View Full Version : Hiking Trails in Texas?
SwissGuy
08-26-2013, 20:10
Due to life (and a fiancee), I was unable to knock out my Thru-hike while I lived close to the trail up here in New England, much to my chagrin. But I tell you what, the section hikes I managed to get done were some world-class fun, and I am really happy to have gotten to experience the strange magic that is the AT. There is no other trail like it that I have been on.
That being said, we're relocating to Austin, TX... And I have literally no knowledge of any long-distance trails in Texas. I mean, it is a massive state, there has to be something! I've basically done all my hiking either in the Appalachians or the Cascades, so the fact that Texas has no major mountain ranges is either a relief or a severe disappointment... That being said, I don't think I'll miss much of the PUDs.
So, any Texans have the inside line on where to do multi-day hikes in that great state? And as a more open question, what kind of differences in hiking culture and type should I be expecting?
Lone Star Trail: north of houston to Beaumont
Big bend N.P.: hike till you drop.
Guadalupe Mountains N.P.: hiking available.
Do your homework. There are trails.
Welcome to Texas.
Wayne
Dr. Professor
08-26-2013, 21:38
Big Bend isn't close but would be my recommendation.
You'll love Austin, but Texas isn't the best for hiking. Get a kayak for Lake Austin.
hikerboy57
08-26-2013, 21:45
The best trails in Texas are actually in New Hampshire
The best trails in Texas are actually in New Hampshire
The Texas mountains are taller
Dr. Professor
08-26-2013, 21:53
Actually, I fairly confident that Texas owns Colorado.
hikerboy57
08-26-2013, 21:54
The Texas mountains are taller
so are the rockies.
the whites are better
Dr. Professor
08-26-2013, 22:12
Alberta Rockies >>> Whites
hikerboy57
08-26-2013, 22:18
Alberta Rockies >>> Whites
okay .
Dr. Professor
08-26-2013, 22:40
But....
The Whites are sweet, and far better than the Davis Mountains.
PeaPicker
08-26-2013, 23:15
Not much here in the way of hiking except for Big Ben in far west Texas.Lone Star is in little pieces at the moment for repairs.What you will find are really just out and back day hikes.Football,hunting,fishing both fresh and coastal are the pass times.Oh and don't forget to pack your gun,you do have one right,if not you will be the only one without one.
You will love Austin and 6th street,(lot of singer,songwriters call it home)very good culinary city too.San Antonio has the river walk ,bars,hotels and restaurants.New Braunfels has a strong German Community and beer festival(NOT TO BE MISSED). Welcome to my home state.
Enchanted Rock: you could have a lot of fun going up, down, and around the Rock.
Lots of biking folks in Austin. Visit REI & Whole Earth Provisions for ideas and groups in the area.
The CDT is less than 1,000 due west of Austin.
Spring Break in Texas is the third week in March, more or less. Half of Texas fills every campground in the state. The other half of Texas fills NM & CO.
The best time to hike Big Bend N.P. And state park is November to early March. You could hike hundreds of miles in those two parks and never retrace your steps. Heck, they might be bigger than R.I. There is more water than you think.
Lukinback on a Saturday afternoon with a bucket of Shiner is always fun.
Wayne
Caprock Canyons State Park is pretty nice, they have a 60 mile trail, but its really easy, just don't go in the summer when its 115. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprock_Canyons_State_Park_and_Trailway
So, let me get this straight. You want specific multi day hikes in an area that's more than 268,000 square miles? and, you're asking it at this website? Why don't you Google TEXAS hiking trails? or check out TEXAS SPs and NPs? or websites dedicated to hiking in TEXAS? or pick up a few books on hiking in in TEXAS? AND THEN hit up a few different hiking and outdoor related sites and ask more targeted questions
.....so the fact that Texas has no major mountain ranges is either a relief or a severe disappointment...???? Well, I guess it depends a bit on what you mean by major mountain ranges but you are dead wrong if you think there aren't mountain ranges in TEXAS. NO, Texas is NOT all flat! NO, TEXAS is NOT all dry and sage brush either. East Texas can definitely be different hiking than far west Texas. Same goes true for south and north.
