This Is Not a Travel Series
I want to be clear about what this is — and what it is not.
This is not a travel vlog. I am not here to rate the trail systems or compare the campgrounds. I am here because I believe that graceful aging happens through nature — by tending to your energy, your skin, and this season of life with as much intention as you can bring to it.
The Texas State Parks are my teacher. All 88 of them.
Cedar Hill State Park, just outside of Dallas, is where that practice begins.
When Moving Forward Is Not Enough
Have you ever found yourself moving — busy, productive, technically fine — but completely unlit from the inside? That is exactly where I was when I made the decision to visit all 88 Texas State Parks.
Not for a bucket list. Not for a travel series. For a reset. A real one.
I am in a season of life where I care less about fighting time and more about tending to myself well. That means how I move through my days, what I put on my skin, and yes — how often I step outside and let something larger than my to-do list remind me to breathe.
What Nature Actually Does for Your Skin
There is something that happens when you step into a quiet outdoor space. Even on a cloudy, cool day, sitting beside a small pond at Cedar Hill, I could feel something settling inside me.
That kind of stillness is not just good for the soul. It is good for your skin.
Chronic stress drives cortisol production, and cortisol is one of the more underappreciated culprits behind dull skin, inflammation, breakouts, and accelerated aging. When we slow down — genuinely slow down, not just scroll more quietly — we give our body a chance to lower that cortisol, reduce systemic inflammation, and support the skin’s natural repair processes.
Inside-out health is not a wellness trend. It is the foundation of graceful aging.
The Sketch: Slowing Down on Purpose
This pen-and-ink sketch was drawn on-site at Cedar Hill State Park. It’s one of the reflections featured in my upcoming book and journal, Right Here All Along (releasing September 2026 via Leaf & Ink Press).
The quiet of this specific trail didn’t just inspire my sketchbook; it also became the heartbeat of an original song written about my quest to visit all 88 Texas State Parks. It’s a track about finding the courage to slow down and find your footing again.
Listen to our single, “I Needed to Begin Again,” on your favorite platform:
- Listen on Spotify
- Listen on Apple Music
- Also available on Amazon Music, iTunes, and streaming everywhere.
I brought two things to Cedar Hill State Park that I will bring to every single park on this journey: my park passport and my sketchbook.
The sketchbook is not decorative. It is functional — in the deepest sense of that word.
When I sit still long enough to sketch a landscape, something shifts. My eyes have to actually look at what is in front of me. My hand has to follow what my eyes see. The internal chatter quiets. And in that quiet, I can hear my own thoughts again.
That is a form of tending to yourself that no product can replicate. It is also, I have come to believe, one of the most underrated practices for women in this season of life — simply sitting still with a pencil and paying attention.
The sketches from each of these 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey. Which means that every time I open that sketchbook, I am not just drawing a park. I am building something that will outlast the visit.
If you watch the video, you will see the sketch progress from a blank page to something finished. That progression — the blank page, the first tentative lines, the moment it starts to look like something — mirrors exactly what this whole journey feels like.
Cedar Hill State Park: A Brief Orientation
Cedar Hill State Park sits on the western edge of Joe Pool Lake, about 20 miles southwest of Dallas. It covers more than 7,000 acres of native Blackland Prairie and post oak savanna — a rare ecosystem that feels genuinely removed from the city just beyond its borders.
For this visit, I brought my park journal and sketchbook. I had no agenda beyond presence. If you are looking for a place near Dallas to simply exhale, Cedar Hill is a good first step.
Tending to Your Skin the Way Nature Intended
Here is something I have learned from years of spending time outdoors in Texas: this climate will not wait for you to notice what it is doing to your skin.
The wind, the sun, the dry air — your lips take the hit first. They are among the most sensitive skin on your body, and Texas air can dry them out before you have walked a quarter mile. I never leave home without a good lip balm. It is a small thing, but small acts of care are exactly what graceful aging looks like in practice.
More broadly, my approach to skincare has shifted considerably as I have gotten older. I do not believe aging is something we need to fight anymore. I think it is something we learn to tend to and support.
That means choosing fewer, better things. Formulations that work with your skin rather than at war with it. Products that feel like care, not correction. The goal is not to look younger. The goal is to look like yourself — well-tended, at ease, present.
That philosophy is what this entire series is built around.
The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice
The Texas State Parks Passport gets stamped at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.
Each stamp is a small act of commitment to that practice.
This is not a race. It is not a travel vlog. It is a guide to showing up for yourself, one park at a time.
If you are in a similar season — looking for a way to reconnect with yourself, slow down, and approach your skin and your life with more care and less urgency — you are welcome to walk this with me.
Practical Notes for Your Cedar Hill Visit
- Location: 1570 FM 1382, Cedar Hill, TX 75104
- Day use hours: Typically 6 AM to 10 PM (confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website)
- Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks
- What to bring: Water, sunscreen, lip balm, a journal if that is your thing, and comfortable shoes
- Best time to visit: Early morning or overcast days to avoid peak Texas heat; fall and spring are ideal
FAQs
What is the best trail at Cedar Hill State Park for a quiet nature walk?
While I didn’t go on any trail walks while at Cedar Hill State Park I sat and enjoyed the peack and quiet at the little pond at Penn Farm Historical Center. As a bonus, there is also a restroom there as well.
Can you practice forest bathing or nature therapy near Dallas?
Cedar Hill State Park is not in a forest so there is no forest bathing, but there is a swimming area where you can swim in the lake. I was last there in February and even though it was a cloudy day, simply getting out into the nature environment that the park provides lets me decompress and reset and restore my inner self. The fact that it is so close to the DFW metroplex so you don’t have to travel far is an added benefit.
How does spending time in nature support a natural, slow living skincare routine?
More than most people realize. Chronic stress accelerates aging both internally and in the skin — contributing to inflammation, collagen breakdown, dryness, and reactivity. Time in nature measurably lowers cortisol, supports better sleep, and reduces systemic inflammation. Combined with thoughtful topical skincare, it becomes a genuinely holistic approach to aging well.
What does the scenery look like at Cedar Hill Park?
Cedar Hill State Park is a larger park with hills over looking a large lake. There are numerous campsite areas as well as the Penn Farm Historical Site. It is not a forested park, but instead one with rolling hills and lovely overlook lake views as well as areas where you can walk right down to the water’s edge. Some of the areas do have trees and there are a number of trails.
How do I get a Texas State Parks Passport?
The Texas State Parks Passport is available through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — online or at many park visitor centers. Each park stamps your passport with it’s unique stamp when you visit. It is a quiet, satisfying way to mark the journey. It has become a treasured companion on my own personal quest to experience the healing power of nature across all 88 Texas State Parks.
How can I follow along with this series?
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for new park episodes each week, and bookmark this blog for the written companion posts. Each post goes deeper into the themes from that visit — nature, graceful aging, sketching, and caring for yourself well at every stage of life.
Cedar Hill State Park is stop 1 of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post weekly. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who is ready to reset.
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