I have lived in Dallas over four years now and have been on the hunt for waterfalls the entire time. I can’t believe it took me so long to find all these! Last week I posted a reel on my Instagram account showcasing five waterfalls within two hours of Dallas. Here in this blog post, you’ll learn how to see and experience all these waterfalls for yourself!
Marion Sansom Park- Fort Worth
Marion Sansom Park in Fort Worth has a handful of hiking and biking trails. Exploring the park will lead you along a creek and to a waterfall! To find this waterfall, put the name of the park in your GPS and follow directions to 2501 Roberts Cut Off Road. From there, park and follow the trail signs for the waterfall. It is a very short hike, no more than half a mile to the waterfall, but it is very rocky and steep, which I took as a pleasant surprise! Even though it’s steep, my six year old didn’t struggle. When my two year old wanted to walk instead of be carried, I made sure to hold his hand. This isn’t a waterfall for jumping in and swimming, so be sure to keep your little ones close! If you hike to the top of the falls, you can carefully wade in the water and get your feet wet!
Airfield Falls- Fort Worth
The trail to Airfield Falls is short, sweet, and paved, making this waterfall accessible to anyone! The trail is beautiful and is a popular place for photographers to do their job! Similar to the waterfall at Marion Sansom Park, this waterfall isn’t equipped for jumping in and swimming, but there is an area at the top of the falls to dip your toes in! As always, be cautious, as the rocks are slick and there are some steep drop offs. One of the coolest parts of this trail is actually the trailhead, where you’ll find creatively displayed aircraft parts and information markers that history enthusiasts will love.
Tonkawa Falls- Crawford
Tonkawa Falls is located in the small town of Crawford, about 30 minutes outside of Waco, TX. We visited Tonkawa Falls in February, unsure of what to expect. We were skeptical at first because we were the only ones there, the water was low, and we had hardly any information about these falls to go off of! The waterfall is only about 100 yards away from the parking lot. We originally parked on the east side of the overpass, but were unable to find a way to easily get our kids down to the waterfall and safely to the grassy area. We ended up moving our cars across the street and finding stairs down to the waterfall on the west side of the overpass. Hopefully that information helps! A friendly police officer stopped by and told us more about the falls. He said the city cleans the area up and pipes in more water Memorial Day through Labor Day so that it’s safe for swimming! I’d love to come back here on a warm summer day and jump in! Even though we couldn’t swim during our visit, we set up a hammock and hung out for an hour or so. Our kids had fun peering into the water, getting glimpses of the fish, and climbing up and around all the little nearby caves. I can imagine this place gets pretty busy during the summer, given what a gem it is!
Wolf Creek Lake Waterfall- Palestine
Wolf Creek Lake is much different than I originally imagined it actually! I thought it was going to be in a well-kept park with easy access, like most of the other waterfalls I’ve mentioned. Turns out, Wolf Creek Lake is very secluded and mostly left to its natural state! There really isn’t even a parking lot! There is just a dirt turn around where you’ll need to pull off to park your car! There are no amenities either, so be sure to bring everything you need for your hike! To get to the waterfall you’ll need to walk across the dam and follow a trail down. You’ll be able to see the top of the waterfall from the dam. The view from the top is really cool! But I was nervous up there with my two year old, and didn’t want to get too close to the edge. The hike to the bottom of the falls is less than half a mile, covered in pine needles, and requires mild scrambling, which I was happy about! I brought my pack in case my toddler wanted to be carried, but he insisted on walking, so I needed to hold his hand most of the way down.
Once you make it to the stream, there isn’t a clear cut trail to the bottom of the falls. Be sure to wear waterproof shoes because the best way to the base is to walk from rock to rock across the creek, and there’s a good chance your shoes will get wet! There is a small islet at the base of the falls where you can take a break, get pictures, or participate in my son’s favorite activity: throwing rocks in the water. Hiking to these falls won’t take you much time, but it is definitely an adventure!
Turner Falls- Davis, Oklahoma
Turner Falls is probably the most well-known waterfall of the bunch, and for good reason! We’ve visited Turner Falls a handful of times and always enjoy our time there! Year round you can explore the cave and the castle at Turner Falls, but the best time to visit is in the summer when you can swim in the waterfall, the river, and pool at the base of the park. It does get crowded and the park does have limited capacity, so be sure to purchase your admission in advance when visiting in the summer! I have an entire post dedicated to our time at Turner Falls here if you’re interested in reading more!
Bonus Waterfalls:
There are a handful of other waterfalls in or near the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex but they didn’t make my cut on my reel because they are more man-made. If you aren’t picky about your waterfall chasings and enjoy the man-made falls too, here are some other places you should check out!
Fort Worth Water Gardens– an entire park full of unique architecture and landscaped water features.
Cleburne State Park– offers a hike to a spillway that can pass as a waterfall during high water days.
Vitruvian Park in Addison– is full of walking trails along a creek with built in waterfall features.
Dallas Arboretum– has a beautiful waterfall tunnel surrounded by gardens, flowers, and picnic areas.
Prairie Creek Park– follow the creek to a very picturesque waterfall! There are a few trails around this creek, dirt and paved. I love visiting this area in April when the excessive amounts of wildflowers are in bloom!
White Rock Lake spillway– the south end of White Rock Lake has a dam that resembles a waterfall!
Turtle Creek Park– in Highland park is beautifully manicured and has a dam that may give you your waterfall fix.
And if you really want a stretch– the waterfall on the Coors Light Billboard in Dallas is always an exciting sight to see as you’re driving along I-35! Haha!
