A Joe Pool Lake Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is for many people an emblematic weekend that is all about summer fun and relaxation. One way that more than a few residents of the Texas Metroplex (Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington) enjoy this slice of summer is by visiting Joe Pool Lake. It happens to have the state's busiest state park's on its shoreline. Cedar Hill State Park sees over a million visitors a year. They come to camp, hike, swim, ride their mountain bikes, fish, or go boating. For the Fourth of July, there are also a few other special things that can be found in the park too. One can readily stay in Cedar Hill and watch the fireworks show that is put on by Grand Prairie, but more on that in moment. The state park has its own independence celebration that typically includes some history, music and paying tribute to past and present military members. As is fitting, these events are hosted at the Penn Farm, which is a historical site within that park that preserves and showcases what Texas farming used to be like.

If you are not camping in Cedar Hill, you can go visit the city of Grand Prairie's Joe Pool Lake day use park. There are picnic tables, a swimming beach and lots of nice places to stake out a spot to watch the grand show that is put on. The pyrotechnics are launched from the lake just off of the shores of the park, so you will have a great view. Lots of people do take advantage of having a great place to watch the fireworks so if you want to get comfortable in Lynn Creek Park, you should think about getting their early. You can pack a picnic to take with you and be sure to bring a place to sit (folding chairs or a blanket works great!). By showing up well before dark you have a good chance of getting yourself situated in a nice location and having a comfortable place to sit and watch. Once you are all settled in, there is nothing left to do expect relax, wait for dark, and watch the fireworks!

This is another Joe Pool Lake park that is managed by the city of Grand Prairie. It has a nice campground and many other amenities. They also have cabins for rent but you will have to reserve them well in advance if you want to have one for the Fourth of July. Even the campsites are typically filled by reservations well before the holiday weekend, so be sure to make your plans early. There are lots of picnic tables, access the lake, playgrounds, a swimming beach and even a ball field at Loyd Park, so there is plenty to do if you stay for more than just the day.

Marinas

The lake has two marinas, Joe Pool Lake Marina in Cedar Hill State Park and Lynn Creek Marina just outside of the park by the same name. The marinas rent boats and also provide full boat services, including selling fuel and renting slips. Next to the Lynn Creek Marina you can also find the Oasis Restaurant. It serves lunch and dinner, often has live music on the weekends and has pull up slips for boaters to park.

Alcohol

There is no alcohol allowed in Cedar Hill State Park. For the other two parks there are no glass containers allowed. If you going to drink, please don't make an ass out of yourself. There are a lot of people that take their families to these parks and a drunken idiot is not something that others enjoy seeing or dealing with. Sorry about that rant but I have seen this type of unfortunate bad behavior too many times.

Mountain Biking

There is a great mountain bike trail in Cedar Hill State Park. It is over ten miles in length and was built and is maintained by a local Dallas mountain biking organization. The trail does close when it is muddy, in order to protect the resource, and you can call the park to check on the status before you leave to visit the park.

Hiking

Cedar Hill State Park has numerous trails and there are a few trails in Loyd Park too. Another option for hiking is the path that crosses the impoundment. It is an open, wide gravel trail and is about 3 miles from one end to the other. There are both shorter and longer trails and they cover a variety of habitats.

Boat Ramps

If you need to get your boat in the water there are a lot of boat ramps around the lake. They can be busy at times you would expect. Saturday mornings in the summer, for instance, so plan accordingly. If you are going to fish, you can also fish from the shore if you do not have a boat.

Fees

There are fees associated with getting into each of the three parks, for the use of the boatramps, for camping and for using group picnic facilities. The details and arrangements you need to make differs between the parks and their management entities. If you need to know specifics prices you will have to check with each park.

Swimming

Each of the three parks has a swimming beach. The actual place where you swim is a roped off area, eliminating any conflicts between boats and people and generally keeping everyone a bit safer. There are bathrooms and a childrens' playground nearby each beach. As you can see in the picture, Loyd Park's beach is actually a nice lawn! The other beaches are actual sand.

One final note – if you do visit the park – Have a great time playing on or around Joe Pool Lake!