Lake Mineral Wells State Park Photo Journal

Below you will find photos from a recent trip to Lake Mineral Wells State Park in Mineral Wells, Texas. At about an hour and twenty minutes West of Dallas, it is an easy option for a day trip. State parks are limiting entrance due to COVID-19, so obtaining a day pass in advance may be required. The best thing about Lake Mineral Wells State Park is the variety it offers—hiking, camping, boating (with kayak/canoe rentals available), equestrian trails/camping, fishing, and rock climbing.

We started out on the North side of the park and created a 7.67 mile loop. We began with the Cross Timbers Black Trail and stayed to the East side as we headed North, connecting to the Cross Timbers Green Trail, Orange Trail, and Maroon Trail before heading back South along the West side using the Cross Timbers Yellow Trail, then back to the Green, Primitive Camping Trail, and back to the Black.

NOTE: if you are looking to do the same during hotter months, we would recommend starting on the West side as you head North and coming back down the Eastern trails, simply because there is more shade on the East. The first image below is of the map given to us by the state park upon entering and the second image shows a map of our exact route.

After cooling down in the air conditioned car (so thankful for air conditioning!), we drove back across the dam to check out the swimming and boating areas and pick up Gatorade from the Park Store to help rehydrate. Then we drove to Penitentiary Hollow in the Southeast corner of the map to see views of the lake from an overlook and hiked down to the rock climbing area… that’s right, outdoor rock climbing less than an hour and a half outside of Dallas!

Next time, we plan to rent a canoe and explore the park by water as well as come prepared for rock climbing.

Visit the official website.

Happy exploring!