Cleburne State Park is a Quiet Park With a Big Heart

I’m beneath Cleburne State Park’s earthen dam on the White-Tail Hollow Trail. My path is cast in ethereal light as I duck and push my bike through a privet tunnel, densely interspersed with oak and hackberry trees. Sunlight is a scarce commodity down here, causing the Ashe juniper to grow high with straight trunks so their bluish green leaves can drink from the sun.

The 116-acre Cedar Lake resides on the other side of the dam. Its spring-fed waters pour over a three-stepped spillway built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Like many CCC projects it is a functional work of masonry art.

CCC Company 3804 lived and worked here from 1935 to 1940 building roads, the dam and the park’s signature stacked rock structures. Other remnants from Company 3804’s work camp were recently discovered when staff cleared away dense thicket and found the foundation for a koi pond, a water fountain and a large, stacked limestone burn pit. The area is closed to the public, but a tour can be arranged with park staff.

I finish my mountain bike ride on the park’s outer perimeter trails, navigating dense thickets along limestone ridges covered in fossils from the ancient sea that once resided here. Cleburne State Park’s adventures are much bigger than its acreage. When you hike or bike its network of trails you feel completely lost, immersed in nature, but the road or a campsite is never far away and the park is only 42 miles south of Fort Worth.

Because it is a smaller park, Cleburne State Park has the charm of a small town. Its volunteers are passionate, and the staff is dedicated, often fulfilling multiple roles in park operations to meet the needs of their visitors. Jaycee Fernandez is a maintenance ranger and additional duty safety officer. “The smaller parks don’t have a ton of staff. So, we do what we can with what we have,” Fernandez says. “Our community partners and friends’ groups are crucial to be able to do more than just the standard park operations.”

Cleburne has rugged trails and maybe the best paddling lake in Texas; it’s a quiet park with a big heart.

Poplar Point is on the shores of Cedar Lake and has RV sites with water, electric and sewer.Site number 45 gives you the best unencumbered view of the water and great fishing access. Site number 57 is the most private in the Poplar Point camp loop. It is the last spot on the lake, so your RV door or tent flap opens to a creek and no neighbors. North Creek Loop has full hookups and level spots for your larger RVs; Shady Springs has seven spacious sites with water and electric; Keyhole is perfect for large groups traveling together.

If you want to hang a hammock at your campsite, Cedar Grove is just as promised, and those hearty trunks are spaced perfectly to get your hammock game on.

There are three climate-controlled cabins that are the perfect basecamp for adventures in the park.

Three screened shelters let you bond with nature while keeping the bugs away.

This is a popular choice for church camps, family reunions or nature-centric conferences. The climate-controlled barracks can accommodate 48 overnight guests and include bathrooms as well as a separate, spacious dining hall.

The bridge is one of the first structures you see after passing through the park’s headquarters. It is easily accessible from the park road. Stop, capture your selfie and marvel at the hand-built piers that keep this bridge aloft.

Quarried from nearby Comanche Peak, the cut and stacked limestone of the CCC spillway is a must-see selfie spot. There are endless options here. You can stand at the spillway with the sheer limestone walls of Camp Creek in the background or sit at the base of the spillway with the stacked stone directly behind you. Your friends will think you’re sitting at the base of an Inca pyramid.

Cottontail rabbits, beavers and white-tailed deer roam about the park, and they’ve even had a bald eagle sighting. But there is another celebrity critter that resides in the park. His name is Stanley the Texas Tank, and he was a finalist in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Fat Squirrel Week. His routine dumpster dives keep his caloric intake high. He narrowly lost out to Dinosaur Valley’s Chunkosaurus Rex. Both were prominently featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. When you see Stanley, please don’t feed him but feel free to ask for his autograph.

More than 10 miles of trail snake through the whole park. If you want to feel lost, take the maze of spaghetti trails along Limestone Ridge. If you’re mountain biking, a counterclockwise direction around the perimeter trail works best. Trust me, you’ll want to descend from north to south on the Fossil Ridge Trail.

The Friends of Cleburne State Park group raised money to buy a mobile observatory for stargazing in the park. The observatory sits on a trailer and can be transported off-site to act as an ambassador for the park at schools and events. The observatory’s telescope projects the images on a flat screen so groups can observe celestial bodies in the night sky.

Drop a line off the pier or meander along the lake’s fishing trails from the beach to the dam and find that perfect honey hole.

One of the park’s most popular programs is “Watercolor in the Park” at Cedar Lodge. Park ranger Jaycee Fernandez guides you to find your inner artist and paint whatever inspires you. “Not everybody can hike a trail, but this is another great way to experience the outdoors,” says Fernandez. “Expressing ourselves through art in nature is another great way to recreate.”