May 8, 2021

LLELA Nature Preserve

By: Jeremy Magee

Brew Up Before Your Hike at Novel Coffee Roasters

Brew Up After Your Hike at Legacy Hall

LLELA Nature Preserve is a nearly 2,600-acre wilderness located in Lewisville, TX, and consists of tallgrass prairies and bottomland forests (through which flows the Elm Fork of the Trinity River). There are a total of seven trails (including one designated for paddling); however, due to ongoing construction only five are currently open: Blackjack, Cicada, Cottonwood, Green Dragon and Beaver Pond – distances of the trails are 1.5 mi., 0.25 mi., 1.3 mi., 0.3 mi. and 1 mile, respectively. In terms of difficulty level the rating is easy, as the terrain is mostly flat (with a few short climbs).

The preserve operates under the authority of the City of Lewisville, the University of North Texas & the Lewisville Independent School District (in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Look to the numerous plaques along the trails detailing local plant and animal species (as well as inspirational quotes from stewards of the land, both past and present) as a reflection of their efforts in habitat restoration and providing opportunities for visitors to appreciate and understand our connection to nature!

There is definitely a very “swamp-esque” feeling to the preserve, reinforced by the presence of numerous semi-stagnant pools and distinct sounds of nature (such as the croaking of a bullfrog, which I heard during a recent visit) – all of this merely adds to the magic of the place 😊.

There is a $5 per vehicle entry fee, and the trails are for hiking only. Also, a map of the trails can be found by going to the website for the preserve (www.llela.org) and clicking on the “Trails Map” link at the top of the page.

Come out and hike the trails and see if you can find the boardwalk, metal buffalo, log house and floating dock – just make sure you don’t drop your phone in the water at the latter while getting your photos and videos!

Get out there and ExploreMore!