Are you a wildlife enthusiast? Dallas may not be the first place that comes to mind when you are considering places to visit in order to feed your passion for animals, but it is actually a fantastic option. This area of Texas is home to several wonderful parks, preserves, and other places to view wildlife, meaning you can really get to know the local fauna and connect with nature while there.
Of course, the best way to experience all of those natural areas in and around Dallas is via RV. In many cases, taking an RV on your Dallas wildlife adventure allows you to park right in the middle of the habitats of the animals you wish to see, creating an even more magical animal-watching experience.
Preparing for Your Wildlife RV Adventure
The first thing you’re going to need to head out on a Dallas RV wildlife viewing adventure? An RV, of course! If you don’t have an RV of your own, we recommend checking out the wide variety of Dallas rental RVs offered by RVshare. We’re betting you find an absolutely perfect rig for your animal watching getaway!
Packing for Your Wildlife Viewing RV Adventure
The next step? Packing the RV! Obviously, you will need all the usual RV camping stuff, something this packing checklist covers quite nicely. That said, you will also want to add some items that are specifically for wildlife watching.
Some items you might want to consider include:
- Photography equipment
- Binoculars
- Spotting scope
- Local bird watching guide
- Local wildlife watching guide
- Wildlife journal
More Tips for Wildlife Watching
With the right equipment packed, you’re nearly ready to head out into nature and check out some animals. That said, we do want to offer a few more tips before you go.
Photograph Your Animal Friends
Watching animals do their thing is fun, but we think adding a camera into the mix makes the whole experience even better. It adds the challenge of attempting to capture the perfect image and leaves you with some wonderful souvenirs to help you remember your magical day out in the wilderness.
Keep a Wildlife Journal
If you plan to go wildlife watching on a regular basis, we highly recommend keeping a wildlife journal. This is lots of fun to look back on down the line, and it’s a good way to keep track of which animals you’ve seen and which ones you’d still like to catch a glimpse of.
Some people even go so far as to make their wildlife journal a scrapbook of sorts, adding photos and even pressed flowers and leaves found during their wildlife viewing adventures to the pages.
Remember Animal Safety
It’s incredibly important that you always remember animal safety while out wildlife watching. Give all wild animals their space and never attempt to pet or feed any animal you see.
- If you run into a cougar and it notices you, face the cat, make yourself as large as possible, make noise, and back away.
- If you are bitten by a snake, position yourself so the bite is below the heart, wash the bite with warm soapy water, cover the wound with clean, dry dressing, and seek out professional help.
- If you see an alligator, keep at least 30 feet of distance. If it charges at you, run as fast as you can in a straight line until the animal is no longer in sight.
Leave No Trace
Finally, it is very important that you practice “leave no trace” any time you head out into nature. Anything you bring with you should go back out with you, and rocks, sticks, logs, etc should be left where you find them. If you see trash left by others during your time in nature, go ahead and pack it out with you.
Explore Dallas’s Urban Wildlife
While many of the wildlife viewing locations in the Dallas area are located outside of the city, there is no real reason you have to leave the city to check out local animals. There are a number of smaller critters that make themselves at home, even in the middle of the big city.
One of the best places to see birds in Dallas is The Heard Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, located just 30 minutes away from downtown. White Rock Lake is also located just outside of downtown and is a good pick. If you’re looking to do some bird watching closer to downtown, you can head to Klyde Warren Park where you might see some local feathered friends, but don’t expect a huge number of animals on this urban spot.
Looking to find animals besides birds? Elm Fork Nature Preserve is just minutes from the heart of Dallas and is home to lots of cute little woodland creatures.
Hidden Wildlife Gems Near Dallas
Willing to go a bit further outside of town to see even more amazing local animals? There are lots of wonderful hidden wildlife gems nearby that are sure to suit your fancy. Pick any one of the parks and preserves listed below and get ready to have an amazing time watching birds, deer, small mammals, and more.
Cedar Ridge Preserve
Managed by volunteers from Audubon Dallas, Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve is a beautiful place located just 23 minutes southwest of Dallas. Here, you’ll find beautiful grasses, wildflowers, trees, and hiking trails. The bird population is amazing in this preserve and includes the rare black-capped vireo. You’ll also find several other small critters throughout the preserve, including some beautiful butterflies in the onsite butterfly garden.
While camping is not allowed at the preserve, there are opportunities for camping very nearby. Our top pick? Cedar Hill State Park. The campsites in this state park feature full hookups, and restrooms with showers are available. Fishing, boating, and swimming are all options for having fun in the park, and kids love the onsite playground.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
Established way back in 1946, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge does a wonderful job of providing a home to the local plants and animals. These marshes and grasslands are located about an hour and 20 minutes north of Dallas and welcome a wide variety of migratory birds, small mammals, owls, hawks, butterflies, and white-tailed deer. Use one of the many in-park trails to wander into the wilderness and admire some Texas wildlife.
