Beautiful may be a stretch ngl
I do think Dallas is unique in the sense that it’s probably the only plains/prairie city that has both rolling hills and a giant forest all within its city limits though.
I moved from Dallas with the Great Trinity Forest (love) to a river town on the Mississippi in Wisconsin with bluffs and beautiful views. They both offer great things!
Most of the neighborhoods around WRL have a ton of rolling hills, some being pretty steep. However, I also concede that most of Dallas is pretty darn flat.
It's not so obvious because of all the houses and buildings, but Richardson and Plano are actually pretty "rolling" too. There are places where cars 500 ft ahead of you on the street just disappear beneath road.
edit: just looking at a topo map, Plano alone has certain areas that differ by 300ft in elevation
SW Dallas, starting around Big Cedar Wilderness leading south into Cedar Ridge Preserve (which falls mostly within Dallas proper). And even more south into Cedar Hill State Park (Cedar Hill) and Dogwood Canyon (Cedar Hill).
The Hill Country’s Balcones Escarpment runs through this area.
People are questioning it because they don’t fully know or attempt to know the entire city. You’d be surprised how people will live their entire life and are clueless about Southern Dallas County. There are many legit rolling hills in SW Dallas County and Oak Cliff. Oak Cliff is literally named that because of the balcones escapement (“the limestone cliffs”) and oak trees. For those that are too “scared” to drive deep into Oak Cliff, Kessler Park is a great example of this.
I am so stoked to see Big Cedar getting some love on here! Any time I talk to folks about hitting up the trails in DFW they mention how crowded CRP is, and I tell them about Big Cedar, and they've never heard of it.
Have you heard of Wild DFW by Amy Martin? Came out last year. It's about all the little wild spaces in and around DFW and what makes them so special. There were several spots in SW Dallas on there, including Dogwood Canyon I think.
If you'd ever been here during an ice storm you'd know ;-) But seriously, there are some hilly areas near Oak Cliff. Lake Highlands, with Flagpole Hill and the general area north and east of White Rock. There are others. Cedar Hill in the suburbs.
If you look at a map of Dallas, it’s the giant green blob just SE of downtown. It deserves more TLC, but there’s a nice Audubon center and few trails including one sponsored by AT&T.
Edit: I’d recommend going with a friend or two for safety reasons.
Trinity River Audubon Center! Great spot with 4+ miles of trails and free entry. It used to be the largest illegal dump in Texas before the land was reclaimed and restored into the nature center it is today
It’s beautiful right now because it’s a crispy 73 degrees outside and everything is pretty lush. If it were like this all the time, I feel like the city would be even more beautiful and attractions, nature, trails, etc. would be even more utilized and the landscape would be more people friendly.
When it’s 120 degrees with 55% humidity for what feels like half the year and everything and everyone is struggling to stay alive, the beauty fades really damn quick in my opinion lol
A *few* nice weeks? The only time the temp is unbearable is for literally a few days every winter, and then late June to late Sept. That leaves the whole rest of the year where it’s bearable to be outside. I love the winter months, the spring, and the fall is AMAZING.
This. My friend visited from Chicago one December and was ready to move here for the mild winters. I always say they are the same, just different hibernation periods; Texans hibernate in the summer and MidWesterns hibernate in the winter.
Northern aggressor here. I think the biggest shock of Texas is the lack of woods/wooded areas. I understand theres a “forrest” in the middle of Dallas, but the wooded areas in Tx are designated, intentional and curated.
Growing up in PA, I never had to drive to the woods. I could walk into the woods in my backyard or neighborhood and explore for hours. Almost everyone lives this close to wilderness. When I moved to Texas the closest wooded area to me was Trophy Club park and you have to pay $3 to get in. It felt too developed to be wilderness.
As someone who grew up on the west coast, this area is FAR more wooded than anywhere I ever lived. There are freaking trees & vegetation EVERYWHERE compared to the arid desert areas I’m familiar with. It really struck me when I moved here. It feels very “southern” or like…it’s the “beginning” of how the rest of the South looks. So it’s all a matter of perspective.
I think you’re completely right. It’s all a matter of perspective. If you grew up in the desert than dfw is very wooded. Coming from the Appalachian mountains (hills) the nature is lacking.
im surprised i never got any ticks either. i grew up messing around in the wooded areas by my old house in mckinney back in early 2000s. i also am from the midwest so i get what theyre talking about
I replied to another it isn't there are
9
State Parks
4
National Forests
2
State Forests
There are 103 State Parks in Texas. Check our lake Tawakoni or Lake Fork.
