Hiking Cedar Ridge Preserve, Dallas, TX

Didn’t have time this weekend to travel very far so I headed to Cedar Ridge Preserve, which is about 20 minutes from where I live. It took be 1 hour and 41 minutes to hike 2 trails.

I wanted to test some new equipment and this was a great opportunity to do so. More on that a bit later.

There are several trails at Cedar Ridge but I took the 2 mile trail first. I would say it’s an intermediately difficult trail if you walk at a brisk pace. The trail is pet and kid friendly but not really built for bikes, unless you want to jump off and carry your bike part of the way. This trail took me 50 minutes.

The second trail I took is the Pond trail and is a bit more scenic as it has a high point, a small river and the pond along the way. Good places to stop and take a rest. This one also took me about 50 minutes due to stopping a lot more to take pictures and enjoy the scenery.

This is a panorama of the high point.

Once you go down a few steps you eventually get to the creek/river. After the river is the pond. I didn’t have time to take a picture of the pond but it’s at the end of the second video below.

Now to the equipment I mentioned earlier. (Full disclosure, the links here go to Amazon where I may get a commission.) First up is the Lowepro Photo Sport 200 I got on Amazon. I initially bought the Lowepro Fastpack 250 but that one is definitely not for hiking and was way too big. The Photo Sport 200 is definitley better and although the camera area is a bit smaller I was able to fit my camera, batteries and more in the bag and it has a space for a Camelbak. The waist straps have a zipper area for where I put CF cards and a micro USB card for my GoPro. Overall I like this backpack a lot and I am sure it will be very useful. If felt good and stayed in place really well. For the price, it is a great value.

I also broke in a new pair of Timberland Mt. Maddsen Hiker Boots, also from Amazon. They had great support and weren’t too loose and didn’t hurt my feed. They are weather/water proof and supposedly come with an Anti-Fatigue technology. They did feel a bit heavy but it was a great tradeoff for the stability and ruggedness they provide. I got them a bit wet and muddy and it didn’t come through the shoe, so that was great.

Last but not least was the Telesin Backpack Shoulder Strap Mount. It held my GoPro really well and didn’t move up or down as I walked and even ran for a bit. It did the job.

Cedar Ridge Preserve is always a good place to go in Dallas for a few hours of exersize and sun.