Enjoy Year-Round Recreation in Denton

With more than 4,000 acres of public parks and open spaces managed by the City of Denton Parks & Recreation office, individuals, families and groups can always find ways to be active.

• The Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center is the centerpiece of nearly 3,000 acres of hardwood forest, upland prairie and aquatic habitats that offers hiking, birdwatching, running and more. 
• The Greenbelt Trail is a natural playground running twenty miles in length for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians to explore. The trail runs along the Elm Fork Branch of the Trinity River, which is popular with canoeists and kayakers.  
• Denton has three aquatics facilities for year-round family fun. Water Works Park offers several outdoor pools and slides, a sand volleyball court and an outdoor amphitheater. The Natatorium is an indoor aquatics center with competition and leisure pools open year-round. The Civic Center Pool sits adjacent to Quakertown Park and is open for the summer season.
• The numerous parks in Denton offer a range of recreation. Quakertown Park is a 32-acre park with a 31,000-square-foot event center, an amphitheater, picnic tables, playgrounds, the Civic Center Pool and more. North Lakes Park has a radio-control model aircraft runway and South Lakes Park is 187 acres and includes a unique Eureka 2 Playground.

The Denton Katy Trail is a 16-mile trail along the Denton County A-Train commuter rail line. Half of the trail is concrete and is popular with bicyclists, joggers, inline skaters and individuals with wheelchairs.

Horseback riding is popular at the numerous horse farms that offer one of the highest concentrations of horses in the country. Visitors can tour the countryside to see Arabians, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods or interested parties can work with individual farms for tours, lessons or events.

The Denton Country Club is more than a golf course. In addition to the 18-hole course named a 2021 Best First-Class Private Country Club, it boasts an outdoor tennis facility, fitness center, outdoor aquatic center and dining facility.

Denton has plenty of possibilities for those who prefer to watch sports as part of their recreation menu. The University of North Texas offers NCAA Division I competition in a range of sports, allowing fans to watch college football, men’s and women’s basketball and more. High school football, soccer and track and field come to life at the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex, with its 12,000-seat stadium, and the Carrico Athletic Complex, with its 7,000-seat stadium.

The North Texas Fair and Rodeo calls Denton home, providing year-round entertainment like the nine-day major August event, livestock shows, rodeos, golf tournaments, BBQ cookoffs and more.

The student-athletes at Texas Woman's University compete in numerous sports, ranging from artistic swimming and dance to basketball, volleyball, and more in NCAA Division II. The sports offer thrilling events to watch while allowing participants to add unique competitive learning experiences to their educational environment.