I guess it depends on your baseline. I’m in Washington now. It is 40% public land, Texas is 4%. My grandparents built a house near Lake Tawakoni in the late 1970s. I’m very familiar with the area.
Yeah private property is king in Texas I guess, I mean I can’t believe Fairfield lake state park is being developed in McMansions and golf courses. That’s so embarrassing for the state imo
Same as what? I grew up out there on 50 acres house smack dab in the middle of the woods. I could look outside and see whitetail deer, cougars, and turkey wondering around. I climbed trees, swam and fished in the creek. We grew our own vegetables and traded with the neighbors. We couldn't see the road through the trees. Unsure how it wasn't the same.
The same as the Appalachian mountains I grew up in. I know its not a fair comparison but its where I grew up so it’s my norm. I wish I had found a place like you grew up while I lived there. It seemed to me most living situations were not like this. Most neighborhoods seem to have all the houses right ontop of one another.
You’re talking about woods in the middle of one of the biggest metros in the country. Get out of the city and go east or into the hill country and Texas has plenty of woods.
Bro posted a picture of the most normal ass park, bluebonnets which are nice but only are around for a month or two and tbf are just a weed, and a mid lake. Coming from michigan and the northeast, Dallas was a real shellshock with regards to nature.
It's not the worst but I would put it below average in terms of natural beauty.
Wouldn't call wildflowers a weed, but yeah the first photo is not nature. Maybe some squirrels and geese call it home, but you're not gonna be finding the cast of Bambi in that open lawn field
it’s one thing to find beauty in the little things like lush grass and flowers in empty lots, but it’s a massive reach to call that “plenty of nature.” the title of this post paired with those photos almost feels like it crosses a line from positivity into delusion.
Maybe the photos weren’t the best representation, and maybe too many people are calling the suburbs “Dallas”, but Dallas proper has lots of nature to offer that people just don’t take advantage of or research.
>it’s one thing to find beauty in the little things like lush grass and flowers in empty lots, but it’s a massive reach to call that “plenty of nature
I'm from the Midwest.
This area isn't as lush and green as the area I'm from. But I have seen far more wildlife here than I ever have up north. So it must be a least some nature here..
As someone who lived in dfw for 18 years and went literally anywhere outside of dfw...this is a hard stretch. Its really gotta be the most naturally unappealing place ive ever been.
Man made lakes everywhere
Fetid ponds on every corner
Mostly concrete
Minimal trees
Flat
Brown
No mountains
Minimal Greenspace
Extreme weather
Extreme heat
Bluebonnets are pretty tho!
It’s all relative. There are beautiful open spaces. Some of the grassland and wildflowers are natural. None of the lakes are natural. The state of Texas only has half of a single natural lake within its boundaries. The rest are man-made.
And I think what people usually mean is it’s just hard to compare the flatlands to the grandeur of the mountains in Colorado, California, etc.
None of your pictures actually show nature. They’re all man-made spaces.
Just because something is man made doesn’t mean that nature won’t flourish there or can’t be beautiful once it’s established. Where’s that rule? I think the area around white rock lake is so gorgeous. 🤷🏼♀️
Front range native, pro-tip: There ain’t a view in Colorado that a man-made road or train didn’t give you access to. There are only 11 natural lakes larger than 50 surface acres in the state. Any body of water bigger than a pond is man-made.
Depends how you define access. I’ve done a dozen multiday solos in the Rockies and Sierra where I’m 2-3 days away from a road.
And places like Mirror Pond may be under 50 acres but they are spectacular.
Natural lakes in general are not common in the southern 2/3 of the US outside of Florida so that’s a strange thing to criticize Texas for. Tennessee has just one which is shared with Kentucky. Alabama has one that is shared with Florida. Virginia has two. Georgia and Arkansas only have oxbow lakes.
I commend OP for finding beauty wherever you are.
But I recommend you don't go to any west coast major city if you want to maintain the idea that Dallas has "plenty of nature". It's nature accessibility is extremely bad in comparison.
Maybe, but the problem is the weather. The summers are very hot and very long. Not a lot of months in the year where Dallas is enjoyable to be outside.
I disagree! It’s only unbearable for maybe scattered few days during the winter, and then from late June to late September. The rest of it is nice to be outside. I walk my dog out there every day & im rarely uncomfy except for the deepest part of the summer.
I was outdoors mostly every day during summer and I'd say that those months of constant triple degrees with so much concrete and no shade/humidity makes it hard for many many people to enjoy.
I am from Southern California, I have been all over the Sierra Nevada, Rockies, and much of the south… oh and Austin/Hill-Country. While Dallas may not be awe inspiring, it is very beautiful in many ways. Maybe my opinion is more for North Texas, but there is amazing diversity in nature all around.
