Alta Mesa Park

When you live in the city of Dallas, you may not expect to find many green spaces or forests to explore in the city, but near the southern limits, you'll find lush vegetation and plenty of shade all around. Alma Meta Park is one of these places that hosts a large area to roam and play in, and a dense forest with nature trails to explore.

The park boasts more than 22 acres of land, although the most developed area takes up only the southern corner of the park. Here, there is a parking lot for park goers that connects to a concrete park trail. The trail forks and winds through the open area, with grassy spaces on all sides of the trail, and other features such as a playground, a pavilion, picnic tables with grills, benches, a basketball court, and water fountains to enjoy during the hot summer days.

The concrete trail connects to plenty of open space to play in, but ultimately it turns into a more rugged nature trail with a compacted soil and sand terrain, that travels north through the wooded part of the park. This trail explores nearly 20 acres of untouched woods, with scattered grasslands and open fields to play in, and wooden benches lining the trail to relax in after exploring. The trail loops through the area, and even crosses over a small creek on the northeast side of the park. It eventually connects back to the concrete trail, where Fido can enjoy some refreshing water.

This park is unique thanks to its natural feel and serene open areas that are dog-friendly. At the Alma Mesa Park, the heat certainly won't bother you, especially since you'll get the chance to explore breezy and cool forests alongside the wonderful features offered here.