Lake Tawakoni State Park: Farkleberry Trail et. al. (Blog Hike #1117)

Trails: Farkleberry, Blackjack, Osage Orange, and Red Oak Trails
Hike Location: Lake Tawakoni State Park
Geographic Location: north of Wills Point, TX (32.84583, -95.99397)
Length: 3.7 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A lollipop double loop through oak/cedar woods.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lake-tawakoni
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming March 26, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Wills Point, take FM 47 north 5.2 miles to FM 2475 and turn left on FM 2475, which deadends at the park in 4.4 miles.  Pay the entrance fee, then park in the first parking lot on the left near the trailhead for the Farkleberry Trail.

The hike: Located 60 miles almost due east of Dallas, Lake Tawakoni State Park occupies 376 acres of reverting farmland adjacent to its namesake lake.  The 37,879 acre lake serves as the headwaters of the Sabine River, which flows first east to the Texas/Louisiana state line and then south into the Gulf of America.  The lake was built in 1960 to provide flood control and drinking water for surrounding communities, but the park took many years to build: it did not officially open until 2002.

            For a park so close to a major city, Lake Tawakoni State Park is light on amenities.  The park offers a 78-site developed campground, the usual aquatic recreation on Lake Tawakoni, some picnic shelters, and 8 trails totaling only 4.5 miles.  The hike described here forms a lollipop loop through the secluded western part of the park.  While this hike lacks unique scenery, I enjoyed being in this park's nice forest after doing several hot and sunny hikes on the Texas prairies to the west.

Trailhead for the Farkleberry Trail

            The Farkleberry Trail serves as the entrance trail for this part of the park's trail system; a large trail sign and brown carsonite post at the southwest corner of the parking lot mark the trailhead.  Farkleberry is another name for sparkleberry, a common native shrub in the forests of the southeastern United States.  Farkleberry is identified by its oval evergreen leaves, its bell-shaped white flowers, and its small, round, black berries that look somewhat like black blueberries.  While farkleberries are edible raw, their dry bitter flavor and tough texture make them better suited for use as a jam, jelly, or pie filling.

Hiking the Farkleberry Trail

            The wide single-track dirt Farkleberry Trail curves more right than left as it climbs gradually.  The difference between maximum and minimum elevation on this hike is only about 50 feet, so all grades are gentle.  At 0.5 miles, you reach the Farkleberry Trail's west end at a major trail intersection with a bench.  You will pass through this intersection a total of 3 times on this hike.  For now, turn left twice to begin heading clockwise around the Blackjack Trail's loop.

Starting the Blackjack Trail

            Marked by brown carsonite posts with black stickers, the Blackjack Trail is named for the blackjack oak tree, which combined with pines make up the majority of the trees in this forest.  This trail forms the western-most loop in this park's trail system, and it starts with some minor undulations as it skirts the upper reaches of a ravine to the right.  My wildlife sightings on this trail included some deer and some mourning doves.  Though it does not pass any fantastic scenery, the easy Blackjack Trail makes for pleasant hiking.

            After heading out a low finger ridge, the trail curves right to trace back around the edge of the shallow ravine.  Just past 2 miles, you close the Blackjack Trail's loop and return to the major intersection for a second time.  Turn left again to begin a clockwise journey around the Osage Orange Trail, which is marked by brown carsonite posts with orange stickers.

Starting the Osage Orange Trail

            Also known as hedge apple, osage orange trees typically grow along old property boundaries, so this trail is well-named: all of this land was previously divided into farms.  The trail winds and descends gradually before making a sharp right curve at 2.4 miles.  Next you pass an old farm pond on the right before climbing gradually to reach another trail intersection just shy of 2.7 miles.  The Osage Orange Trail turns right, and we will go that way eventually.  For now, continue straight to begin the Red Oak Trail.

Hiking the Red Oak Trail

            At only 0.4 miles long, the Red Oak Trail is the shortest trail on this hike, but it is the only trail on this hike that leads all the way to the shore of Lake Tawakoni.  This hike's sharpest descent and narrowest trail brings you to the short spur trail that leads right to the lake overlook at 2.9 miles.  The park's boat ramp sits across this arm of the lake, and I saw many mallards and egrets in the lake when I came here.  A bench encourages you to sit, have a snack, and admire the lake.

Lake Tawakoni

            The Red Oak Trail's lakeside section is brief, and soon the trail curves left to head gradually uphill away from the lake.  At 3.1 miles, you close the Red Oak Trail's loop.  Continue straight to begin the final segment of the Osage Orange Trail.  A flat and easy 700 feet later, you return to the major trail intersection for the third time.  Turn left and retrace your steps out the Farkleberry Trail to return to the parking lot and complete the hike.