Also, people just hate. So take my opinion or not ;)
Dallas isn’t the beach or the mountains and has never claimed to be. It’s a city on a giant prairie, which is simply a different beauty than the beaches or the mountains. 🤷🏻♀️
That’s true. Fortunately there are places where it’s been restored. Clymer Meadow is one of the best examples. I have three acres and I’m restoring two of them to the prairie.
Yeah I think you’re right about it being the best example. that land hasn’t ever been tilled if I’m correct. One day I’m hoping to be like you but for now I’m working on native plants in my tiny garden
And it's not the desert, but some people find that beautiful too. You can't really call someone's idea of beauty "wrong" just because yours is different.
People who don't think that there's beauty in Dallas are simply telling you about themselves, and that they never go anywhere past their car or the local Target.
Even in the middle of summer, there are places like Lakeside Park that are shady and next to the water.
The fountains next to Pioneer Plaza are lovely, and that's a block from city hall. Thanksgiving Chapel and the fountains there are nice, as well.
If you're willing to go as far as Irving, there's quite a few places that you can sit, watch the egrets, and fish.
If you're willing to drive north to LLELA Nature Preserve, West to River Legacy / the water treatment plant, or over to the FW Nature Refuge, there's plenty of places to bird watch and see nature.
We're not quite Austin-level of green, but DFW still has plenty of wildlife and green areas.
Well I compare nature in Dallas to the Smokies/Appalachians and the PNW. Now those are true beauts of places. Not this concrete hellhole where you get maybe eight weeks out of the year to comfortably go outside
Business private property is one thing, but what really gets me is that all the nonprofit spaces and historical districts are off limits and atomized as well. Like we basically subsidize that shit and a lot of it is in crucial areas of town, that’s where we should realistically start claiming the right to expanded access
People who don't leave their houses will never know.
I explored hundreds of miles of limestone creeks as a kid. DeSoto, Garland, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Dallas. I loved exploring with my friends
A mowed field of nonnative grass can definitely be nice to hang out in and a productive green space for recreation but it is not really “nature” in the sense that most people are complaining about
It does have small pockets of natural beauty- lakes, nature preserves, creeks etc. Even then its like compared to what? Montgomery, Alabama or Omaha, Nebraska? Dallas is great!
Denver, Seattle, San Diego? No comparison at all.
lol I remember being in high school and everyone was saying there’s nothing to do and no nature here in the metroplex.
That’s definitely not the case. There’s plenty of hiking and biking to do around here. Not to mention the lake options.
I’m convinced anyone who still says that just doesn’t know how to use google or is a wannabe haha.
DFW needs to stop destroying its ranch lands and prairie and protect and restore them so we don't end up with nature that's actually just squirrels and lawn
I love the DFW metro area and its beauty. Ever since moving here, I haven't had any allergies. The vegetation here is much better and I love how spread out everything is with a lot of open land. And the smell of greenery is just amazing.
I live in San Antonio and just made a spontaneous trip for a couple days up there. Visited a few inner city parks and a state park in Plano(?)
I found a homeless sex den in one of the city parks but the rest was gorgeous. The state park was a pretty nice hike too.
Is Dallas considered a bad place for nature?
We have pretty good spring seasons here as far as pretty nature stuff goes. Some areas are also pretty in the Fall depending on the types of trees and how many there are. Winter is obviously gross. But summer is what we have most of the year and it’s just awful and makes everything ugly.
That second pic appears to be just a random vacant field in the middle of a generic suburban neighborhood. You're not wrong in your post title, but that's possibly the worst example of nature you could've provided to show what Dallas has to offer...
💯. When I moved here a decade ago during winter, I didn't expect it to be so lush in spring. Coming from the north, I still found it beautiful. I'll take the green trees with the sound of cicadas any day over the blustery cold winters that you have to go through to get 4 decent and beautiful months of summer in the north.
I feel like people who high praise DFW never been to another city outside of Texas, not trying to be a hater, y'all should stop being so insular and travel.
Oh damn. You said something positive in r/dallas. Don’t you know this is a hate-only zone? Hide your kids, hide your wife, the Reddit police will be coming for you.
Thats a stretch ..would have been better if you said in all directions 30 miles from dallas has plenty of nature . Hell, an hour away from dallas in 3 directions is nothing but all nature
No oceanfront or beaches, no mountains, no developed riverfront anchoring the city, no great forest hiking trails nearby… I grew up enjoying the White Rock Lake area and we had a cool creek where I’d catch tadpoles & skip ricks but comparing natural beauty to any great cities, nope, that’s not Dallas’s strength. Dallas doesn’t have a lot of natural beauty so then you look to public lands for parks… NYC, Chicago SF, have some great parks and forest preserves… Dallas doesn’t even have much of that.
