Kicking off our day trip to Denton, Rebekah and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon picnicking and hiking one of the top trails in Texas at Ray Roberts Lake State Park.
Looking for inspiration as we planned our day trip, Rebekah found an article by Texas Monthly listing the top 30 hikes in Texas. Due to the relative convenience of Ray Roberts Lake State Park located just north of Denton, we decided on this hike to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
While the state park has many areas to explore around Lake Ray Roberts, we followed Texas Monthly’s suggestion and focused on the Greenbelt Corridor Park. Following the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the 11 mile Greenbelt Corridor Trail winds from Lake Ray Roberts south to Lake Lewisville. See the map on the park’s website for detailed information on the Greenbelt Corridor.
Hiking the Greenbelt
When hiking this area, you can begin at one of three options: a trailhead near Lake Lewisville at US 380, a trailhead at Lake Ray Roberts at FM 455, or an access point roughly half way between the lakes at FM 428.
Arriving from the south, we opted for the closest access point at Lake Lewisville and US 380. One downside of this choice was that from the US 380 trailhead, you cannot see Lake Lewisville. And you were a 22 mile roundtrip hike from Lake Ray Roberts. As a result, we never saw either lake.
When we arrived at the trailhead, we ran into a small problem. Contrary to the Texas Monthly website, the park is NOT free. You need to deposit $7 cash per person in an envelope at the trailhead before starting your trek. Between the two of us, we scraped together only $12.38. We placed all of our money in an envelope, pennies and all, with a short message asking for forgiveness as we were misinformed. Hoping for a kind park ranger, we started setting up our picnic.
A few tables make up the picnic area at the access point. Opting for a more scenic spot, we spread our blanket on the ground overlooking the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Little did we realize, this would be the only time we saw the river the entire hike (at least the portion we completed). Only 20 feet from the parking lot, this spot provided a calm and relaxing setting to enjoy a delicious meal. Any time you can eat Central Market’s chicken salad outside with a view in less than 100 degree heat is a good day to me! Lounging on the bank after eating, we watched canoes slowly glide down the river while exchanging Valentine’s Day cards.
Elm Fork of the Trinity River
Feeling energized after lunch, Rebekah and I started hiking the trail, working our way north towards Lake Ray Roberts.
Two especially important notes: once you leave the trailhead there are NO bathrooms and NO water fountains along the trail until you reach the next access point, 6.5 miles away at FM 428.
The trail ran level, lined on both sides with trees that shaded most of the easy path from the sun overhead. Passing under an active railroad line, we continued down the trail at a casual pace. The trail meandered along the hidden Elm Fork, but soon became a bit monotonous as the scenery never really changed. We quickly realized that this trail would be great for biking, as you could complete the entire trail, and see the full variety of settings along the 11 mile path. Also, dedicated trails for horses weaved through the area.
Armadillo in the Tall Grass
Rebekah can find animals anywhere we go, and she didn’t disappoint today. About half way to the next access point, we became distracted by a rustling in the tall grass: armadillos! We heard them moving in the greenbelt, but now we started spotting some of them. One was especially close to the trail, so we spent the next 15 minutes tracking him through the grass, trying to catch the perfect shot of this quintessential Texan animal. Armadillos are nocturnal, so he was sleepily stumbling his way from one hole to the next. He was not in the mood to pose for me, so the picture to the right is the best shot I captured. By the way, DO NOT touch armadillos, as they can carry leprosy.
After walking 6.5 miles, we saw the FM 428 access point. It would be another 4.5 miles to Lake Ray Roberts. With the sun starting to descend lower in the sky, we turned around, starting the return trek to our car.
A Pleasant Spot to Relax
Pausing for a break on the way back, we sat on a bench along a shaded portion of the trail. It was actually at this point that we decided to start our travel blog. We had been discussing the possibility for a few weeks with Matt and Rachel, but on this trail we made the decision. We would become Travel Bloggers…whatever that meant. We would have to learn much in the coming weeks before we launched From Texas to Beyond, and in the months afterwards. But on the Greenbelt Corridor Trail, we set out to become Travel Bloggers!
The trail had cleared out, and we enjoyed the quietness of nature as we finished our hike. Finally reaching our car, we realized we were getting hungry. Well, we had hiked 13 miles. Next stop, ice cream at the Denton County Courthouse Square.
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