Hiking the Sister Grove Trails in Princeton, Texas

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Sister Grove Trails are located northeast of Princeton, Texas in a rural part of Collin County (soon to be developed) and consists of 7.6 miles of trails. According to Alltrails, it’s all one loop. At the park, there signs telling visitors there 4 looping trails and a hunter’s trail. One sign tells hikers to go left and hike the trail counterclockwise and bikers to go right and go clockwise. There are restrooms and water fountains (I think) but they are closed and shut off in the winter (cold months).

Our Experience Hiking the Sister Grove Trails

My wife and I have hiked the Sister Grove twice over the years. The first time was about five years ago and there was only one other family out there. The second was recently and there were at least 10 cars in the parking area and even more when we left. The park is the only one in the area and (there are only couple of other spots in Collin County all together) of this design making it popular spot for mountain biking and hikers wanting to get away from the concrete jungles of Collin County.

At the trail head there are plenty of signage telling visitors about the trails. Giving the names of the trails, how long the trail, and roughly how to get to it. I’m just getting back into hiking after some health issues, so we decided to keep it simple and short. So, we took the easy trail, that was about 1.8 miles. The trails start in the meadow area and eventual split up at the tree line. Some of the trails starting before the tree while others starting inside the tree line. Watch the trail signs. Some of them aren’t easy to follow.

All the trails can be combined to complete the full 7+ mile trail loop. You just need to follow the signs and there may be some back tracking. At some point I will hike or bike the trail to figure it out.

The Trails

The trails are a single person with sections wide enough for two people and all-natural dirt surface. In some places the trail is so rutted out from the bikes it easier for hikers to walk along the trail. If it has rained heavy in the last week or so it the trails will either be closed or have muddy spots along the trail. Avoid the trails after it rains. In the trees, it’s very narrow in places with tree branches close to the trail edge and tree roots crossing the trail. Along the way you might see a squirrel or some other small woodland creating in the brush. Out in the meadow, the sun blistering hot and the single track in spots is well rutted. If the meadow hasn’t been cut in a while, you will find butterflies, dragonflies and other wildlife.

I didn’t see much wildlife, but I saw deer tracks and a few early season butterflies. For a now busy park, I didn’t see much trash. It somewhat surprised me, that particular area of Collin County around Lake Avon tends to have a lot of people trash dumping and littering.

Advice For the Trip

• do not attempt after it rains.
• during bug season, use bug spray.
• sunscreen, you will spend a lot of time in the meadow and there are patchy spots in the wooded areas.
• bring plenty of water and use the rest room before using the park. Facilities may not be open when use the park.
• download the AllTrails Map of the park and use the tracking app or another gps hiking tracking app to follow your progress. You can get lost in the woods and the cell service is a little spotty in the area. I used my Google Pixel 7 Pro and my Garmin Venu 2 Plus

You do not need any special gear for the Sister Grove Trails. Our hike was a last-minute thought as we were passing through Princeton. I was wearing jeans and an old pair of torn up cross trainers, but my wife came prepared for the hike Leggings and hiking shoes. Our hikes are normally more planned involve hiking gear.