Is Dallas sunny/outdoorsy? (Cedar Hill, Mineral Wells: neighborhoods, camping, live)

[HutchUSA]

I'm thinking about moving to Dallas but I love the outdoors and being able to do stuff on weekends/evenings like organize BBQ's, Volleyball/other park sports, camping out, hiking, boating/waterskiing on the lake etc.. I'm originally from the UK and have a hatred of clouds/gray skies (which are basically permanent over the UK) as I feel it ruins all of the activities previously mentioned! I definitely get seasonal affective disorder to some extent! So are things like that possible on a relatively regular basis in Dallas or is the weather just too random and cloudy/stormy there?

I'm currently in Phoenix which is obviously great for the sun and outdoors, but as a single almost 27 year old guy I'm not sure I'm ever going to meet the right girl here, there aren't many people around my age aside from in Scottsdale which is full of hot but unfriendly girls looking for their sugardaddy! I have an opportunity to move but I'm probably looking at around a 4 year commitment, and even though I love it in Phoenix I'm scared to stay here for that long as I don't want to still be single at 31!

I should also mention that I've been to Dallas a few times, I love southern culture/accents and country music and cowboy boots etc, and having been out in Dallas I can definitely say girls are far friendlier and nicer to talk to! I think I've actually met more girls in Dallas on a couple of nights out than in a couple of months in Scottsdale!

[bluescreen73]

Sunny, yes. Outdoorsy, not really. About 10-15 degrees cooler but considerably more humid than Scottsdale. You will not want to camp anytime from early/mid-June 'til mid-September. I lived there for 12 years and HATED life in the summer.

[RonnieinDallas]

The weather the last few weeks has been so good! This winter wasn't so bad either. Although, the summers can get really hot. During the summer I enjoy walking/jogging the Katy Trail. Being outside near the pool, or having a drink somewhere on a patio. I also use to like going to the lake when family had a lake house, but that's not an option anymore.

A lot of people complain about the outdoor options here. Its not something I'm really interested in, so it's not a big deal to me, Im pretty much satisfied. Camping isn't my thing either. I don't think a lot of people go camping around here anyway. There's not a lot of public land for one, and a lot of the camp grounds are pretty far away. One summer I camped out at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, which was ok, but I liked canoeing down the Brazos River better. There are lots of lakes(technically reservoirs) for boating, but you need a boat, or know someone with one. Oklahoma and Arkansas are a few hours away, and both have better state parks than Texas.

[xS☺B☺s]

You say "sunny" as if it's a good thing!? Hell yeah it's sunny here. You get blasted by the sun from June1 - Nov1 up to 16 hrs a day. And as you can see below, it can be 50 degrees warmer in the sun than in the shade.



I've measured 170F in my car before.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

There are lots of places to run, cycle, etc. Cedar Hill State Park is surprisingly scenic. Dallas is no Boulder or Boise, but it was never meant to be.

[HutchUSA]

Originally Posted by xS☺B☺s

You say "sunny" as if it's a good thing!?

Haha, I generally like hot places, maybe not during the hottest part of the year but when the temps aren't at extreme highs there's nothing nicer than clear blue skies!

I'm always surprised to hear that Texas isn't very outdoorsy too, it has a big reputation for being 'country' but I guess you have to know someone who owns land.

[HutchUSA]

Originally Posted by Made_it_To_the_Metroplex

There are lots of places to run, cycle, etc. Cedar Hill State Park is surprisingly scenic. Dallas is no Boulder or Boise, but it was never meant to be.

Yeah I'm not worried about places to run/walk, Dallas actually looks like it has a lot of good areas for stuff like that, it's more just being able to plan a day outside on the weekend in the park or on the lake etc, I find it ruins it if it's a dull and cloudy day.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by HutchUSA

Haha, I generally like hot places, maybe not during the hottest part of the year but when the temps aren't at extreme highs there's nothing nicer than clear blue skies!

I'm always surprised to hear that Texas isn't very outdoorsy too, it has a big reputation for being 'country' but I guess you have to know someone who owns land.

The biggest reasons why Dallas isn't outdoorsy are the climate and the (lack of) terrain. When the high pressure ridge builds in over North Central Texas during the summer the temps will be roughly the same everywhere within a 2-3 hour drive of Dallas. In Phoenix you can drive 1-2 hours north/northeast and gain anywhere from 3,000 to almost 6,000 feet in elevation and the temps will drop 15-30 degrees.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

The biggest reasons why Dallas isn't outdoorsy are the climate and the (lack of) terrain. When the high pressure ridge builds in over North Central Texas during the summer the temps will be roughly the same everywhere within a 2-3 hour drive of Dallas. In Phoenix you can drive 1-2 hours north/northeast and gain anywhere from 3,000 to almost 6,000 feet in elevation and the temps will drop 15-30 degrees.

Yeah but... Phoenix just flat out sucks. No offense to anyone who likes it, but I didn't care for it at all. That whole dry heat argument doesn't make sense to me, it's still hot. Plus, the whole area looks like the surface of Mars. I just don't find the desert landscape attractive at all, and the sprawl is even uglier there, everything looks like a Taco Bell, and the sprawl seems to dominate the area even worse than it does in DFW. At least, it's somewhat green here and we have fun urban neighborhoods to explore.

[Aceraceae]

Texas is very outdoorsy if you like to hunt and fish. For hiking and similar not too much.