautiful. The trails are far enough away from civilization to feel like true nature, but close enough that its only a 15 minute drive from my house!Unfortunately, these trials arent made well for pushing a stroller, but could work for bikes if they arent too wet.If you feel the trails are not maintained as well as they could be, please donate time or money to help. This place thrives on volunteers and donations! (And for the record, I think they are just perfect for running)

What a gem! We never knew this place was here, but so glad we found it. Though the weather wasnt great, we still had a great time. One of the trails was closed; however, we were still able to walk the full perimeter (between 2 and 3 miles). The landscape varies nicely; wetlands on one part, walking along on a wide trail near the creek on another part, and zig-zagging through the trees in other sections. Trails are very easy to follow with varying and abundant wildlife...we even heard some wild hogs rooting around nearby. Cant wait to get back this summer and fall. Its a little out of the way, but certainly worth the time and effort to drive to it...

Beautiful! Discovered this place last year and it is a perfect escape from city life. It is very peaceful and quiet out here. The scenery is amazing. The only problem is the fact that it is in the wetlands. So it will take weeks it seems before trails dry up completely after a recent rain.

Go place to go hiking. Good walking

Such a great hidden gem for hikers. This is a great place to take the family for a day outdoors. We took our toddler and she did great on the trails.

Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center is a wonderful place nestled between the Backland prairies and cross timber river bottoms on the outskirts of north Denton. It’s where local nature enthusiast take refuge to get away from it all. I have been frequenting this place now for over 30 years. Much has changed but mostly for the better. My only complaint is the City of Denton and its community members must be vigilant collaborating to preserve this place. Around Clear Creek and Elm Fork confluence there’s quite allot of garbage left behind by negligent fishermen and reckless visitors. It was not this way a decade ago, and its perfect shameful situation and disrespectful to everyone and the environment. Regardless, it’s a wonderful wooded mecca, excellent place to hike, mountain bike, fish and enjoy a taste of wholesome Mother Nature. Absolutely one of the finest gems in the North Texas region and it’s only a stone’s throw away.

Proposed to my better half here. We love this place.

Beautiful natural park with many miles of well-maintained hiking paths

Its so muddy. Maybe go during a very hot and dry week.

This is a nice place to visit for a peaceful hike, or to see some wildlife! Limited parking, but Ive never had a problem finding a place.

A great little escape from the city Im the city. Bring mosquito spray! And use it.

A great place for getting close to nature. Look for the confluence of Clear Creek into the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The Google Maps marker is incorrectly placed but the Collins Street address is correct.

I discovered this place through friends here in Denton. I take my Rhodesian ridgeback here almost every weekend and she loves it! It is rarely busy (especially in the mornings), small dog friendly, and kid friendly!

Beautiful. It has been raining like crazy, so it was very wet.

Very scenic trails and a hidden lake with lots of water birds. There are flowers everywhere in the spring, but dont come after it rains because the trails are muddy.

Would be beautiful in spring! Very muddy and flooded trails this time around.

Very nice wild nature center with lots of Texas native plants and both prairie and wetland hiking trails.

Fun field trip with the kids. Also a great place to hike.

Very educational and hands on learning for our schools 2nd grade field trip. The kids had fun on the hike.

Wonderful trails to run and a great place to read.

Nice clean trail. Nice view

Just wow.

Dentons Hidden TreasureI did a google search for walking trails near me and this place came up in the results. I have lived in Denton since 1995 and in DFW since 1990 and NEVER heard of this place. I have been biking and walking on the Greenbelt Corridor a bunch of times, which is right across the river from the Clear Creek trails, never knowing what beauty was on the other side. My first time was mid-march, so most of the trees were just budding and the ground was muddy in some spots, but Ill be back for sure. I highly recommend this trail for a day with the family or someone you love. Very pretty. Very little litter/graffiti.

Love the walking trail

Love hiking here!

Nice trail. Signs could be more informative.

Some trail signs have come off their posts. Pretty important as the rains have made some of the trails impassable!

Went with my kids school trip, and the whole class loved it!

Clear creek is my favorite place for a hike in the denton area! Wear bug spray and watch out for snakes!

Going here was amazing! I went with a couple of my friends, we camped out here and learned how to backpack while going on a 4-mile hike!

This is a great place, but i must warn you about ticks. My dog and i spent the afternoon at clear creek. When i got home i found lots (50ish) ticks on my dog. I later found out that both my dog and i have Lymes Disease. Ive been fighting lymes for the last 3 yrs. Please be mindful of ticks if you visit this park. Use deet and if you ever have a bulls eye rash, please see your Dr. ASAP. You have two weeks to get antibiotics, or it will take years to get rid of.

It was amazing but there was alot of mud butnut was fun

So peaceful, and quiet!

Going here with some friends, might be tneting out and backpacking, cant wait

Great nature trails to take with kids!

Good place to go hiking, but some of the trails arent very well maintained.