According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife annual survey, which measures pounds of game fish per acre of lake, White Rock Lake has been a great place for fishing over the last several years. Anglers can catch large-mouth bass, crappie, and channel catfish. ”It’s an excellent fishery,” says Charles Boseman, operations supervisor for the White Rock Lake Park. ”As an inner-city lake, it gets very little pressure from fishing.” That means more–and bigger–fish than you’ll find in some of North Texas’ more popular lakes. And the lake’s fish are safe to eat. Recent water quality studies have shown no pollution in White Rock Lake.

in order to go fishing at White Rock Lake, you should purchase a fishing license from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Licenses are available at area Wal-Marts and most tackle stores

The White Rock Hike and Bike Trail circles the lake. A complete loop on the trail is approximately 9.3 miles.

Dallas City Hall offers an interactive trail map at http://www.dallascityhall.com/html/hike_and_bike_trail_map.html, where you can download a PDF version of the White Rock Lake Hike and Bike Trail map, along with maps to other Dallas-area trails.

Trail booklets with maps can also be obtained by calling the Dallas Park and Recreation Department at 214-670-4100 or by stopping by their office at Sunset Bay at White Rock Lake or on Northwest Highway between Buckner and West Lawther. For the Love of the Lake also has some of these maps at - our office in Casa Linda Plaza.

Richardson Bike Mart www.bikemart.com (972-321-0705) rents bicycles at their store at Garland Road and Old Gate Lane, which is very close to the lake. They have been long-time, generous sponsors of For the Love of the Lake and White Rock Lake Park.

Other resources for bicyclists include:

Great Dallas Bicyclists - www.greaterdallasbicyclists.com

North Texas Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation - www.nctcog.org/trans/sustdev/bikeped

No. Swimming is not currently allowed on the lake.

This is a private, military-style, coed workout held at Winfrey Point on White Rock Lake. See Dallas Military Fitness - www.dallasmilitaryfitness.com - for details. Dallas Military Fitness is also an Adopt-A-Shoreline group and founding sponsor of The Celebration Tree Grove.

Call 911 immediately to report any crime - or even suspicious activity - at the lake.

You can also call the White Rock Lake Public Safety Information Line at 214-967-LAKE (5253) for recorded info about crime statistics.

You can call the Dallas Park and Recreation Department at 214-670-8281 for general park questions or concerns.

If you are wanting to call For the Love of the Lake, you can leave a message on the Lakeline, our 24 hour voicemail, and someone will return your call within a day or two That number is 972-622-SAVE (7283).

Talk may be cheap, but advice doesn’t cost a thing at White Rock Lake. Every Sunday for the past eight years, Rodderick MacElwain and Neal Caldwell, aka the "Free Advice Guys," have been answering questions on every subject you can imagine.

"From taxes to relationships to bathroom tiling — it’s as light or heavy as you want it to be, "says MacElwain, a management consultant and racewalker. Questions pertaining to directions, bike repair, help with lost cars and keys are frequently asked. Of course, "where are the bathrooms?" never goes out of style.

It started as just a one time thing in April eight years ago. Now there are regulars, and the guys make sure someone is there every Sunday. "Like Cal Ripken, we have a staggering record," says Rodderick.

Every Thursday between 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm (weather permitting), Mariner Sails provides a kayak demo opportunity at White Rock Lake.  This is an opportunity to try various kayaks before purchasing so that you will be comfortable with your final decision.

A limited number of demo kayaks is available, and not every kayak we carry is available to try out.  Reservations can be made in person during normal business hours up to two weeks in advance of an evening paddle.   Phone call and email reservations will only be accepted on a space available basis the day of the paddle. To make a reservation, contact Chris at 972-241-1498 or email him at chris@mariner-sails.com.

As this information changes from time to time it would be advisable to check the Mariner Sales web site for current updates to this information.

Here is a map of White Rock Lake and you will also find a printable PDF on this same page.

We also have an interactive Points of Interest map of the lake as wll that can provide you with explicit directions from just about anywhere.

There was a time that swimming WAS allowed at the lake. White Rock Lake historian Steven Butler�s site on the history of White Rock Lake talks about the lake’s swimming situation.

Here’s what Steven has to say:

"During the 1930s, 1940s, and into the 1950s, White Rock Lake Park lived up to its designation as "The People’s Playground." Dallas was smaller then (in both land size and population) and White Rock was literally a day’s outing in the countryside. With no home air conditioning, people flocked to its shores in droves during the summer to enjoy the cooling breezes and to swim, fish, go sailboating or speedboating, or camp out. Until the 1940s, more than a hundred private fishing cabins lined the shoreline. Regularly-held sailboat and speedboat races were watched by thousands of people who parked their cars on T.P. Hill. On the Fourth of July, bathers jammed White Rock Beach and swim and in the evening, to watch fireworks explode over the lake. For a brief period of time in the 1930s, there was a dance pavilion beside the bathhouse, where couples could take to the dance floor and enjoy the music of Babe Lowry and her all-female band, the "Rhythm Sweethearts."