Texas has at least 7 mountain ranges off the top of my head and I don't think I know much about Texas although I've done a few hikes there. You might look into these ranges: Chalk( I think this is a small range), Chisos(Big Bend NP, some very nice hikes during winter), Christmas(remote, I'm interested in doing some off the grid off trail hiking here), Davis(lots of possible hikes here), Guadalupe(Guadaupe NP, highest summit in Texas, could do a multi day here, Fall is nice at MicKitrick Canyon), Franklin(several hikes are nice here, near El paso), Hueco(near the Franklins near El Paso, few easy hikes), Palo Pinto(heard about them, supposedly scenic), Sierra del Carmen(these are some of the highest and some consider the Chisos (Big Bend NP) part of this range, cross over into Mexico, no nothing about them other than that, would like to hit these up IF I could get up into them, supposedly very rugged).
The Texas mountains are taller
Spot on correct! Guadalupe Mt, the highest point in the state, is over 8700 ft. Has a stainless steel obelisk at the summit. Davis Mts are the second highest. Has a decent 70 plus mile loop Near Fort Davis with plenty of other possibilities. I agree with Dr Professor's statement but a hike is what you bring to it too!
If you're really adventurous you can hike from Guadalupe NP to Carlsbad Caverns NP basically on a ridge. That was pretty neat.
Dr. Professor
08-27-2013, 02:22
A hike is what you bring to it.
This cannot be stressed enough; the same concept applies to just about anything that requires effort, dedication, care, attention, focus, desire, and/or passion.
Don't discount Texas SPs or SPs anywhere. Some have outstanding opps.
Dr. Professor
08-27-2013, 10:51
Don't discount Texas SPs or SPs anywhere. Some have outstanding opps.
Big Bend NP really is its own kind of amazing, especially at the right times of day (sunrise, sunset) and at the right times of year (early spring, late fall).
I'm sure you're right about some of the SPs, especially in the more remote mountain ranges.
The "other" Big Bend park...Big Bend Ranch State Park. Adjoining Big Bend National Park.
With 400 square miles to roam, Big Bend Ranch State Park offers everything from riverside camping and rafting on the Rio Grande to mountain hikes, wildlife photography and horseback and mountain bike rides. A new Public Use Plan for the park is being implemented this fall that will offer much greater access to the ranch's interior via 83 additional miles of hiking trails and 44 miles of four-wheel drive roads. In addition, visitors will be able to choose from among 24 primitive campsites in the backcountry strategically located to ensure privacy and take advantage of choice scenery.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/big-bend-ranch
Heck, they might be bigger than R.I.
Close. The parks total 796 square miles. 2/3 the size of Rhode Islands.
Austin 2014
08-27-2013, 16:13
Hope this link works. There is a talk called "Best Fall Hikes in Central Texas" at the Downtown Austin REI on September 22. Might be worth checking out if you are new in town. http://www.rei.com/event/53044/session/78482
Sprout2011
09-13-2013, 11:56
Hey SiwssGuy - I also just moved here to Austin, Texas and am already eager to get hiking around here (preferably overnight, long distance trails of some sort). I hiked the AT back in 2011. If you are looking for a hiking partner or want to share rides/gas to and from some of these places let me know! I don't know many people at all here, and I want to get out and explore, but am a bit apprehensive to do it on my own since I'm not familiar with the territory and its not as heavily traveled as the AT. Seems like there is definitely some stuff out there worth exploring!
CarlZ993
09-13-2013, 16:57
I've hiked/backpacked a lot of the State Parks & National Parks (Big Bend & Guadalupe Mtn) in Texas. Some of the state parks are a bit on the small side. One or two nights and then you'll be repeating trails. That being said, my favorite state park to backpack in is Lost Maples. Coming back to Austin, don't pass up a food stop in Medina, TX at the Apple Store. Great burgers and everything apple related. Yum!
