Recreation

Lake Ralph Hall will provide recreational opportunities

Lake Ralph Hall will provide North Texans with another new recreation destination to draw locals and visitor alike, which will also bring significant financial benefits to Fannin, Denton, Dallas and Collin Counties.

UTRWD is working with local officials to ensure that the lake will offer a range of opportunities, including fishing, boating, and nature viewing. Below is a map of future public access points around the lake, including boat ramps, a fishing jetty, a future visitor center and a new, relocated Ladonia Fossil Park. Lake Ralph Hall will open for recreation once it has filled sufficiently (which could take 3-5 years depending on rainfall) and is safe for public use.

Fishing

UTRWD is already working to make Lake Ralph Hall a prime fishing location. A pond inside the future Lake Ralph Hall footprint has been stocked with a variety of advanced fingerlings (young fish about the size of a finger) as part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments’ Toyota ShareLunker program. Introducing the adolescent bass and threadfin gamefish now will help them mature and establish a healthy population by the time Lake Ralph Hall fills up. Texas Parks and Wildlife are also stocking forage species such as bluegill sunfish and gizzard shad as well as black and white crappie, and channel and blue catfish for additional fishing opportunities.

Construction crews are strategically leaving some timber standing as they clear the future lake’s footprint. The standing timber will provide fish habitat, while cut timber will be collected for the Visitor Center and other local uses. In addition, crew members are creating “spider hump” fish habitat structures (like the one below) by arranging rocks, logs and brush into piles and strapping them down with steel cables and earthen anchors. These structures will ideally be 20-30 feet under the lake’s surface to provide ideal fish spawning areas. They are also using and arranging reef balls to create fish habitat.

Crews have also built a fishing jetty on the lake (see photos below). The jetty will provide access for fishermen and visitors without a boat and offer sightseeing out on the lake. It is located east of Hwy 34 at the northern part of the lake. A portion of the funding for the jetty was provided through a $250,000 grant that Texas Parks and Wildlife received from Bass Pro Shops.

Boating and Sailing

Plans are underway for public boat ramps/docks around the future reservoir. From stand-up paddle boarding to motor boating, Lake Ralph Hall will offer a plethora of new boating opportunities. In addition, the new bridge to cross the lake was built to a height that will allow sailboats to float underneath.

Walking and Bicycling

The new bridge over Lake Ralph Hall isn’t just for motorized vehicles. Now that the bridge is finished, visitors can stroll over the lake using the bridge’s 10-foot pedestrian walkway. The walkway connects with other trails in the Ladonia area for activities like hiking and bicycling.

Hunting and Camping

Upper Trinity Regional Water District provides public access to over 1,150 acres of land adjacent to the future Lake Ralph Hall through a cooperative agreement with the Texas Park & Wildlife Department’s public hunting program. Information on this public program can be found on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website. 

Initial camping options near the lake already include the Caddo National Grasslands (primitive camping through the TPWD program mentioned above) and privately owned campgrounds in the area. Bonham State Park and RV Camping is also located nearby.