Southwest Nature Preserve, Arlington

March 16, 2015

Southwest Nature Preserve is 58 acres in Arlington, south of I-20. Its natural elevation makes for lovely views and great hiking, and there is a very nice pond for fishing! Geographically speaking, it is sandwiched between my mother-in-law and brother-in-law, making it a park we frequent often. On our most recent visit, the kids took some friends, and we spent the afternoon competing to catch the most fish under a warm, almost Spring sun, followed by a hike to watch the sunset.

Check out My Mommy Tips for making the most of your visit!

1. Know Before You Go

Free parking

Free Admittance

Owned and Maintained by Arlington Parks and Recreation

2. Interpretive Signage

Not really a tip, I just appreciate learning something about a place.

3. Picnic Tables

The SNP is the perfect place to bring a picnic lunch, but leave your hot dogs at home, there are not any grills in the park.

4. Fishing

My youngest loves fishing here on the pier because you can watch the fish as they bite your hook.

All fishing at SNP is catch and release. Be sure to use hooks without a barb on the end for catch and release.

Adults 17 and older are required to have a Texas Fishing License while fishing at SNP.

5. Trail Map

Do yourself a favor and take a picture with your phone of this map to use while on the trail.

6. Trail

The trail(s) at SNP isn’t very long, but there is a nice climb, and we enjoy the overlook and the Boulder Path, but then the trail is level and easy.

7. Geocaching

There are some fun geocaches hidden in the park, including a very challenging one. Geocaching is a one of our favorite family activities, and it’s really fun and easy to get started! Click HERE to visit geocaching.com for a video on how to get started. They offer a free app, but we feel the $10 app is worth the money. Follow us at geocaching.com as Fun in the Texas Sun!

8. Friends of Southwest Nature Preserve

For timely updates and upcoming events, visit the Friends of the Southwest Nature Preserves facebook page by clicking HERE. Even better, take the kids out to one of their monthly volunteer work days. While you give them free labor, you can learn about things like invasive plants or erosion control and meet some new friends!

Things to do in Arlington

Whew, there’s a lot to do in Arlington, for a complete list, click HERE.

Southwest Nature Preserve

Click HERE to visit their website

Having Fun in the Texas Sun