There is a selection of seven different trails you can choose from, although the Bittern Marsh trail is currently closed. Most of the trails intersect at some point, so it is easy to choose your own path. There is a Pioneer Homestead reconstruction on the Cottonwood trail, which is cool to check out. The river has some lovely lookout over it - I saw several herons! The trails are all well traveled and wide enough for at least two people. The workers at the front gate were very helpful and friendly, giving me a map and a safety concerns chat when I told them it was my first time. There’s a $5 fee to enter, and it was definitely worth it in my opinion. I had a great time visiting this park and would love to return. There is a lot of construction happening on the main road at the moment, but I had no trouble getting through and around it.

It was a great park to go visit. The nature preserve has a kayak trail on beavers pond. Entrance fee of $5 per vehicle. Water level is still high on the kayak trail so a lot of navigating around trees to get out to the main part of the pond. Still a great day, make sure your kayak is hard bottom.

Wonderful nature area to clear your mind walking through and enjoy with your family. Cottonwood path is good for strollers and smallest children and also has access to an 1800s cabin homestead you can visit.

Great place to visit. Kids love it, especially the cottonwood trail and 1850s homesite. My son always asks to go tell stories by the “campfire”

I walked the Bittern Marsh, Redbud, and Cottonwood trails. Plenty of dragonflies, birds, and other critters can be observed in this park. You can also see and hear plenty of airplanes flying near the park.If you choose to walk the Bittern Marsh trail early, then carry a light stick to wave vertically in front of you when approaching areas between close trees or plants. There were many spiderwebs across portions of the trail, and you wont always see them.I would return to walk trails again and would be interested in kayaking in the park. I saw multiple people with kayaks or canoes in the various waterways of the preserve.

Nice wide crushed stone trails, interesting heritage homestead on cottonwood trial. Lots of construction going on. No fishing on weekends. Trails past cottonwood were closed. Tons of bugs cuz we went after a rain.. Overall nice and would come back

Im not sure if this was due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they closed a tad earlier than I would have expected: 7PM CT. Also, all of the trails were closed except for Blackjack due to construction. It was $5 to get in (per party, not per individual) which even for a short visit is worth it to keep the preserve going. It was still a great experience. We were there for a little under an hour and were able to loop around while following the Blackjack trail to get back to the car and make it out before they closed the gate. We were also able to do a little bird watching and get some good pictures while we were there too.

Park is great but management confuses me...Weekends they close part of the park which makes no sense to me maybe its because of Corona but why would you want everyone on just 2 trails thats making more people in one area. Other than that 5 bucks per car is reasonable the construction on the road sucks but that should be temporary.

Overall it is a pretty good place. Youre able to fish and swim. The price for an entry pass cost $5 per car. Youre able to fish and swim. There is herons. Pets arent allowed to go in. There is porta pottys and a dumpster to dispose trash. There is a bunch of rocks near the entrance of the river so I do advise to be careful. Also they are currently accepting cards no cash. The road is also under construction but you do have room to drive on.

Beautiful and peaceful. Loved the little mini bridges they built. sweet staff.

The park itself is great. The lady working the entrance booth turned me away bc I had my dog.. that would be fine if she wasn’t practically yelling at me with NO MASK on.... I drove in turned around and left.. so rude.

Its a Beautiful place. I loved it..

Nice attendants, and amazingly clean and natural trails. Wish they were open a bit later, but early closing its expected with a pandemic. Definitely going back in the future.

This is truly a hidden gem in the middle of Dallas, Lewisville, Carrollton. A lot of debris washes down when it rains but when the water is flowing it is very nice.

A good nature preserve for a day out. The Bittern Marsh Trail is good comparatively to other trials, but take care choosing this trail immediately after a rain as you may need to return back all the way if the wooden path at the end starts from the middle of water. But thats still worth it.If you are lucky enough, you would encounter Armadillos or may be some non-venomous Garter snakes.

Very disappointed. We were expecting the construction (only few trails open) but the worst was the proximity of a... Landfill! Why putting a nature reserve so close? The smell was bad during some part of the trails; some trails are close to power lines, short hikes. Will not go back.

