Good Beginner's Hike

Comments: This one has two trails, the Talala and the Duck Pond. The two trails are connected by a general use hiking trail. The hike was a fairly easy three hour hike, including a break for a light lunch. There were a couple of tough spots, mainly due to the elevation gain and soft ground. This particular Saturday was about 91 degrees, but it was not overly hot, and there were enough shady spots on the trail to keep it cool. Despite being next to Joe Pool Lake and very close to Dallas, it was surprisingly quiet in the park. We saw only three other sets of people during our hike. At one part of the Talala trail, the trail gets close enough to the lake that we heard boats, but other than that and the occasional airplane overhead, the solitude was great. I recommend this hike as a great beginner's hike, and there is enough scenery and wildlife to keep more experienced hikers interested as well. If you wait until a little later in the fall, there should actually be enough color to really make the park attractive.