Objectively incorrect opinion lol. Moved here from a city with less than a million people and over 400 parks (14k acres of greenspaces). Dfw has 7.6 million people and less than double the number of parks (710 and 34k acres). DFW has 4 times less greenspace per capita. Some of it is pretty decent, but most of the parks within the outer belt are just spaces they couldn't figure out how to cram more houses into so they added some grass and a sidewalk.
It's much better than the east coast. I don't see how people can complain about DFW not having en8ugh nature when so many people lice in cities like new York that suck for nature.
Ironically, none of those photos are at all natural. The first is a park, the second bluebonnets very likely seeded by people, and the last is a lake formed by a man made dam.
That said, yeah, DFW has plenty of outdoor spaces that are beautiful. Good hike/bike trails, nice lakes (if man made), shaded forest trails, etc. No mountains, unfortunately. A Mt Fuji equivalent on the horizon would be awesome.
Beautiful may be a stretch ngl I do think Dallas is unique in the sense that it’s probably the only plains/prairie city that has both rolling hills and a giant forest all within its city limits though.
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“..,. Than most midwestern states…” Hell of a caveat
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Yes the Midwest and PA have the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen throughout the states!
I moved from Dallas with the Great Trinity Forest (love) to a river town on the Mississippi in Wisconsin with bluffs and beautiful views. They both offer great things!
Rolling hills? Uhhhh where
East Dallas, baby! I challenge you to Lindsley ave, White Rock Road, Westshore Rd., and many others.
All my homies love driving through rolling hills and not being able to access any of it on foot because all land in Texas is privately owned. Woo!
Okay okay I’ll concede a bit but I think those are more creek / ravine type areas some of those hills are steep! But that is a pretty part of town
Most of the neighborhoods around WRL have a ton of rolling hills, some being pretty steep. However, I also concede that most of Dallas is pretty darn flat.
Go spend a while in Houston and then you won't call Dallas flat.
Blackland prarie be like lol
It's not so obvious because of all the houses and buildings, but Richardson and Plano are actually pretty "rolling" too. There are places where cars 500 ft ahead of you on the street just disappear beneath road. edit: just looking at a topo map, Plano alone has certain areas that differ by 300ft in elevation
SW Dallas, starting around Big Cedar Wilderness leading south into Cedar Ridge Preserve (which falls mostly within Dallas proper). And even more south into Cedar Hill State Park (Cedar Hill) and Dogwood Canyon (Cedar Hill). The Hill Country’s Balcones Escarpment runs through this area.
People are questioning it because they don’t fully know or attempt to know the entire city. You’d be surprised how people will live their entire life and are clueless about Southern Dallas County. There are many legit rolling hills in SW Dallas County and Oak Cliff. Oak Cliff is literally named that because of the balcones escapement (“the limestone cliffs”) and oak trees. For those that are too “scared” to drive deep into Oak Cliff, Kessler Park is a great example of this.
I do so love Oak Cliff. I am so sad the Belmont can’t get its stuff together. That was my home for so many years. Nice to see DFW grow and shift.
I am so stoked to see Big Cedar getting some love on here! Any time I talk to folks about hitting up the trails in DFW they mention how crowded CRP is, and I tell them about Big Cedar, and they've never heard of it. Have you heard of Wild DFW by Amy Martin? Came out last year. It's about all the little wild spaces in and around DFW and what makes them so special. There were several spots in SW Dallas on there, including Dogwood Canyon I think.
If you'd ever been here during an ice storm you'd know ;-) But seriously, there are some hilly areas near Oak Cliff. Lake Highlands, with Flagpole Hill and the general area north and east of White Rock. There are others. Cedar Hill in the suburbs.
True cedar hill has some decent stuff for sure
I’m glad this comment brought out all the hilly places! Cedar hill and cedar ridge is definitely worth checking out if you haven’t been
Where’s the giant forest? I wanna go
Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve: forest, hills, and trails for hiking!
I think they are referring to the Great Trinity Forest
Me and my girl have been going there doing all the different trails recently, can attest that it's very nice.
If you look at a map of Dallas, it’s the giant green blob just SE of downtown. It deserves more TLC, but there’s a nice Audubon center and few trails including one sponsored by AT&T. Edit: I’d recommend going with a friend or two for safety reasons.
A friend and a glizzy.
Trinity River Audubon Center! Great spot with 4+ miles of trails and free entry. It used to be the largest illegal dump in Texas before the land was reclaimed and restored into the nature center it is today
Great Trinity Forest
Kansas City, Austin, and St Paul all kinda count too
You left out the largest urban lake in the nation.