Went with husband and two toddlers late afternoon on a Sunday. Was a little busy, but everyone kept their social distance. Parking is a little limited, but we found parking a nonissue. We Only had time for two trails: the Cicada and Cottonwood. Both trails were smooth enough, dry enough, and wide enough for our double stroller— a stroller with bike tires durable for rough terrain. Some parts we had to pick the stroller up to get over large branches, but was enjoyable experience for everyone nonetheless. Didn’t find a water station, but we brought our own supply. Truly wild like trails with poison ivy and some cactus and thorny vines along pathways so would Be a caution if bringing little ones who love to touch every little thing. I used it a time to teach the kids about respecting wildlife and learn boundaries. Plus locking them up in a stroller with snacks also helped;) for $5 a vehicle and unlimited time it’s worth a visit. My family will come back to explore which trails are “stroller friendly” later on. Port-a- potties on-site at entrances, picnic tables through out, shaded areas, birds galore....go see for yourself:)

Love this place. Close to home so it is convenient to get a nature hike in, practically anytime. I do wish they would clear out Beaver pond a little, to make for a better experience kayaking.

In the heart of DFW area. Great place to getaway from stressful life. Walk into the woods....They have couple of trails to explore...I recommend to check this place....

Nice place in the middle of the nature. There are 3-4 trails. The last one is where you can do fishing. We stopped at the last trail. Trail was nice. You can easily watch birds flying and catch their prey from the lake. People can do fishing. Water in the lake comes from an outlet from dam. Its simply amazing to hear the powerful sound of water gushing out and flowing into the lake. Totally love it

It has many beautiful scenes. I really feel peaceful when I hear the sound of the waves in the dam. Walking around the river like I was back to my childhood, simple and gentle.

Only two trails are open right now due to COVID, 4ish miles total. May not be worth the 5 bucks with most of the park closed. The trails were nice though and everyone did a decent job either masking or keeping distant on passing. Id go back once more areas are open

Beautiful short hikes with very reasonable $5 parking fee and very helpful staff.

Lovely place. 5$ to enter with one car. Totally worth it. Beautiful place with a lot of wildlife. Longest trail I think is around 2 miles. Several shorter trails too. Only reason I took off one star was because it was sometimes hard to see exactly where the trail went.

Love this place first time there. Will be going back to explore more. Very well kept and clean. 5 bucks a vehicle to enter the park. Which buy the way is well worth it.

This place is just stunning gem where you wouldnt expect it. Be sure to get a map at the booth where you pay $5 fee for 1 day entry, there are new trails not marked on online map. Good for stroll, fishing, picknick, but best to enjoy nature and calm.

Lovely nature preserve surrounded by water, great place to fish, hike (note most trails have no real elevation), kayak and just be outside. There is a decent amount of wildlife to see here; I visit for bird watching and you can see all sorts of gorgeous birds here. There are authorized camping spots available as well. Theres a $5 entry fee to the preserve. All-in-all a really nice place to hang out if you want to be outdoors.

This is a true hidden gem in DFW. Miles of well-maintained trails through native forest and swampy lands along the Trinity River. Went on a Saturday and only saw about a dozen people. There’s a great little education center and a historic homestead but the real attraction is nature. LLELA is wonderful place to get outside, get in touch with your wild side and possibly even spot an alligator!

In mid March, the trees are just starting to leaf out. It was peaceful & quiet (except for the planes headed to DFW). We did the Cicada & Cottonwood trail (the Redbud trail was flooded). While there were ponds & lots of marsh, be aware that this area is on the grassy side of the damn, so you cant see the lake. Lake Park is an easy drive away. This area is a real treat in the city. Well worth the $5 per car. Go & get refreshed in nature!

Great for nature and outdoor activities. Great trails, well marked. I liked Bittern-Marsh trail. Provides access to lake and shore, also passes through thick woods and marsh. Abundant wildlife sightings, great for birding. You can also notice a few fishing spots. Overall you will be happy if you like outdoors!! Spotted a snake during my visit, sitting on a tree.! Posting picture.

Good trail, however due to covid and construction only select trails are open.

This is a great place to walk amazing amount of wildlife and birds in the area.

The trails here are great, the people they have working at the front can be rude. Be sure to emotionally prepare for that but otherwise the area is beautiful and its a nice place to walk or have a picnic.

A great place for a local hike. Very well kept trails with plenty of events for every age range if desired.

Great park with easy hiking trails, bird watching blinds, and picnic tables. The entry price is reasonable. Nice green space for the Lewisville.

A very leisure, calm and peaceful venue. Suitable for aday picnic and good fit camping too. Theres a lake and water flow out from the lake as a river which is a very awesome view and fishing can be done there.

