Cedar Ridge Preserve covers 633 acres at an elevation of 755 feet, about nine miles of trails through native prairie, woodland and butterfly gardens. Its trails include Escarpment, Fossil Valley, Cedar Brake and Cattail Pond. In western Dallas County the White Rock Escarpment above the Mountain Creek valley is Austin Chalk, a marine rock with fossil shells, according to a University of North Texas field guide.
The land has a civic history. In 1975 the Greenhills Foundation bought 26 acres, and the Dallas Nature Center ran outdoor programs there. Ten years later Dallas County began buying property, and county and city land between Mountain Creek Parkway and FM 1382 was joined into the preserve. Audubon Dallas took over management in 2003. The City of Dallas, Dallas County and the Town of Cedar Hill own it jointly, and Audubon holds the managing contract.
In 2025 Audubon Dallas bought a 60-acre tract to the west, the Songbird Sanctuary, where native scrub gives nesting habitat to the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. The preserve is open Tuesday through Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to dusk. Admission is free, with a $5 donation suggested. Bicycles are not allowed, camping and fires are prohibited, and trails close after rain so that they do not erode. Parking is limited, so Audubon asks visitors to carpool on weekends.
The closest stops worth working into your route
Roadside plaques and monuments within a short detour