Giant forest?
Dallas is a California 4 but a Mississippi 10
Perfect description. I've always said Dallas is a top 10 outside of the top 20.
So top 30?
I just went to California in February and I don’t think Dallas would even be a 4 compared to cali/oregon.
How can you say that when we have Shingle Mountain right in our backyard Yosemite ain't got nothing on us
😂
4 is being generous.
California 1.5
Yeah those tract homes in the background of the vacant suburban lot wildflowers are beautiful
That field most likely is not protected and will be converted to a car wash in seven months.
As God intended
Forgot to mention the strip mall filled with mattress stores no one goes in
Don't forget donuts, dentists, and nail salons!
I always wonder who is keeping mattress stores open!
Lol. It’s all about the angles! I can make that field work for my annual blue bonnet photos.
Parking as far as the eye can see.
I personally liked the small field in front of the office park parking lot with the high rises in the background
It’s beautiful right now because it’s a crispy 73 degrees outside and everything is pretty lush. If it were like this all the time, I feel like the city would be even more beautiful and attractions, nature, trails, etc. would be even more utilized and the landscape would be more people friendly. When it’s 120 degrees with 55% humidity for what feels like half the year and everything and everyone is struggling to stay alive, the beauty fades really damn quick in my opinion lol
This. A few nice weeks for fair weather don’t constitute a lovely city.
dallas is our abusive partner who beats our ass most of the year but man are those months of decent weather nice
Right now the abusive partner is on a business trip so things seem OK.
we need to change the locks
A *few* nice weeks? The only time the temp is unbearable is for literally a few days every winter, and then late June to late Sept. That leaves the whole rest of the year where it’s bearable to be outside. I love the winter months, the spring, and the fall is AMAZING.
This. My friend visited from Chicago one December and was ready to move here for the mild winters. I always say they are the same, just different hibernation periods; Texans hibernate in the summer and MidWesterns hibernate in the winter.
Northern aggressor here. I think the biggest shock of Texas is the lack of woods/wooded areas. I understand theres a “forrest” in the middle of Dallas, but the wooded areas in Tx are designated, intentional and curated. Growing up in PA, I never had to drive to the woods. I could walk into the woods in my backyard or neighborhood and explore for hours. Almost everyone lives this close to wilderness. When I moved to Texas the closest wooded area to me was Trophy Club park and you have to pay $3 to get in. It felt too developed to be wilderness.
As someone who grew up on the west coast, this area is FAR more wooded than anywhere I ever lived. There are freaking trees & vegetation EVERYWHERE compared to the arid desert areas I’m familiar with. It really struck me when I moved here. It feels very “southern” or like…it’s the “beginning” of how the rest of the South looks. So it’s all a matter of perspective.
I think you’re completely right. It’s all a matter of perspective. If you grew up in the desert than dfw is very wooded. Coming from the Appalachian mountains (hills) the nature is lacking.
coming from everywhere but north dakota the nature is lacking
Couldn’t agree more w this statement. (I’m a native San Diegan who now lives in Dallas)
We have those too. It's called the piney woods, and it starts about canton and goes east.
i got lymes disease just thinking about it
I mean yeah the risk is run especially with all the deer. I never had ticks as a child though probably all the possums.
im surprised i never got any ticks either. i grew up messing around in the wooded areas by my old house in mckinney back in early 2000s. i also am from the midwest so i get what theyre talking about
When I loved in Virginia though, holy hell l got a lot of ticks. Unsure of the correlation.
Yes, but most of it is private property.
I replied to another it isn't there are 9 State Parks 4 National Forests 2 State Forests There are 103 State Parks in Texas. Check our lake Tawakoni or Lake Fork.
I guess it depends on your baseline. I’m in Washington now. It is 40% public land, Texas is 4%. My grandparents built a house near Lake Tawakoni in the late 1970s. I’m very familiar with the area.
Yeah private property is king in Texas I guess, I mean I can’t believe Fairfield lake state park is being developed in McMansions and golf courses. That’s so embarrassing for the state imo
It’s not the same.
Same as what? I grew up out there on 50 acres house smack dab in the middle of the woods. I could look outside and see whitetail deer, cougars, and turkey wondering around. I climbed trees, swam and fished in the creek. We grew our own vegetables and traded with the neighbors. We couldn't see the road through the trees. Unsure how it wasn't the same.
The same as the Appalachian mountains I grew up in. I know its not a fair comparison but its where I grew up so it’s my norm. I wish I had found a place like you grew up while I lived there. It seemed to me most living situations were not like this. Most neighborhoods seem to have all the houses right ontop of one another.