This place is awesome! Try the Bittern Marsh Trail, the second gazebbo is in almost in the middle of the pond.Only wish it was a bit more well maintained.

Beautiful access to the Elm Fork River below Lake Lewisville. Ride down the river 12miles to McInnish Park

Beautiful. Gorgeous plants. Filled with flowers and butterflies in May. Lots of mosquitos so bring spray. Saw some frogs, a snake egg, and rooting spots from boars. Lots of swampy areas this time of year. Very hot day, 92, but the Cottonwood trail was stroller-friendly even though two others were listed as being flooded out. Had to keep the baby shaded, take clothing off and put water on her head a couple times but my oldest walked the loop twice with us without any issue. It was a great time. Excellent escape from the constant concrete surroundings of Dallas.

I’m glad that we found this place which is near to our place. nice scenic view. Very calm and peaceful.

We went to LLELA for this first time and were very impressed by it! Weve already got plans to go back to hike, and have every intention of bringing out of town guests here as well. The trails were great, the scenery and smells were amazing, and it was really cool to see all of the animal tracks everywhere. Id totally recommend going!

$5 per vehicle entrance with fishing, hiking trails, and available camp sites. Beautiful site with lots of diverse habitat types and abundant wildlife. A true gem located near Lewisville Lake. The site is dependent on volunteer work and the staff always appreciate help, so bring a camera and a trash bag to pick up litter on your hike, pack up campsite trash, and consider volunteering on volunteer days! Plenty of educational and recreational opportunities for everyone.

The only nature resort relief for me while the days stuck in TX

I came here on a whim with a friend, but I really like this area. There are multiple trails to traverse, and we were surprised to find a recreation of peoples homes from the 1800s, including a shelter type structure and informative plaques describing the history of the buildings. We would definitely love to come back soon when all the plants have grown back when its warm enough.I only have this one picture of the nature preserve, which I believe was on the green dragon trail. This is a nice little creek with a small bridge to walk out on.

Gorgeous and well-maintained.

An awesome outdoor area for fishing and hiking.

$5 entry fee is very inexpensive considering the wealth of hiking trails and scenery.

We went on July 3rd, 2020. For trails, only the Blackjack Trail is open. Maybe bad timing but huge swarm mosquitos present. If you go, wear long sleeves/pants and something to cover your ears, the buzzing is never wracking, we were glad to reach the parking lot. $5 to enter.

We took a very informative class and walked a trail. My kids really enjoyed themselves as did I.

Beautiful hiking trails with lots of wildlife. Trails go through marshland so best to go after weather has been dry for a while.

My familys first time to visit this place. We went in January. Less people than some other popular trails. Mostly flat trails. Good bird watching. 5 bucks to get in. Trail map available. One of my favorite trails in DFW. Some trails werent clearly marked but you cant get lost. All trails lead back to main road. Lots of lake and river views. Plenty of picnic tables. Well be back.

Nice local, easy getaway if youre wanting some easy trails. Theres lots to explore, nothing challenging. Beaver pond has a 1 mile kayak loop. Bring bug spray! Park has several picnic tables setup along parts of the trails. $5 to get in.

I’ve been volunteering here for a few weeks and it’s absolutely amazing! The work they are doing is inspiring, the property is gorgeous, and everyone there is so friendly. I highly recommend LLELA to anyone who loves nature!

You fish on the outlet side of the dam. Was hoping to fish on the reservoir side.

I am SO glad we found out about this place! It is such a hidden gem. We enjoy taking the kids and doing some photography. There is so much to see and so much wildlife! I cant wait to see the bald eagle!We bought a yearly pass and will be here quite often.

Trails are well maintained and the park is awesome.

I caught so many fish from the dam area at this place, I caught a bunch of catfish, carp, and white bass. Its a good place to fish. The best bait to use is nightcrawlers or shrimp. Absolutely love it here!!!!!

Quiet and peaceful trails

Nice place for hiking and spending some quality time with family.

Wanted somewhere new to explore and hike with friends and happened upon LLELA. Beautifully kept and maintained we took the 2.1 mile Bittern Marsh Wetland Boardwalk Trail that takes hikers through a bottomland hardwood forest. The Bittern Marsh itself was an extraordinary surprise - full of flowering lilies....Two viewing blinds allow visitors to watch birds and wildlife and take photographs. It was a hot day and it was terrific that most of the trail was through shaded paths. Attractive wooden boardwalks have pertinent quotes along the way....another nice touch. There is a $5 charge per person. Cant wait to go back and try another trail.