There is no camping available at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Instead, we recommend heading to Paradise Cove RV Resort, which is a mere 15 minutes down the road. This resort features water-and-electric sites as well as full-hookup sites. Many of the sites are right in the water, and amenities such as a boat ramp, playground, and onsite store are there to make your stay as comfortable as possible.
Ray Roberts Lake State Park
Next on our list, Ray Roberts Lake State Park is a gorgeous little park located about an hour north of Dallas. This park is chock-full of both paved and unpaved trails, making it easy to hike or bike far from crowded areas and seek out the Texas wildlife that calls this park home. Some of those animals include deer, raccoons, rabbits, coyotes, and bobcats. You’ll also find lots of birds here, such as roadrunners, wild turkeys, the gray blue heron, and the painted bunting scissor-tailed flycatcher.
One of the coolest things about making Ray Roberts Lake State Park your wildlife watching destination is the fact that you can camp in the park. We recommend staying in the campsites with electricity in the Isle du Bois section of the park. These sites offer water, electricity, fire rings, picnic tables, and access to restrooms with showers.
Caddo Lake State Park
Another fabulous state park for wildlife watching, Caddo Lake State Park is found about two and a half hours east of Dallas. The park consists of 484 acres of Big Cypress Bayou, making for an incredibly interesting landscape and a wonderful habitat for all kinds of Texas wildlife.
One of our favorite animals to look for in this park? Alligators, of course! You may also find some yellow prothonotary warblers, lovely little birds that make excellent photography subjects.
As far as camping goes, you’ll find both full-hookup and partial-hookup RV sites in Caddo Lake State Park. All sites have fire rings, picnic tables, and restrooms nearby, and the easy access to hiking trails makes this an ideal place to camp.
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
We can’t forget Fossil Rim Wildlife Center! Situated about an hour and a half southwest of Dallas in the town of Glen Rose, this wildlife center is a different kind of experience. Here you’ll find animals from all over the world (including many endangered species), which you can see on a self-guided driving tour through the park. You cannot touch the animals, but they do sometimes approach vehicles, giving guests an excellent up-close view.
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has an onsite lodge but no onsite campground. Therefore, you will need to stay off site and drive in for the day. Our suggestion? Stay at Dinosaur Valley State Park. You’re likely to see some local wildlife in the state park and it’s just a short 15-minute drive to the wildlife center. The sites offer full hookups, but there is a trailer length limit of 35 feet.
Wildlife Sanctuaries
Hoping to see some more exotic animals than what Texas parks have to offer? Why not head to one of the wildlife sanctuaries in the area to learn how they care for their animals and offer your support?
The Wild Animal Sanctuary Texas
An absolutely wonderful place with an incredible mission, The Wild Animal Sanctuary Texas is an hour outside of Dallas and offers an experience that is well worth the drive. The sanctuary rescues animals from abusive and/or illegal situations and gives them a proper home. They have tigers, wolves, bears, lions, and more in their care, and they do an amazing job working with them.
While the sanctuary is not open to the public on a daily basis, supporters of the program are welcome to visit on weekends. We highly recommend that all animal lovers make a donation and pay the place a visit while in the Dallas area.
In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Education Center
Another fabulous rescue center, In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Education Center was established in 2000. Since then, the center has focused intently on rescuing neglected and abused exotic felines and they have done a beautiful job.
Visitors are welcome on Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 6pm for a small admission fee. Guided tours are also available but do require advantaged reservations, so be sure to call ahead if you want a tour guide.
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
Lastly, we must mention Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. While this attraction is a museum first and foremost, it does also function as an animal sanctuary, providing a home to a number of non-releasable animals. These animals can be visited during museum hours.
Additionally, the museum features a series of trails through a variety of habitats. Each habitat houses a variety of animals, and by walking the trails, you are likely to catch a glimpse of a few of these critters.
Wildlife Conservation and Education Centers
Wildlife sanctuaries aren’t the only organizations working to care for animals in the Dallas area. The following wildlife conservation and education centers are also doing amazing work and are well worth visiting:
Dallas Zoo
The biggest zoo in the area, the Dallas Zoo is a fabulous place to visit and learn about animals. Here you’ll find 106 acres of gorgeous, well-maintained grounds where you can experience hundreds of animal encounters and exhibits. In total, the zoo is home to over 2,000 animals and over 400 species.
Frank Buck Zoo
Located in Gainesville, the Frank Buck Zoo is another fantastic place to check out some animals, especially if you have kids in tow. This is a smaller zoo but it features a petting zoo, opportunities to feed and interact with animals, and a wide variety of animal species.
Clearly, Dallas is a wonderful place to visit if you want to catch a glimpse of some of the critters that call Texas home or learn how local organizations are helping animals. Why not go see all the beautiful creatures that call this city home? Book your Dallas rental RV and reserve a campsite today so you can head out on a fantastic wildlife viewing adventure that you won’t soon forget!
This post contains affiliate links. RVshare may receive compensation if you make a purchase after clicking on a product or service link.