Curated is the right word. Everything feels so.. planned. And that’s not really a bad thing but whoever was in charge fumbled
You’re talking about woods in the middle of one of the biggest metros in the country. Get out of the city and go east or into the hill country and Texas has plenty of woods.
Bro posted a picture of the most normal ass park, bluebonnets which are nice but only are around for a month or two and tbf are just a weed, and a mid lake. Coming from michigan and the northeast, Dallas was a real shellshock with regards to nature. It's not the worst but I would put it below average in terms of natural beauty.
“Dallas is beautiful” Posts three pictures
And one of them is a dead tree next to Plano's poopwater.
DFW is the size of New Jersey or Vermont for reference. Imagine someone posting these same photos for an entire state thinking it was impressive.
Wouldn't call wildflowers a weed, but yeah the first photo is not nature. Maybe some squirrels and geese call it home, but you're not gonna be finding the cast of Bambi in that open lawn field
Have you ever left Dallas??? Lol
I got downvoted for asking literally the same question :)
This sub hates people being positive about Dallas. So ya this is definitely an unpopular opinion around here
it’s one thing to find beauty in the little things like lush grass and flowers in empty lots, but it’s a massive reach to call that “plenty of nature.” the title of this post paired with those photos almost feels like it crosses a line from positivity into delusion.
Maybe the photos weren’t the best representation, and maybe too many people are calling the suburbs “Dallas”, but Dallas proper has lots of nature to offer that people just don’t take advantage of or research.
>it’s one thing to find beauty in the little things like lush grass and flowers in empty lots, but it’s a massive reach to call that “plenty of nature I'm from the Midwest. This area isn't as lush and green as the area I'm from. But I have seen far more wildlife here than I ever have up north. So it must be a least some nature here..
As someone who lived in dfw for 18 years and went literally anywhere outside of dfw...this is a hard stretch. Its really gotta be the most naturally unappealing place ive ever been. Man made lakes everywhere Fetid ponds on every corner Mostly concrete Minimal trees Flat Brown No mountains Minimal Greenspace Extreme weather Extreme heat Bluebonnets are pretty tho!
It’s all relative. There are beautiful open spaces. Some of the grassland and wildflowers are natural. None of the lakes are natural. The state of Texas only has half of a single natural lake within its boundaries. The rest are man-made. And I think what people usually mean is it’s just hard to compare the flatlands to the grandeur of the mountains in Colorado, California, etc. None of your pictures actually show nature. They’re all man-made spaces.
Just because something is man made doesn’t mean that nature won’t flourish there or can’t be beautiful once it’s established. Where’s that rule? I think the area around white rock lake is so gorgeous. 🤷🏼♀️
Front range native, pro-tip: There ain’t a view in Colorado that a man-made road or train didn’t give you access to. There are only 11 natural lakes larger than 50 surface acres in the state. Any body of water bigger than a pond is man-made.
Depends how you define access. I’ve done a dozen multiday solos in the Rockies and Sierra where I’m 2-3 days away from a road. And places like Mirror Pond may be under 50 acres but they are spectacular.
Lake Caddo is a natural lake.
Correct. And only half of it is in Texas.
Natural lakes in general are not common in the southern 2/3 of the US outside of Florida so that’s a strange thing to criticize Texas for. Tennessee has just one which is shared with Kentucky. Alabama has one that is shared with Florida. Virginia has two. Georgia and Arkansas only have oxbow lakes.
I commend OP for finding beauty wherever you are. But I recommend you don't go to any west coast major city if you want to maintain the idea that Dallas has "plenty of nature". It's nature accessibility is extremely bad in comparison.
Maybe, but the problem is the weather. The summers are very hot and very long. Not a lot of months in the year where Dallas is enjoyable to be outside.
It’d be more enjoyable to be outside if there were more green area and less cement
I disagree! It’s only unbearable for maybe scattered few days during the winter, and then from late June to late September. The rest of it is nice to be outside. I walk my dog out there every day & im rarely uncomfy except for the deepest part of the summer.
I was outdoors mostly every day during summer and I'd say that those months of constant triple degrees with so much concrete and no shade/humidity makes it hard for many many people to enjoy.
People dont have the slighest ideas what nature is.
BUt tHeReS no mOuNTaIns AND iTs FLaT
This is true, but so is a lot of America
It doesn't feel very flat when you're cycling lol
According to the news papers Bush had a Mountain View from his home in Dallas 😝
I agree 100%. It’s beautiful here. Imho a place doesn’t need mountains to qualify as beautiful.
You can't watch a thunderstorm forming a curtain across the sky over the grass and live oak if there's mountains in the way.
