Texas Lakes Trail

A drive down around this 1008-mile loop takes you across some of Texas’ earliest trails and roadways. You’ll encounter a mix of both scenic countryside and urban city and visit 31 counties in the Northeast. Leaving Dallas, you'll drive through the historic communities of Denton, Gainesville, Grapevine, Bonham, and Wichita Falls. Many travelers wandered this route with their cattle after the Civil War in hopes of finding a new place to settle. As such, you'll see cattle farms, grasslands, and rolling hills that were used by early Texas settlers. Some popular stops along this extensive route include the first courthouse of Athens, the Florence Ranch Homestead in Mesquite, the Texas Heritage Museum in Hillsboro, and the Thistle Hill mansion in Fort Worth.