14 Fabulous Lakes in Dallas

If you are looking for a great list of lakes in Dallas (and nearby), you are in the right place! We grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and still call it home today, so we know all its fabulous lakes.

Escaping the summer heat in Texas is an absolute must, but staying in the air conditioning always gets boring. That is when you will see Texans heading out to the lake.

Our Texas lakes provide relief from the heat and fun activities, so let’s check out all of the Dallas lakes!

Of course, if you visit Dallas during one of the fabulous Texas road trips, add one of these lakes to your itinerary!

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Lakes in Dallas

White Rock Lake

Head about 5.5 miles northeast of downtown Dallas to find this popular lake.

What originated as a reservoir to help provide drinking water to the area has become one of the most popular lakes in North Texas.

White Rock Lake is busy both during the week and on the weekends.

Dallasites flock to White Rock Lake to enjoy some time outdoors. Popular activities at White Rock Lake include paddle boarding, kayaking, and canoeing.

If you are in the mood for some exercise, you can make that happen at this Texas lake thanks to the 9+ mile paved trail that circles the lake. People enjoy the walking trails for walking, jogging, and cycling!

The fact that this lake is bordered on one side by The Dallas Arboretum makes for a beautiful backdrop. It is no wonder that White Rock is also one of our recommended Dallas date ideas.

This is just one of the best lakes in Dallas to enjoy a day outside.

Bachman Lake

Bachman Lake is in northwest Dallas. This small lake has been on the comeback in recent years thanks to a renewed environmental effort from the local community.

The 3.5-mile path surrounding the lake is the perfect place to exercise biking or jogging.

Bachman Lake is also popular with fishermen, who are known to catch largemouth bass and channel catfish there.

While visiting Bachman Lake, check out the Bachman Recreation Center and consider participating in the activities offered at its indoor aquatic center.

Read Next: Weekend Getaways in Texas

Joe Pool Lake

Joe Pool Lake is located about 30 minutes southwest of the city center in Cedar Hill, which is still part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Joe Pool Lake originated for the area’s residents but has quickly grown to be one of the premier lakes in North Texas.

That can be attributed to the fabulous parkland surrounding the 7,500-acre lake.

You will find Cedar Hill State Park on the lake’s eastern shore. If you want to enjoy a weekend in nature, then Cedar Hill State Park is the place for you.

Grab your tent and head to find the perfect place to go tent camping.

This lakeside park offers 350 developed campsites with restrooms and hot showers, as well as primitive campsites that can be reached by hiking.

Once settled, you can explore the 1,200 acres of hiking and mountain biking trails before hitting the lake for water sports.

Of course, you can also fish while visiting Cedar Hill State Park.

The best part about fishing in a state park is that you don’t have to have a fishing license when shore fishing or pier fishing!

On the northwest side of Joe Pool Lake, you will find Loyd Park.

There is an entry fee per car, but that is because Loyd Park is loaded with amenities. This park offers guests a volleyball court, playground, picnic tables, and more.

The northwest side of the lake is home to Lynn Creek State Park.

Lynn Creek is another Texas park that charges guests a per-car fee to enjoy its amenities. These include volleyball courts, baseball fields, boat ramps, and a swimming beach.

You will find Lynn Creek Marina at the lake’s north end.

This is a great place to rent a boat before heading to Party Cove, where the party is.

Of course, all the parks offer lake access to fun recreational activities.

Lake Arlington

Lake Arlington is located about 20 minutes west of downtown Dallas.

This is one of the best lakes in the area for bass fishing, and they even host a bass tournament here every year, the Arlington Bass Classic.

Don’t worry if you aren’t a fisherman, though. You can still enjoy Lake Arlington. Many people come here to follow the paddling trail through the lake.

Lake Arlington can be accessed at Bowman Springs Park and Richard Simpson Park.

These public parks offer walking trails, a picnic area, boat ramps, and more!

Lake Lewisville

Originally called Lake Dallas, Lake Lewisville is located north of Dallas on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.

