Lots Of Limestone

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.