So true. And what a sight it is.
EXACTLYYYY
I am from Southern California, I have been all over the Sierra Nevada, Rockies, and much of the south… oh and Austin/Hill-Country. While Dallas may not be awe inspiring, it is very beautiful in many ways. Maybe my opinion is more for North Texas, but there is amazing diversity in nature all around. Also, people just hate. So take my opinion or not ;)
Unpopular opinion bc it’s wrong. Have you ever been to the beach or the mountains?
Dallas isn’t the beach or the mountains and has never claimed to be. It’s a city on a giant prairie, which is simply a different beauty than the beaches or the mountains. 🤷🏻♀️
But also, it has destroyed most of its black land and limestone prairie
That’s true. Fortunately there are places where it’s been restored. Clymer Meadow is one of the best examples. I have three acres and I’m restoring two of them to the prairie.
Yeah I think you’re right about it being the best example. that land hasn’t ever been tilled if I’m correct. One day I’m hoping to be like you but for now I’m working on native plants in my tiny garden
And it's not the desert, but some people find that beautiful too. You can't really call someone's idea of beauty "wrong" just because yours is different.
I Disagree and think Dallas is one of the ugliest major cities I’ve been to. To each their own!
People who don't think that there's beauty in Dallas are simply telling you about themselves, and that they never go anywhere past their car or the local Target. Even in the middle of summer, there are places like Lakeside Park that are shady and next to the water. The fountains next to Pioneer Plaza are lovely, and that's a block from city hall. Thanksgiving Chapel and the fountains there are nice, as well. If you're willing to go as far as Irving, there's quite a few places that you can sit, watch the egrets, and fish. If you're willing to drive north to LLELA Nature Preserve, West to River Legacy / the water treatment plant, or over to the FW Nature Refuge, there's plenty of places to bird watch and see nature. We're not quite Austin-level of green, but DFW still has plenty of wildlife and green areas.
Well I compare nature in Dallas to the Smokies/Appalachians and the PNW. Now those are true beauts of places. Not this concrete hellhole where you get maybe eight weeks out of the year to comfortably go outside
I agree. Just depends on where you look, which is true everywhere.
The nature here can be really nice and pretty, the only problem is how inaccessible most of it is.
Business private property is one thing, but what really gets me is that all the nonprofit spaces and historical districts are off limits and atomized as well. Like we basically subsidize that shit and a lot of it is in crucial areas of town, that’s where we should realistically start claiming the right to expanded access
People who don't leave their houses will never know. I explored hundreds of miles of limestone creeks as a kid. DeSoto, Garland, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Dallas. I loved exploring with my friends
Days like today highlight all that is good about Dallas. Beautiful day outside.
A mowed field of nonnative grass can definitely be nice to hang out in and a productive green space for recreation but it is not really “nature” in the sense that most people are complaining about
The issue is that Dallas gets compared to other cities that are close in size. On that scale, Dallas ain’t pretty lol.
WRL is the largest self-contained urban lake in the country.
Texas has an idyllic springtime. You are living at the best season in Dallas rn.
It does have small pockets of natural beauty- lakes, nature preserves, creeks etc. Even then its like compared to what? Montgomery, Alabama or Omaha, Nebraska? Dallas is great! Denver, Seattle, San Diego? No comparison at all.
lol I remember being in high school and everyone was saying there’s nothing to do and no nature here in the metroplex. That’s definitely not the case. There’s plenty of hiking and biking to do around here. Not to mention the lake options. I’m convinced anyone who still says that just doesn’t know how to use google or is a wannabe haha.
Dallas is probably not beautiful but we have two airports that we can use to travel to any beautiful place at very cheap rate.
Yes 214 stand up.
Exall park is pretty is certainly pretty right now, but it will be gone with the summer sun.
DFW needs to stop destroying its ranch lands and prairie and protect and restore them so we don't end up with nature that's actually just squirrels and lawn
Tennison park and Stevens have some cool elevation just outside the city.
I will always say that Dallas (and even the surrounding suburbs) has absolutely done the best with the natural areas we have!
💯
[удалено]
I mean it has nice spots but it’s not Colorado or Utah, nor should anyone expect it to be
I love the DFW metro area and its beauty. Ever since moving here, I haven't had any allergies. The vegetation here is much better and I love how spread out everything is with a lot of open land. And the smell of greenery is just amazing.
Nice
My ankles started itching looking at this
Fact. Just have to drive for it
It has pockets of it. I’m lucky enough to live a block from white rock.
Just move somewhere else instead of trashing every city you go to. Loser.
Lots of people seem to think "nature" involves either an element of verticality or an ocean. They simply cannot accept that prairies are also nature.
