Oak Cliff Nature Preserve

Closed June 27

The trail itself is beautiful but it is easily one of the worst Marked Trails I've ever ridden. There are many many lefts and rights with no indicator of what trail you're on or if you're on a main Loop. Not my cup of tea

Here is a video review of OCNP
https://youtu.be/pyhjOcVEvEk

SlowMitch's review pretty much nails it. A lot of riding in a confined area, yet you feel alone. On my last ride here, the trails were tacky, so I followed tire tracks through the sections that lack signage as SlowMitch mentioned. Doing so kept me on track when checking my mapping on TrailForks. Certainly a technically intermediate trail, but those less confident would probably only need to hop off a couple of times mainly due to tricky rock and root climbs. Either momentum, or a really low granny gear, are your friends. Oh, and there's "Whiskey" something drop/crossing (forget it's full name). My line of choice for it was down the right side. Speaking of riding here whit it's tacky... that means the roots are wet! And there are enough of them to make you pay attention. Slick as ice.

A solid intermediate trail that's high on the fun factor. Like a lot of Dallas trails, you get a lot of trail crammed into a small area. The other reviewers aren't exaggerating that this trail can be confusing; there are random times when the trail paths seem to cross with no signage, a sign at the beginning that seems to point you in a circle back to the trailhead, and a few dead ends here and there, but there's an interactive map on the trail's website that can show you where you are with a smartphone, and Strava is quite useful on this trail. After a few rides it makes more sense.

This trail is about half loose rocks and half loose dirt. The loops have a nice flow and several small punchy climbs, and almost every climb has roots incorporated into it. Thankfully, with this trail there is an even balance between work and reward, If you're in good shape you'll rarely have to get off your bike. The red loop has a freeride section incorporated into it, and the orange loop has a sick creek crossing that will make you get off and think about your line.

Overall difficulty of this trail (compared to other DFW trails) is probably a 6 out of 10. It has plenty for the advanced rider to like without being too intimidating those with less experience. Make sure you clean out your car out of anything valuable before you get there.

For DFW this trail is pretty nice. Make sure to ride CCW or you won't see any signage and will get lost. If you get lost keep riding until you see the White trail and turn right. Stay on it and you will eventually make it to an unmarked mess of signs in the trees. Hang a left there and you will find the exit.

Not a good trail for a beginner or someone who isn't familiar with the trail.

Really nice set of trails. Very compact eight miles. Not marked well at all. They could use some YOU ARE HERE signs, but I got lucky and rode with a local named Drew. He set a good pace, and made the ride enjoyable. There are some tough little climbs, but the track is not overly technical. I'd definitely ride it again, but not without a local.

This trail system in the Southern part of Dallas is getting into the best terrain we have to offer. From here and further South, is where we have our only hilly terrain. It is taken advantage of here for sure with the tight, wooded runs being fairly fast. Again, not saying they're fast compared to Rocky Mountain trails or other mountainous areas, but for Dallas, they're fairly fast. Also, a bit more technical with multiple creek crossings, rocky hill climbs and descents. Add in the random roots to maneuver and if you're not paying attention, you're walking up some climbs that you might normally make...maybe walking down a few descents as well on your first few times until you scope out a good line or two. Again, not for the beginner, but a nice, tight intermediate trail system here that is about 10 minutes from downtown Dallas. Some complain about the neighborhood...it's not that bad. It's in an older industrial area and yes, there are things that go on here, but you want trails in urban areas, right? I'm fine here. But then again, I love Oak Cliff.

This is not located in a very safe area. They built a parking lot, but still make sure you take your crappy car and lock it up. The trail starts off tame enough then you hit some steep drops and steep shortish climbs with lots of roots. It's not beginner friendly once you are into the woods, but it's still doable if you can overcome your fear of speed, cuz this trail system requires some quick descents to be able to climb the next hill. It's not as fun as say an Erwin Park with the flowy parts. It's like DORBA's ugly stepchild. I'd rate it Intermediate to advanced.

Nice, flowy trail. No huge challenges technically or aerobic effort, but can have a good workout with effort. Real tight in spaces and not for the faint of heart (or utterly reckless).

This is indeed a fun trail that is on the short and windy side--they pack a lot of trail into the area. I would rate at 3.5. I would not rate above Big Cedar or Cameron Park (as it is on the Texas list on the site), but it flows well and has enough elevation change for variety. There are a number of roots on some of the loops and portions that require focus, but there is nothing overly difficult out there.

This is a very solid, although short, trail. For any intermediate+ rider, the terrain is challenging and varied. Do not take a newbie unless very athletic.

My April ride was dry, not too hot not humid. The high winds of the day had no impact. On a Sunday I saw few riders, no hikers and only two bozos.

The trail is laid out as one-directional singletrack, alternating direction on current days. There are options to change your distance and difficulty via loops that met and crisscross in the few open areas.

The vast majority is in the woods and is quite tight so don't expect to catch big speed runs. Aerial enthusiasts will be disappointed with the lack of opportunities for air but it's still mighty fine...especially for a trail 12 minutes from downtown Dallas.

I have ridden a lot of trails in north America and although far too small and monotypic to rank way up there, this one gets the local ease of access, technically challenging and general coolness nod.

This trail is 8 miles now and consists of Loops 1 thru 6 and 6.5(techical section). There are bypasses for the TTFs. Please contact trail steward for trail condition open/ closed. Please DONT RIDE MUDDY TRAILS in Dallas area, this hurts the trails with the soil here and hurts the relationship with property owners who allow us to use the trails. All trails are maintained by volunteers. This is a very popular trail and has been part of the dorba race series. enjoy.

great trail for this close to dallas. the trail used to be poorly marked was much better the last time i went. this trail also drains very well after a good rain compared with some others

OCNP was a lot more fun than I had expected. Not knowing that there was some nice Technical sections, I got quite a few unexpected surprises on loops 4,5, and 6 I believe. Keep an eye out for the A-Frames over fallen trees. They have to be close to 4 ft. high with a 220 degree apex. They aren't really tough, they just get in your head if you aren't ready for it. Lots of nice little downhill launchers spread out amongst the course along with some more than decent short uphill challenges. There's even a section labeled "Technical Section" which I haven't explored yet. Quite a few of the open field sections have a nice 3-4 foot drop before heading back into the trees, so keep up some speed and enjoy.

Even in the heat of the day, the sections closer to the creek are fairly cool. It is also nice how many of the trails meet up in central locations allowing you to tailor your riding experience by selecting which loops to run or repeat. I'll definitely become a regular here.

This singletrack is rockin! There are some pretty challenging sections, but the whole thing spells F. U. N!!