Updated: 06/15/2020
Plano may be known for its shopping and dining, but did you know Plano has incredible green space around the city? 4,370 acres of park land to be exact! Check out the highlights.
Park Adventures
The 800-acre Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve has 3.5 miles of concrete trails and 5 miles of soft trails along Rowlett Creek.
The lake at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve is open for kayaking, canoeing and stand up paddle boarding from dawn to dusk. Bring your own canoe, kayak, or stand up paddle board and see Plano’s largest park from a new perspective, for free!
If you’d rather take your adventure above ground, check out Go Ape! Go Ape’s first treetop adventure course in Texas is just minutes from the Downtown Plano Arts District at Oak Point Park and is made up of numerous rope ladders and 39 exciting crossings; including the Pirates Crossing, Fisherman’s Trap, Bosun’s Chair, two Tarzan swings and five zip lines! Each section takes you higher into the forest canopy, finishing with a zip line experience that is undeniably the highlight of this outdoor treetop adventure.
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is a 200-acre park with hike and bike trails, a two-mile walking trail, and stunning views of the prairie and forest.
Other notable parks in Plano include Haggard Park, Jack Carter Park, and Russell Creek Park. Haggard Park is a beautiful backdrop to the Downtown Plano Arts District complete with a gazebo and pond. Come downtown for a day of boutique shopping, unique dining, a historical stop at the Interurban Railway Museum and a leisurely stroll through Haggard Park. Jack Carter Park is a community park with an inclusive playground designed to allow children ages 2-12 of all abilities to play together and engage a range of movement, climbing, tactile, visual and auditory play equipment. Other park amenities are a pond, pavilion, picnic tables, sand volleyball, trails, and restrooms. Bring the pup and treat them to a day at a dog park (Jack Carter or Windhaven Meadows)! Russell Creek Park is a large community park with dedicated athletic complexes for soccer and baseball and has a small lake with hike and bike trails, a pavilion, and a playground.
Plano has more than 82 miles of recreational trails open to the public. Chances are there’s a trail near you. Get trail information here including downloadable trail maps. Biking is also a great way to see Plano. You can even find the routes on Google!
Plano has a new skate park! Carpenter Park Skate Park combines popular street-style skating and bowl skating features. This new skate park features some of the most extensive and unique skate features in all of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Skaters will enjoy one of the largest bowls in the area as well as various sized ramps, rails, stair sets, and ledges. It’s free to use and open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Due to a partnership between the City of Plano, Toyota, American Park Network and Time Warner Cable, free Wi-Fi is available at City parks and recreation centers!
You can view a complete list of City of Plano parks here. For more ways to get a work out in Plano, click here.
Cover photo: Colleen Pence