Like most Texas lakes, Lewisville Lake originated as a water reservoir for residents but quickly became one of the best lakes in Dallas for recreational activities.

Not only that, but the 230 miles of shoreline make this a fabulous lake to spend a day at, as several public parks are located here.

The parks offer picnic areas, boat ramps, fishing piers, and some even have a designated swimming area.

One of the most popular parks is Lewisville Lake Park. Located 30 minutes from downtown Dallas, this lake park encompasses over 600 acres!

In addition to the campsites, picnic areas, and boat ramps, Lewisville Lake Park has an 18-hole golf course and an 18-hole disc golf course!

This is one of the best lakes in Texas, so don’t miss it.

Mountain Creek Lake

Head southwest of Dallas to Grand Prairie to find Mountain Creek Lake.

What started as a reservoir to cool the local power plant has become a popular lake.

There is a boat ramp on the east side of the lake where you can launch your boat.

Remember that if you fish on Mountain Creek Lake, you must catch and release. The fish caught here are not safe to eat.

You can enjoy a day at the lake when you visit Mountain Creek Lake Park.

This park offers baseball fields, soccer fields, picnic areas, and more.

Grapevine Lake

If you head to the far northwest Dallas area (about 20 miles, to be exact), you will find the Dallas suburbs of Grapevine and Grapevine Lake.

Grapevine Lake is one of the best lakes in Dallas for lake recreation. People water ski, jet ski, fish, and more on this Dallas lake!

Surrounding Lake Grapevine, you will find three marinas and several public park areas. The marinas on Lake Grapevine offer everything you need for a fun day out on the lake, including boat rentals.

While here, don’t miss your opportunity to check out the 9.5-mile bike trail, North Shore Trail, and explore the town of Grapevine!

You will also find swimming beaches, nature trails, and numerous parks around Lake Grapevine.

Read Next: 20 Fabulous Beaches in Texas

Lake Ray Hubbard

You will find Lake Ray Hubbard, about 30 minutes northeast of Dallas.

Containing more than 22,000 acres, this is one of the largest lakes in this area. I mean, it is massive!

Lake Ray Hubbard boasts several parks, three marinas, and enough water for everyone to find their perfect spot.

If you want a place to enjoy Lake Ray Hubbard for the day, consider Windsurf Bay Park.

This 42-acre park contains picnic areas and a fairly long “beach” area. The best thing is that it is free for daily use!

Like most of the lakes on our list, Lake Ray Hubbard is a great place for all sorts of water activities.

Fishing is popular here, thanks to the largemouth bass and crappie often caught in this lake.

Of course, during the summer months, you will see people all over the lake swimming, skiing, and wakeboarding.

On the east side of Lake Ray Hubbard, you will find the Harbor at Rockwall.

This is one of the hot spots on our Dallas Lakes list.

The Harbor at Rockwall is a fabulous commercial and entertainment area. Here,, you can find great restaurants and live entertainment venues.

Cedar Creek Reservoir

Although not technically in Dallas, Cedar Creek Reservoir is close enough to be worth visiting if you are in the area.

Stretching across two counties, Cedar Creek Reservoir is the fourth-largest lake in Texas and supplies water to Fort Worth and the surrounding water districts in Tarrant County.

Built on Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River, it boasts great cabin rentals, over 320 miles of shoreline, and loads of opportunities for fun lake activities.

Fishing is one of the most popular activities here. Anglers are known to catch blue catfish, white bass, channel catfish, crappie, and more.

This popularity among fishermen also means that there are numerous fishing tournaments held here as well!

Lake Granbury

Just about an hour southwest of Dallas is the fun Texas small town of Granbury.

While there are plenty of things to do in Granbury, the lake draws many people to visit.

A reservoir of the Brazos River, Lake Granbury is an 8,000-acre aquatic playground.

In addition to the traditional lake water activities, you can enjoy the Granbury City Park Beach.

