Ray Roberts Lake State Park
State park in Denton County, in the Prairies and Lakes region. 8,211 acres by TPWD boundary data.
Ray Roberts Lake State Park sits on a 29,000-acre lake about an hour north of Dallas and Fort Worth. It's split into units: Isle du Bois and Johnson Branch have the beaches, campgrounds and trails, and the Greenbelt Corridor runs 20 miles south along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. You can swim at the beaches (no lifeguards), fish for bass, crappie and catfish, and ride horses or bikes on the trails.
Things to do
Swim and fish
Swim at one of the beach areas or fish the lake for largemouth bass, crappie, white bass and catfish. There's a kids' fishing pond, and the lake record for largemouth bass is 15.18 pounds.
Greenbelt Corridor
This 20-mile multiuse trail runs from Ray Roberts Dam to Lake Lewisville. Horses can use 12 miles of it; 10 miles are for hiking and biking only.
Marinas
The full-service Lake Ray Roberts Marina is at the Sanger unit. Lone Star Lodge and Marina, at the Jordan unit, rents watercraft and rooms.
Trails
Trails listed by TPWD, with its own distances and ratings.
| Trail | Distance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle Activity Trail | 0.3 mi | Easy |
| Lost Pines Trail | 0.5 mi | Easy |
| Randy Bell Scenic Trail | 2.2 mi | Easy |
| Wagon Wheel Crossing | 3.6 mi. (one -way) | Moderate |
| Red Bud Run | 4.5 mi | Easy |
| Rocky Spur | 3 mi | Moderate |
| DORBA Trail - Loop A | 0.2 mi | Moderate |
| DORBA Trail - Loop B | 0.7 mi | Moderate |
| DORBA Trail - Loop C | 3.7 mi.4.4 mi. (round-trip) | Moderate |
| DORBA Trail - Loop D | 2.6 mi.7.0 mi. (round-trip) | Moderate |
| DORBA Trail - Loop E | 2.3 mi.9.3 mi. (round-trip) | Moderate |
Source: TPWD trail list. TPWD doesn’t list trail surfaces. Printable trail map (PDF).
Camping
Isle du Bois and Johnson Branch each have campsites with electricity and walk-in primitive sites. Isle du Bois also has equestrian sites, double sites and group camps. Rooms are available at Lone Star Lodge.
| Site type | Sites | Sleeps | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campsites with Electricity (50/30/20-amp | Isle du Bois)Water and electric | 13 | 8 | $30 |
| Campsites with Electricity (50/30/20-amp | Johnson Branch)Water and electric | 11 | 8 | $30 |
| Campsites with Electricity (30/20-amp | Isle du Bois)Water and electric | 102 | 8 | $25 |
| Campsites with Electricity (30/20-amp | Johnson Branch)Water and electric | 93 | 8 | $25 |
| Primitive Campsites (Walk-in | Isle du Bois)Primitive | 53 | 8 | $15 |
| Primitive Campsites (Walk-in | Johnson Branch)Primitive | 70 | 8 | $15 |
| Primitive Campsites (Equestrian | Isle du Bois)Equestrian | 6 | $15 | |
| Group Camps (Isle du Bois)Group | 2 | 24 | $30 |
| Equestrian Campsite with Water and Electricity (Isle Du Bois)Equestrian | 8 | 8 | $30 |
| Double Campsites (Isle du Bois)Tent sites with water | 3 | $60 |
Nightly rates are on top of the daily entrance fee. Book a site with Texas State Parks reservations, or call (512) 389-8900.
Visiting with dogs
Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Like every Texas state park, they can't go into park buildings or designated swimming areas.
Please clean up after horses and pets.
Swimming
Swimming is allowed in designated areas. There are no lifeguards at Texas state parks.
Best time to go
- Busy season
- March through November
- January low
- 30°F
- July high
- 95°F
- Rain per year
- 38.2 in.
- Night sky
- Bortle 5
TPWD lists March through November as the busy season and says the park often reaches capacity, so reserve ahead. The main units are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Averages and busy season from TPWD. The Bortle scale runs from 1 (darkest sky) to 9 (inner city).
Getting there
Pilot Point, TX 76258-8944
(940) 686-2148
Open in OpenStreetMap (33.3657, -97.0122)
| From | Approx. drive | Straight line |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth | 1 hr 7 min | 45 mi |
| Dallas | 1 hr 18 min | 42 mi |
| Waco | 2 hr 48 min | 125 mi |
| Tyler | 2 hr 53 min | 123 mi |
| Austin | 4 hr 22 min | 216 mi |
| The Woodlands | 4 hr 57 min | 238 mi |
Nearby parks
- Eisenhower State Park
- Cedar Hill State Park
- Bonham State Park
- Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway
- Lake Tawakoni State Park
Straight-line distance. See every park in the Prairies and Lakes.
Questions people ask
Can you swim at Ray Roberts Lake State Park?
Yes, at the beach areas. There are no lifeguards.
Which Ray Roberts Lake unit should I go to?
Isle du Bois and Johnson Branch have the beaches, campgrounds and trails. Jordan has Lone Star Lodge and Marina, and the six satellite units are mostly boat ramps.
How far is Ray Roberts Lake from Dallas?
About an hour and 20 minutes by car, based on OpenStreetMap routing.
Photo credits
Sources
Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Ray Roberts Lake has current alerts and closures.
- TPWD: Ray Roberts Lake State Park, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Bortle ratings by region, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Ray Roberts Lake State Park campsites, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Ray Roberts Lake State Park trails, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Ray Roberts Lake State Park history, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Boundaries (area computed from boundary), retrieved October 14, 2026
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026