Big Bend is huge. And can be unforgiving. The South Rim trail in the Chisos Mtns (13 - 15 miles; depending which route you take) is undoubtedly the prettiest hike in Texas (IMHO). Great views on the South Rim. At around 30 miles, the Outer Mountain Loop is a nice hike. After about 2/3's of the hike, you reach a trail junction where you can cache water that is only about 1/4m from the road. Both hikes are often devoid of water.
Guadalupe Mtns is also really nice. Significant mountains (for Texas) and great views. Again, water must be carried as there is no water in the high country. Typically, I'll start at the Pine Springs TH w/ water and loop into the high country. I'll end up at Dog Canyon TH (northern end of the park) to get more water before returning to Pine Springs. Water is also available in McKittrick Canyon TH & creek.
The down side to the National Parks in Texas is the distance they are from Austin. You're nearing 500M to Big Bend from my house. Over 500M to Guadalupe Mtns. Fortunately, the legal speed limit on I-10 is 80 MPH so you can cover some of that distance at a good clip.
On the plus side, you can reach NM mountains in a hard day's drive. CO mountains in two days. Two days to get to the Grand Canyon. That's where I tend to go most of the time.
CarlZ, how many total miles of hiking trails in Lost Maples? I see they don't want off trail travel. What's been your experience with that?
I did a 9o mile loop including all of the High Chisos trails(yeah your possibly right, one of the BEST views from on a back country hike in all of Texas may be from the S Rim on a clear day with no crowds), Emory Peak, the 30+ m Outer loop, and some off trail climbing/scrambling on the peak ridgelines around the main Chisos CG(later found out I wasn't supposed to do that). Found H20 in at least 5 locations during the third wk in Nov where i was told there would be none and it hadn't rained(lightly sprinkled) in almost a month. Two springs(Boot Canyon Spring being one) and quite a few depressions in rocks that held water. You might have to look for them though and I'd suspect they are ephemeral not to be always counted on. Water is sometimes left by others along the Outer Loop as well at the remote gravel parking lot area at the Juniper Canyon/Dodson THs in a steel bear proof storage box and at the abandoned Homer Wilson/Blue Creek Ranch(still in good condition, NO camping allowed here) on the spur up to the paved road in another storage locker. Saw a cougar lurking(ambush stalking) at one supposedly waterless dry stream bed crossing. The Mexican jays are quite the bold social characters in BB NP. I had them landing on my head. As the black bears have been slowly repopulating the BB NP area, probably coming in from Mexico across the Rio Grande, (can you imagine that?, what does that possibly say about human centric American mentality?), I like that BB NP is preventing possible future negative bear/human encounters by retraining human behavior so that the problem doesn't get out of hand and as a consequence are keeping the bears from being habituated to obtaining an easy meal left behind or improperly stored by humans.
I got to get back to Texas as i want to do an off trail scramble from the summit of Guadalupe Peak to Mckittrick Canyon.
I love desert hiking as it's largely so foreign and forbidding to most that it's often totally absent of humans yet so worthy of exploration. That's why I enjoy Utah, AZ, NM, SoCal, and NV hiking. I so want to get down to Patagonia and Mexico.
CarlZ993
09-13-2013, 22:25
CarlZ, how many total miles of hiking trails in Lost Maples? I see they don't want off trail travel. What's been your experience with that?
I did a 9o mile loop including all of the High Chisos trails(yeah your possibly right, one of the BEST views from on a back country hike in all of Texas may be from the S Rim on a clear day with no crowds), Emory Peak, the 30+ m Outer loop, and some off trail climbing/scrambling on the peak ridgelines around the main Chisos CG(later found out I wasn't supposed to do that). Found H20 in at least 5 locations during the third wk in Nov where i was told there would be none and it hadn't rained(lightly sprinkled) in almost a month. Two springs(Boot Canyon Spring being one) and quite a few depressions in rocks that held water. You might have to look for them though and I'd suspect they are ephemeral not to be always counted on. Water is sometimes left by others along the Outer Loop as well at the remote gravel parking lot area at the Juniper Canyon/Dodson THs in a steel bear proof storage box and at the abandoned Homer Wilson/Blue Creek Ranch(still in good condition, NO camping allowed here) on the spur up to the paved road in another storage locker. Saw a cougar lurking(ambush stalking) at one supposedly waterless dry stream bed crossing. The Mexican jays are quite the bold social characters in BB NP. I had them landing on my head. As the black bears have been slowly repopulating the BB NP area, probably coming in from Mexico across the Rio Grande, (can you imagine that?, what does that possibly say about human centric American mentality?), I like that BB NP is preventing possible future negative bear/human encounters by retraining human behavior so that the problem doesn't get out of hand and as a consequence are keeping the bears from being habituated to obtaining an easy meal left behind or improperly stored by humans.