"One of the most popular attractions, after the war, was the "Bonnie Barge," a floating dance pavilion and excursion boat, owned by speedboat concessionaire Johnny Williams.

Monday, September 1, 1952 was the last day the bathing beach was open. The following year, during a drought, White Rock Lake was put back in service (temporarily) as a a water supply and swimming was banned. In the meantime, fueled in part by fears of potential racial conflict, the City of Dallas embarked on a program of building smaller, neighborhood pools. The beach at White Rock was never re-opened and the ban on swimming is still in force to this day."

For more of Steven’s history of the lake check out www.watermelon-kid.com/places/wrl/history/wrl-history.htm

Power boat use is limited to boats with small motors of 9.5 horsepower or less. (Please note: violators are quickly reported to 911 and fined by the Dallas Police Department.) Jetskis and large motor boats are not permitted on White Rock Lake.

Sailboarding and windsurfing are not allowed on the lake.

The regulations for boats at White Rock Lake Park are in two categories, powered and non-powered.

Power boat use is limited to boats with small motors of 9.5 horsepower or less. (Please note: violators are quickly reported to 911 and fined by the Dallas Police Department.) Jetskis and large motor boats are not permitted on White Rock Lake.

For non-powered boats, kayaks, canoes, and other human-powered craft, the only regulation is that mandated by the State of Texas, which requires that the number of PFD’s (personal flotation devices) be equal to the number of people on the craft. The United States Government has also recently adopted the age guideline that children under 13 years of age MUST WEAR THE PFD WHILE IN THE BOAT.

Unless you add a motor to your canoe or kayak, these are the major regulations in place at the park.

Sail boating is allowed on the lake. Public boat launches are available on the west side of the lake on West Lawther near Fisher Road (where there’s a large parking lot), and on the east side, the parking lot just south of the White Rock Boat Club. Enter the park at Mockingbird and East Lawther to get to this boat launch.

There are two very active sailing clubs with their headquarters on White Rock Lake. These clubs hold regular races and regattas on the lake:

The Corinthian Sailing Club is located at 441 East Lawther Drive.
Phone: 214-320-0841.
Website: www.cscsailing.org

The White Rock Boat Club is located at 340 East Lawther Drive.
Phone: 214-327-9667.
Website: www.whiterockboatclub.com/
Email: membership@whiterockboatclub.com

Rowing sculls are allowed on the lake. In fact, the SMU Rowing Team uses the lake for its practices. And there’s a private rowing club, the White Rock Boathouse, that has worked to restore the 1930’s boathouse at T & P Hill for use as a rowing facility. The boat house is located on the southwest side of White Rock Lake at T.P. Hill, at 3240 West Lawther Drive. Parking is available at the boathouse. This group offers membership and rowing lessons.
Phone: 214-532-6827
Website: www.whiterockboathouse.com
Email: prez@whiterockboathouse.com

Horseback riding is allowed at White Rock Lake; however, Dallas Park and Recreation Department discourages the use of horses on the hike and bike trail, and there are no actual horseback riding trails at the lake. There are plenty of turf areas around the lake and shoreline area that can be used for horseback riding.

You may chose any parking lot around the lake to park and unload your horse, but some of the parking lots on the east side of the lake are not as highly used as on the west side, and may be a better choice.

If you have any further questions, you may contact:

Sandra Hicks, Supervisor
District I, East Region
Dallas Park and Recreation Department
Phone: 214-670-8281
Email: shicks@mail.ci.dallas.tx.us

According to a story in The Dallas Morning News from September 7, 2002 by Larry Bleiberg, Bonnie Bell Island is a deliberate fabrication by the map makers to foil copyright infringement. Apparently every computerized car navigation system sold in this country includes this island. The island appeared on Mapquest maps of the lake through 2002 or so.

A Mapsco spokesman quoted in The Dallas Morning News story stated that every page of the Mapsco has some small intentional error to protect their product against copying. The Mapscos do not show Bonnie Bell Island, and the spokesman assures us that the errors will not cause drivers any confusion.

Sunset Bay is located on the eastern shore of the lake. It’s where the Civilian Conservation Corps Worker bronze statue is located and near the White Rock Workout Center — the multi-station outdoor fitness circuit. You’ll typically find lots of ducks, geese and (if the time of the year is right) pelicans hanging around in the waters and on the shores. The easiest way to get to Sunset Bay is to take Buckner Boulevard south from Northwest Highway or Mockingbird Lane, heading toward Garland Road. Take a right at the light at Poppy Lane (where at Doctor’s Hospital). Follow Poppy into the park. At the stop sign, take a left at East Lawther Drive and proceed until you come to the turn-around at Winfrey Point. You’ll notice the CCC Statue on your left and a dock extending into the lake on your right. The park maintenance office, restrooms, a drinking fountain, and a cool spray are all located off the parking lot on your left.

We also have an interactive Points of Interest map of the lake as wll that can provide you with explicit directions from just about anywhere.

As befits its name, it’s a great place to watch the sunset.