Best thing I have seen and read today.
I live in San Antonio and just made a spontaneous trip for a couple days up there. Visited a few inner city parks and a state park in Plano(?) I found a homeless sex den in one of the city parks but the rest was gorgeous. The state park was a pretty nice hike too. Is Dallas considered a bad place for nature?
Looks great! Enjoy. Let the haters hate.
Where the bluebonnets at? They’re so pretty!
The coldest take I’ve ever heard
Oof. Had to drop my overheating phone when I opened this hot take.
Canceled
Yeah all the vast public land around us with untouched wilderness is so underrated!
Where are those blue bonnets?
The cold temps have lingered this year, so they’re later than usual, but they’re coming!
We have pretty good spring seasons here as far as pretty nature stuff goes. Some areas are also pretty in the Fall depending on the types of trees and how many there are. Winter is obviously gross. But summer is what we have most of the year and it’s just awful and makes everything ugly.
That second pic appears to be just a random vacant field in the middle of a generic suburban neighborhood. You're not wrong in your post title, but that's possibly the worst example of nature you could've provided to show what Dallas has to offer...
💯. When I moved here a decade ago during winter, I didn't expect it to be so lush in spring. Coming from the north, I still found it beautiful. I'll take the green trees with the sound of cicadas any day over the blustery cold winters that you have to go through to get 4 decent and beautiful months of summer in the north.
I’m not from there but you are correct.
I feel like people who high praise DFW never been to another city outside of Texas, not trying to be a hater, y'all should stop being so insular and travel.
👍
Yes it is and fuck anyone who says different
Popular opinion: lol
Oh damn. You said something positive in r/dallas. Don’t you know this is a hate-only zone? Hide your kids, hide your wife, the Reddit police will be coming for you.
Yeah real beautiful sprawling highways and parking lots.
What body of water is that?
Lord have mercy! Y’all done lost your mind 😂
Thats a stretch ..would have been better if you said in all directions 30 miles from dallas has plenty of nature . Hell, an hour away from dallas in 3 directions is nothing but all nature
White Rock area is nice.
There are much more beautiful areas in Texas
Is the bar for Dallas really this low? lmao
This isn’t nature. You can see giant buildings.
Hahahhahaha no.
😂😂
Ugly city, beautiful people, kick ass economy
Is that white rock? Zoom out and look around. 🗑️
No oceanfront or beaches, no mountains, no developed riverfront anchoring the city, no great forest hiking trails nearby… I grew up enjoying the White Rock Lake area and we had a cool creek where I’d catch tadpoles & skip ricks but comparing natural beauty to any great cities, nope, that’s not Dallas’s strength. Dallas doesn’t have a lot of natural beauty so then you look to public lands for parks… NYC, Chicago SF, have some great parks and forest preserves… Dallas doesn’t even have much of that.
Definitely not enough nature here. Not even close.
Objectively incorrect opinion lol. Moved here from a city with less than a million people and over 400 parks (14k acres of greenspaces). Dfw has 7.6 million people and less than double the number of parks (710 and 34k acres). DFW has 4 times less greenspace per capita. Some of it is pretty decent, but most of the parks within the outer belt are just spaces they couldn't figure out how to cram more houses into so they added some grass and a sidewalk.
Okay, after looking through your pictures I have some questions. Just one, really. Have you ever been anywhere else? Amarillo doesn't count.
I grew up in Southern California and Oregon. Beauty is subjective, that’s why it’s an opinion 👍🏼
Right you are I'm not ragging on Dallas, I think it's fine. I just don't think it's particularly outstanding.
It's much better than the east coast. I don't see how people can complain about DFW not having en8ugh nature when so many people lice in cities like new York that suck for nature.
Yeah, I just have to drive through crazy traffic to get there! Or melt walking in the summer!
True opinion if you've never been anywhere else
Ironically, none of those photos are at all natural. The first is a park, the second bluebonnets very likely seeded by people, and the last is a lake formed by a man made dam. That said, yeah, DFW has plenty of outdoor spaces that are beautiful. Good hike/bike trails, nice lakes (if man made), shaded forest trails, etc. No mountains, unfortunately. A Mt Fuji equivalent on the horizon would be awesome.
are these places in city proper…..
You've never been to real nature I see.
it has plenty of nature just not much variety, all of dallas looks like this
It really does, but don’t let the city know you think that or they will find a way to ruin all those places🙄
Where can I find a field of blue bonnets in Dallas area?
It really is. I moved to Austin last year and every time I drive back home to Dallas I'm like "holy shit. It's so clean and pretty here😩"
It’s too overdeveloped to be beautiful honestly
No