I hiked the trails of Cleburne State Park as a part of a group.  I usually hike solo, but I thought it might be an interesting experience to hike with other trail lovers.  The group, consisting of men and women ranging from their early 20's to their mid-60s, also hiked Dinosaur Valley State Park the following day (you can read my log of that trail here).

The trails at Cleburne State Park span the entire park, which is comprised of many rolling hills made of limestone around a scenic lake.  There are a lot of loose limestone rocks on the trail that create the potential for slips, falls and twisted ankles, so my advice is to hike these trails with some good, stiff hiking boots that have thick lugs on them and use a hiking stick or trekking poles for balance.  Some people in the group wore sneakers and/or did not have any type of pole support and, as a result, some knee and ankle injuries occurred as well as blisters and sore feet.

The trails have numerous switchbacks, making it somewhat of a maze.  Fortunately, we had a guide that had mapped out a route in detail so we simply had to follow along as he led the way.  In many parts of the trail, the vegetation is fairly thick and provides some shade.  This was helpful given the temperature was around 90 degrees when we hiked.  Some of the ascents/descents are a little steep, but not too long, so they're not too bad.

Cleburne State Park also offers lots of places to camp overnight, but be aware that there is a Limestone Quarry adjacent to the park and noisy, heavy-duty construction vehicles operate during the night, so you may not get the best night's sleep.

Wildlife was definitely there!   While hiking around park on Fossil Ridge, Upper spillway trail, Coyote Run and Whispering Meadows,  I saw a 3 foot long snake (no rattle), many birds including turkey vultures, ducks and a hawk, and lots of squirrels.  And after dark I drove by a possum near lake, a bobcat at the dam and three does near entrance. 

$3 day fee.  Only met two people on hike around backside of lake, recent rain closed trail for bikes, but only a little mud, most of trail is rocky, and several gulleys.  Nice resting bench half way and at end of trail is cliffs w/ nice views over lake and spillway.  No water running over it, but some seepage below it into creek.   .  

  Went by nearby Ham Creek park but didn't go in.  Looks like $3 day fee too.  There is a hiking trail there but wasn't finished several months ago. 

Nice hike.  Lots of hills to go up and down.  Trail follows park boundrary so the sceenery isn't that great for most of the time.  Passed several mountain bikers but no other hikers.

I used to be a regular on this trail taking my dog for a walk on it about once a week.  I would either start from the Coyote Run end and go to the Spillway end and back or vice versa. There is a spot about halfway through where you can duck down the lakeside and take a dip. I like this aspect since it wasn't in a designated swimming area I would let my pooch take a good swim. Every once and awhile we would practice retrieval of decoys. Another nice plus is that the trail is well shaded in most areas. This length of th trail can be a little steep and rocky in spots but nothing unmanageable. There is a small steep spot around the spillway. The Camp Creek/Fossil Ridge/Whispering Meadow leg isn't quite as scenic and follows the fenceline a good bit of the way. The local mountain biking community has left a few amusing signs along this leg. There is one spot along this leg in particular that is a bit 'fun' on foot. I don't know how those folks on mountain bikes manage it. The entire loop is very popular with mountain bikers BTW. I think the local group is out there every Saturday morning at 10 AM. Just be prepared to yield when they coming barrelling over a hill. Its also always good for a giggle too when you see some poor bloke hefting his bike up the hill because it was too steep or they broke something. Supposedly the lake is one of the premier bass fishing spots in the state. The whole park can be quite busy during holiday weekends so be warned and be ready to run across a gaggle of scout troops. The shade along the trails makes this a reasonable trail compared to others during the 'hot' season.