Arbor Hills Gives West Plano a 200-Acre Nature Preserve

On the western border of Plano, Arbor Hills Nature Preserve sets aside 200 acres of the rolling Blackland landscape that most of the county has long since built over. The City of Plano calls it a park of natural beauty made for walking, jogging, hiking, and orienteering.

Paved and natural trails climb low hills to an overlook tower, then drop into woods and creek bottoms, so the place feels a step removed from the subdivisions and tollways pressing in around it. For west Plano and the cities along the Denton County line, it's an everyday outdoor stop rather than a destination.

It's also proof that fast-growing Collin County still holds real public open space right up against dense neighborhoods. The overlook tower at the high point is the spot most people end up — go in the morning, before the summer heat settles into the creek bottoms.