I got to get back to Texas as i want to do an off trail scramble from the summit of Guadalupe Peak to Mckittrick Canyon.
I love desert hiking as it's largely so foreign and forbidding to most that it's often totally absent of humans yet so worthy of exploration. That's why I enjoy Utah, AZ, NM, SoCal, and NV hiking. I so want to get down to Patagonia and Mexico.
Not sure on the actual miles. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4507_074b.pdf
You can use multiple loops within the park to add up the mileage.
Re Big Bend: I also saw some water in Boot Canyon drainage (above the spring) when I was there last Dec. Looked very rank. I thought it better to carry the water I needed and let the native animals have a water source. Boot Canyon Spring was dry. On the Outer Mountain Loop, I found Fresno Creek and several springs along the way dry. The bear box @ the ranch was there so you could cache water on the loop (which is what we - me & my Boy Scout Venture Crew - did.).
Re Guadalupe Mtns: I've never done much cross country hiking in the park. I have climbed the trail up McKittrick Canyon to Tejas Trl. That's a nice climb. Went to Dog Canyon for water on the second day. Extreme drought at the time. No backpacking stoves were allowed in the backcountry or at the drive up camp sites.
Fresno Ck was where I saw the panther waiting in ambush around the pothole and running water. Saw much water above Boot Canyon spring in potholes some as much as two ft deep. As I said it hadn't rained in almost 30 days and that was only a sprinkle. This was just before Thanksgiving.
I believe it's possible to do an off trail mostly ridgeline scramble from the Guadalupe Peak summit over the summits of Shumard and Bartlett Peaks to Bush Mt to hook up with the Bush Mt Tr or go from Guadalupe Peak and access Pine Spring and pick up the dead ended Devils Hall Tr from between Bartlett Peak and Bush Mt. All this requires careful scrambling and scouting ahead. This would make for a more interesting loop and cut off having to back track way back down from the dead ended Guadalupe Peak summit to access these other trails/places. Look it up. I almost did this as I hiked along thje ridge from Carlsbad Caverns NP in New Mexico to Guadalupe NP in Texas. Didn't have the food and water logistics down though when I considered it in route.
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, loop all the trails together at Lost Maples. I just like to have hiking opps already in mind when or if I get a few days in San Antonio.
lostagain
09-14-2013, 23:50
Y'all left out the Palo Duro Canyon SP. Nice hiking there, plus the Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the US. I'll +1 on all the other trails that have been mentioned.
Meantime: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/parks/things-to-do/hiking-in-state-parks (http://www.backpacker.com/destinations/category/179), or http://www.texastrails.org/, or http://www.texasoutside.com/hikeLanding.html, or http://www.thebackpacker.com/trails/tx/trails.php.
Sprout2011
09-23-2013, 21:44
Hi SwissGuy -
I just moved here to Austin a month ago. I want to get out hiking as well. I got a book on hiking and backpacking in Texas - if you are ever up for a hike, let me know! I hiked the AT in 2011 and am eager to hike more. I would be happy to carpool.
Sprout
Goodwater trail in Georgetown is an awesome 26.5 mile loop sort of tucked away and forgotten north of Austin. I have done it a few times and like doing it as a 2 nighter. --- The karst will EAT lesser shoes so be sure to wear serious leather boots for this trail.
I am in Austin also, and the best resource for central texas is http://austinexplorer.com/
I am always up for a hike.