How does a nature preserve not allow pets? No information about this on their google page either. If you have pets and are looking for a good place to take them on a hike skip this spot!

Its okay for couple hrs, and fishing,They do not have access to lake, also little to no signboards

This is a real gem for people who love nature. Easy to get to and reasonably priced plus they do all kinds of interesting events.

Great variety of trails that exhibit a large amount of biodiversity. Witness bald eagles fly over head, camp out, fish in The Elm Fork Trinity River, and see some great native flowers.

Love this place, it’s $5 a car to go in, there is camping fishing kayaking trails and more, it is now open 7 days a week, great place in the middle of the metroplex to escape the city, the only part I wish was better was a game warden visit every now and then, there are a lot of people taking everything out of the water legal size or not....

Very nice area.

Nice place to find walks in the woods in DFW metroplex. Photos are of bittern Marsh trail. $5 entry fee.

Amazing! A lot visual activities to do with the kids and learn a lot of really important stuffs, like pollution, how aquifer works, what can affect our wild life, etc.

I took my boys here to do the kayak paddling trail pond. I wanted a marsh like experience to do something a little different. It was very scenic. Due to the recent rains some additional downed tree limbs make some parts hard to navigate but we managed. Some of the muck on top of the water was hard to paddle in as it would collect on the paddle. The only real disappointment I had is I expected we could fish from our Kayaks. This place would have had some amazing fishing places throughout the trail. And with other reviews talking about fishing I assumed we could.The paddling pond has a huge sign saying no fishing. It would have been nice to know this in advance. Otherwise we had a blast regardless. Just know that if youre going to the pond, that fishing isnt allowed.

NOT dog friendly. One star. That’s lame

Pretty and well managed trails.

The trails here are all lovely, if a bit simple. I especially love the bittern marsh trail with its wooden boardwalks and multiple wildlife blinds; I’d recommend bringing some shoes you don’t mind getting muddy as the trail gets somewhat marshy towards the back end of it.

What a great place! Next time bringing a kayak!

Great leisure place.

Good natural place with old houses.. and can spend good amount of time here..

All but two of the trails closed without notice. No one wore masks. Crowed because of closings. Construction in area sounded like rifle shots!

I like this place. Its close and the trails are well maintained. Make sure to bring cash. They dont accept credit cards and dont have change for large bills.

The pond was not suitable for kayaking, and the river is closed on weekends.

Several trails and guided tours are available.

Awesome place for bird watching! Will definitely be back soon.

Nice trails and its very relaxing. Good way to spend a day with nature.

Fantastic restaurant. Food is awesome!

Peaceful hiking oasis in the middle of the metroplex!

Pretty hard to find animals but still so interesting and fun. I recommend you go in the fall though

Its great place to escape to the woods!

Nice place, trails where well maintained, bathrooms clean.

High quality wild life

Nice trails to walk with friends and family!!

Awesome place to fish and kayak

Beautiful weather today

One of my favorite places to explore. So thankful for all the volunteers who help maintain the ecology of this place.

Love this place great place to go fishing

Very nice place to hang out and enjoy nature. We drove in 2 cars and went in. It was only a few bucks per car and we had our own picnic supplies. We had a nice picnic and even caught a few fish. We also picked wild berries and saw some cool wildlife. Very nice place to go.

Construction underway...only down side

Great place to go relax and catch some fish, the trails were amazing as well

Amazing place to hike, nature watch or fish! If you visit, please pick up after yourselves

Only 5 dollars per car. We did the beaver pond paddle trail. It was ok. Hard to maneuver a long canoe in some places, but good for beginners to get the hang of it. Also there is access to the spill way into the elm fork of the trinity River. A lot of people fishing there, but lots of room.

Had a great time there with my little ones. Friendly gate staff and the trails were well groomed and easy for littlest ones to start on. Bring bug spray! I found a wood tick, lucky it was on me. The light rain made it nice and cool, we’re looking forward to our next visit.

Nice scenery, well marked trails. You need to wear long pants, long sleeves and BUG SPRAY!

While the ticket booth lady likes to lay down the rules, the overall atmosphere is tranquil and calm. We love to come here on the weekend to eat lunch (at the pavilion!) and then go on down the road to try to catch a fish. Overall it’s a peaceful and nice place to come. PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLEAN UP YOUR TRASH!