Granbury City Park Beach includes a sandy beach, a protected swimming area, volleyball courts, and picnic facilities.

You can also rent stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and flotation devices here!

Lake Tawakoni

East of Dallas, you will find Lake Tawakoni.

Named after the Native Americans who once called this area home, Lake Tawakoni was created as a water reservoir for the local community.

Today, people flock to Lake Tawakoni to enjoy a fun day on the lake.

Popular activities include boating, fishing, skiing, and wakeboarding. Thanks to the 320 kilometers of shoreline, swimming is also popular here.

Lake Tawakoni is also home to a fabulous state park, Lake Tawakoni State Park. Containing more than 376 acres of land, this state park is a great place to spend the weekend.

The state park has hiking trails, swimming areas, opportunities to birdwatch, and campsites.

The 5+ miles of hiking trails are among the most popular attractions here.

Lavon Lake

Lavon Lake is one of the largest lakes in North Texas. It is over 21,000 acres and has over 120 miles of shoreline.

This massive lake has everything you would want for a fun trip to the lake.

Of course, Lake Lavon’s popularity is partly due to the fact that this massive lake rarely feels crowded.

You will see boats zipping all over the lake, but there is ample room for everyone to enjoy their aquatic activities.

Lake Lavon has 16 parks, numerous camping sites, multiple beaches, and many picnic sites.

In addition to this, there are many hiking and biking trails in the area.

Richland Chambers

Another water reservoir, Richland Chambers, is located about an hour southeast of Dallas.

This is one of the best recreational lakes in the Dallas area.

This lake offers lake access in numerous places, making it easy and fun to enjoy a day out on the water at this east Texas lake.

Here, people enjoy boating, fishing, jet skiing, and more.

If you want to make a weekend trip out of Richland Chambers Lake, you will be happy to know that numerous camping and RV sites are available around the lake.

Of course, there are also several hotels and Airbnbs to choose from.

Lake Bridgeport

Another fabulous lake in Texas is Lake Bridgeport.

Located in North Texas, about two hours outside of downtown Dallas, it is a beautiful lake near Dallas that can be explored.

This lake reservoir was created by damming the west fork of the Trinity River to assist in water collection for the surrounding community.

One of the favorite local lakes for anglers, fishermen are noted to catch several species of bass and crappie out of this North Texas lake.

Thanks to Wise County Park, which is at the north end of the lake, you can fish and enjoy a day near the water.

You can enjoy the swimming beach, picnic facilities, playground, and campsites here.

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Michelle Snell-Founder/Writer

Born and raised in Texas, Michelle Snell graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and her Master’s Degree from Texas Wesleyan University. Her passion for travel has taken her all over the world. She has received multiple awards for her writing. She has been featured in numerous publications, including Travel Awaits, Fort Worth Magazine, Fort Worth Weekly, NewsBreak, Voyage Dallas, Ella Inspires Magazine, and more. You can view her complete profile on MuckRacks.

Michelle Snell founder of That Texas Couple and Totally Texas Travel

Alex

Saturday 4th of June 2022

I had no idea there were so many lakes and gorgeous places so close to Dallas! I go there all of the time for work and layovers. Will definitely have to check a couple of these out.

Yanitza

Monday 7th of March 2022

So many beautiful lakes! I lived near Dallas during my childhood but never really went to the lakes. Grapevine Lake looks so beautiful!

texasonly

Tuesday 8th of March 2022

There really are. We love the lakes just to escape the summer heat. LOL!

Bea Cińska

Sunday 6th of March 2022

I had no idea Texas had so many lakes! I can't wait to visit one day. This state has been on my bucket list for a long time.

simplyjolayne

Saturday 5th of March 2022

You got some great pictures. Such beautiful lakes and lots to do in the area. You should never get bored!

Bejal

Saturday 26th of February 2022

I really had no idea about all these stunning lakes around Dallas. Really great idea for a post and live the look of that sunset on Lavinia Lake.

14 Fun Lakes in Dallas (& Nearby)