Easily accessible high quality trails are all over the place, but not all of them have the perks Arbor Hills Nature Preserve provides. This 200 acre park caters to outdoorsmen of many different levels. At the entrance to the preserve, the bathrooms are regularly maintained and stocked with the appropriate supplies. Although the water fountains do not provide cold water, it is nice to have the option to quench your thirst or refill a bottle with their top down water fountains. The pavilion has a covered structure with many benches, making for a great area to eat, host events, or do yoga in the shade. If you have any kids, they have an extensive playground with 3 different play areas, each having slides, monkey bars, and bridges.
The park features 3 miles of walkways for hikers and walkers who still want to get right up next to nature without having to get swarmed by bugs. There are also 4 feet of mowed grass on either side of the concrete path, creating a buffer pushing the brush just far back enough to keep the walkway comfortable. Unlike a lot of the surrounding areas, Arbor Hills has a landscape varying in altitude because of its multiple hills, making for a good workout.
For those that prefer to be one with nature, Arbor Hills has 3 miles of unpaved trails. These dirt footpaths tend to be much more difficult to navigate with all the protruding roots, rocks, branches, and other debris on the pathway. Even so, walking these trails has rewards all on its own. Taking the path less traveled allows you to see things that cannot be seen from the main walkway. They pass right next to the creek that runs throughout the park. Squirrels, birds, and other animals can be seen coming to the water’s edge for a drink while waterbugs and small aquatic life dart up and down the creek.
Weirdly enough, Arbor Hills roughly has 2.8 miles of biking path for such a big nature preserve. It might not seem like much, but the rails have a lot of switchbacks and elevation changes, being marked as an intermediate trail by the International Mountain Biking Association. These routes are easily accessible with a short ride from the parking lot to the trail head. They are multi-directional, so proceed with caution. There are small jumps and drops along the trail and would highly recommend it to anyone who lives nearby to give it a go.
Nature has truly been preserved at this park having used controlled fire burns and conventional landscaping to groom the area, keeping the area native. The land is thriving, abundant with diversity, because of this stewardship. Bobcats have even been spotted on the preserve, tending to keep their distance and away from the paved trails, so it is not a big concern to visitors. Including the larger wildlife, the preserve is also home to many cardinals. They can be heard throughout the entire area, and, if you look in the trees or on the ground, you can spot them occasionally. The males are a bright red color while the females sport brown with tinges of red throughout their body. You may even encounter Texas Brown Tarantulas crossing the trails occasionally. They are mostly harmless and tend to avoid humans.
