Pilot Knoll Park

Stretching across a wooded peninsula on Lewisville Lake, Pilot Knoll Park (218 Orchid Hill Rd) delivers the kind of wide-open water views you rarely find this close to Dallas. Originally pastureland for early ranchers, the 85-acre site now hosts lakeside RV pads, primitive tent clearings under pecan shade, a dual-lane boat ramp, and more than six miles of equestrian and hiking trails that weave through post-oak savanna. From sunrise kayakers skimming glass-calm coves to horseback riders splashing at the designated swim beach, the park packs four seasons of North-Texas adventure into one scenic bend of shoreline.

Waterfront Recreation

Boat, Paddle & Fish

A concrete launch with adjoining courtesy dock lets anglers chase white bass and trophy catfish minutes after parking. Non-motorized craft get their own gravel put-in, so paddle-boarders don’t tangle with wake boats. Shore anglers favor the rocky point on Loop Trail where largemouth bass ambush shad, while campers set jug-lines at dusk and check them by lantern light.

Bluff-Top Camping

Thirty-one pull-through RV sites—with 30/50-amp hookups and water—sit beneath a canopy of red oaks; loops K-M face the lake for front-row sunset seats. Primitive sites farther south trade amenities for solitude and fire-ring stargazing. A modern bathhouse with hot showers opened in 2023, and firewood bundles are sold at the gatehouse on weekends.

Trails & Wildlife

Three color-coded loops range from a half-mile lakeside stroll to a 3.2-mile equestrian ridge trail where riders trot beneath turkey vultures riding thermals. Keep an eye out for fox squirrels leaping between blackjack oaks and great blue herons standing statue-still at cove edges. In October, monarch butterflies funnel through on their southbound migration; kids love hunting for bright-orange wings along milkweed patches near the picnic area.