Elm Fork Trinity Kayak Trips, Overview and Section Maps
The map above shows a section by section paddle trail overview on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River starting from just below the Ray Roberts dam to the Trinity River takeout on Loop 12 south of Dallas. Some trips include parts of White Rock Creek, Denton Creek, Timber Creek, Pecan Creek, Clear Creek and, in Dallas, the (main) Trinity. Below are individual section maps and a few comments. All the trips here are out-and-backs, but point to point trips are possible too using a couple cars. But in the future, with self driving cars, maybe you can put in at say Hebron Parkway and tell your car to drive itself down to McInnish Park and you simply paddle down the river to McInnish and it will be waiting there. Some of the route sections are packaged as part of the Trinity River National Water Trail (link), which also includes the West Fork towards Fort Worth. Never go over or near any of the dams, they are dangerous. And paddling out into the big lakes like Lewisville or others and requires experience and care. More paddling safety info is at the site, ‘Center for Cold Water Safety‘ (link) which has case studies of things that can go wrong.
Below, individual trips
The Loop 12 launch on the Trinity just below Dallas lets you paddle up and back to the Interstate 35 bridge, or a bit further to the launch at Trammell Crow Park. Alternatively you can split to go up White Rock Creek which enters the Trinity near here after flowing downstream from White Rock Lake. This section isn’t the Elm Fork, its the real Trinity. The parking area under Loop 12 isn’t the greatest spot to leave your car, and the launch is sometimes gated and/or closed. So far so good though.
32.70713,-96.7362
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The launch at Trammell Crow Park was the most difficult I have ever done, ever; for this trip it was a thick mud slide and getting the boat out was beyond belief hard. Although the launch is sometimes gated it may still be open to non-motorized boats, hard to say. Edward Abbey said go ahead so I did. The trip is an out and back that starts at the Trammell Crow launch, goes up the Trinity River, splits to go up the Elm Fork of the Trinity, reaches Frasier Dam, and turns around for the return leg. One section of the Trinity, just upstream of the launch, is shallow and flows pretty fast; at this flow rate, about 1250 cfs, it was necessary to get out and pull the boat upstream.
32.78986,-96.83468
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The launch for this section of the Elm Fork of the Trinity is at the “Frasier Dam Hiking Trails Area” right off of I-35. It isn’t a super great area but no problems so far. There are often a few log jams on the way out from the launch to the main river. The route is an out and back, going upstream to the California Crossing Dam, then turning around for the return leg. It is also possible to launch below the California Crossing Dam and go downstream first, that might be better.
32.84542,-96.87853
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The above leg of the Elm Fork Trinity launches on the upstream side of California Crossing (or at Birds Fort Trail Park) and goes to the McInnish Dam, turning around there for the return leg. There may be a log jam to portage at Beltline Road, as marked on the map (edit: August 2026 the route was clear all the way up). Launching below the dam goes downstream to the Frasier Dam area. The California Crossing launch is improved from years ago when it was a sketchy place to park and the water entry was steep on the north side. These days it’s better, although the north side ramp is in an odd spot across the grass. The dam has strong hydraulics, steer clear.
32.86853,-96.9234
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The McInnish Park launch in Carrollton is a popular access point for the Elm Fork Trinity. The above route starts there, goes to Hebron Pkwy, and returns, a bit under 12 miles total. There are several adjacent lakes to explore here as well or you can go up Denton Creek to Grapevine Dam. Going past Hebron upstream will eventually get to Lewisville Dam. Branching to the west a bit before the I-35 crossing is Timber Creek, which is twisty and can usually be paddled up past the shooting range to I-35. On trips from McInnish up I have seen otters, beavers, turtles, coyotes, pigs, deer, bald eagles, black vultures, raccoons, herons, cormorants, possums, egrets, snakes.
32.96746,-96.94256
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The Hebron Parkway launch is another popular access site for the Elm Fork. From here you can paddle downstream to McInnish Park, or paddle upstream to the Lake Lewisville dam. The section from the railroad bridge to the dam moves pretty quickly and can be a bit shallow so that the paddle blade doesn’t get so much bite, making it a challenge to get ‘all the way’ to the dam.
33.01206,-96.95067
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The above section isn’t the Elm Fork of the Trinity anymore, it’s Lewisville Lake, but it’s here for continuity. This trip was early in the morning before the wind picked up, launching at the Shady Shores/Big Sandy ramp on the west side of the lake. From there it goes south under the Lewisville Bridge, ending finally at Lake Park in Lewisville near the dam. I was on the shore at Lake Park (the yellow dot) maybe three minutes, resting, eating a sandwich, when the park cop sounded his siren and started flashing his lights and motioned me up. Walked over, paddle in hand, say hi, see what’s what, and he told me to get out of the park! Oddest thing. So I sat in the boat for a bit and stewed, then headed back.
33.16385,-97.02721
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The map above shows routes that run from the Shady Shores/Big Sandy launch north across Lake Lewisville into the Old Elm Fork and (new) Elm Fork sections of the Trinity. The Old Elm Fork channel is at a tip of land and easy to locate. This can be paddled up to the point where it runs dry, and is surprisingly pretty. The entrance to the real Elm Fork is further up on the west side and is shallow at the entry point. But there is a big log jam that blocks the river before you reach 380. By staying along the western shore you can paddle up into Pecan Creek which is quite nice. Note that the route in the map goes straight up across open water but its much wiser to hug land near the west shore to stay out of the big waves and away from the motorboats. A capsize out in the open is dangerous.
33.16385,-97.02721
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The launch site for the Elm Fork at the 380 Denton Greenbelt has been closed, on and off, for years, because of flooding and a large log jam at the put-in. The route above was done several years ago on a day when the parking lot was open. But because of the logjam it was necessary to drag the boat north a ways in order to launch. Further upstream there is another large log jam on the Elm Fork and so the route splits to go up Clear Creek.
33.24016,-97.04195
Launch Site Google Maps Link
The most northerly launch for the Elm Fork of the Trinity in this set is at the 428 Greenbelt northeast of Denton. It costs a few bucks or a state park pass. The launch is down a steep set of stairs to the river. From there you can paddle upstream to the Ray Roberts Dam, or downstream to the point of the log jam near the Clear Creek junction. Portaging the log jam to go further downstream is an option but it will mean dragging the boat a ways, and the 380 Denton Greenbelt takeout may be closed. This is a nice, wooded paddle where you can usually see some wildlife such as deer and pigs (if pigs are wildlife) and lots of gar.
33.30813,-97.04055
Launch Site Google Maps Link
