Texas Backpacking??? Moving to San Antonio

Lone Star Hiking Trail, bunch of state parks, Goodwater Trail near Austin.

What John said.  Add in Lost Maples State park, Tyler state park.  They have, well, state park trails, but you could get some nice hikes in.  There are lots of trails around.  I’ve not checked, but there is a book for the Dallas/Ft Worth area, called 50 Day Hikes around DFW.  Lots of trails, short to long and difficult.

Arkansas has a lot of nice trails for longer hikes.

Texas is actually a great place to get outside pretty much year around.  Think of it sort of like Europe. Its not a wilderness but lots of outside stuff to do. You can even get German food in places like Fredricksburg. The difference is in Texas you also have great BBQ, you can rent a machine gun, you can go to a rodeo, and you can buy Blue Bell Ice Cream. That last detail is very important. Do not underestimate the wonderfulness of Blue Bell Ice Cream!

Here are some random thoughts

West Texas 

This is the wildest and pretties part of the state. Imagine a place where you can hike through mountains and Douglas fir forest without winter gear in December. You can do that in Texas while Colorado is covered in snow. I loved West Texas.

Tips

• You will have to carry water, lots of it. Buy a rugged pack that can carry 50 pounds and accept it. Don’t try to ration water and don’t try to save 8oz by using a sub optimal pack to carry 2 gallons of water.
• Bring tweezers. Lots of cactus to ruin your day.
• Well water in West Texas often has lots of minerals in it. I suggest bringing your own especially for the hikes.

As far as specific hikes there are a ton. In Guadalupe Mountain National Park there are multiple trails leading up into the “bowl” or mountain basin. I explored them all on multiple weekends. You could do a 3 day backpack then car camp and do a few day hikes to places that don’t really fit with a backpacking route. If you want to be creative you could extend your hiking up into public land on the New Mexico side.

Big Bend has tons of options. The Outer Mountain Loop is a classic for a reason. It hits pretty much all the highlights in a 3 day trip. More dedicated hikers have done creative trips in the less visited desert areas of the park.

Big Bend State Park gets a lot less use. The Rancharias Loop was a lot of fun. I think I did it in one night but it could be a 3 day trip. A nice thing about this area is there are some relatively reliable springs. I did not have to carry as much water on this trip.

Doing a float on the Rio Grande might be fun. My friends from Alaska did it in January and loved it.

Hill Country 

I worked at an adventure camp here and liked it. There aren’t a ton of long hikes but you have options to get outside.

• There are some amazing rivers. I never got to explore these but a canoe or a packraft might be fun.
• There are tons of gravel roads leading through ranching country. A gravel bike might be a good idea.
• There also seemed to be a strong mountain biking community in the area. Might be worth a look.
• We hosted several adventure races and orienteering events at the camp. These seemed to be relatively popular in the area.
• Lots of smaller day hikes to see fall colors etc.
• That Goodwater Loop actually looks nice.

El Capitan and the Guadalupe NP are cool. We used to do a base camp and caving outside the park. Don’t know if they have closed off those wild caves these days. They weren’t on maps, just found out about them from locals. Classics cave formations. Not very deep caves.

In north Texas is the new NETT, Northeast Texas Trail, a mixed use hiking/biking trail. It has mixed reviews. At Lake Texoma is the Cross Timbers Trail (14 mile) that gets alot of use.

Thanks for all the info.  I was not expecting this many replies with so much information.  Very much appreciated.  I will do some research on these spots.  Really looking for the more secluded and less traveled trails.

Good point on the water.  That did occur to me. Most of the backpacking I have done has always had availability of water so I have not had to carry more than about 2 quarts at a time.  I love my current pack, but it won’t haul much more than 25 pounds so I may need to look into more options.

Matt

Water is an issue as well as heat in the summer.  Plus being aware of snakes, particularly the copperheads.  They are born mad and it goes downhill from there, and they don’t give any warning.  Rattlesnakes are shy, they “Bluff” a lot, they curl up, inflate themselves and go to work rattling, a very distinctive sound.

On the Lone Star Trail people go and cache water at forest road crossings, of which there are plenty.

Also be aware of deer hunting season here.  VERY serious time!  Blaze orange is your friend.  Hunting season also changes rules on hiking trails.  Example: On the Lone Star normally you can came anywhere, following LNT principles.  But in deer season (November and December into the first week of January), you MUST camp only at the designated “Hunters camps”.  So if you plan any overnight hikes on that trail during hunting season, you have to plan to hit those camps sites.

…particularly the copperheads. They are born mad and it goes downhill from there, and they don’t give any warning.

Ain’t that the truth.  They blend in with the straw and leaves almost perfectly and don’t twitch a muscle till you step right on them.  I still hated the cottonmouths more.

Maybe I hiked the wrong areas but I rarely had issues with snakes. That said I’d be lying if the didn’t give me the creeps at times. A bear or mountain lion takes up a certain amount of physical space.  A snake on the other hand could be in your shoe (yes it can happen). Good news is there are solutions. A fully enclosed tent (good for ticks anyway) and trekking poles.

It’s around 8 hours from San Antonio, I believe, but Lake Meredith is a beautiful area. I always car camp there on my way to Colorado, since it’s so pretty, and I’ve been wanting to just hang out for a few days, to hike the trails and explore the area. There are several NPS campgrounds around the lake. Fritch Fortress is the one I usually stay at, which has covered picnic tables, grills, bathrooms with hot showers, and a fantastic view – all free. Not exactly a backcountry experience, but really cool nonetheless.

Lone Star Hiking Trail is a nice 100-ish mile hike.  Not much elevation change but interesting vegetation and terrain, and every day is different.  In the cool season there is usually enough water in the creeks to avoid having to cache water.  Re: Hunting season.  Camping used to be restricted to Hunter Camps, but a few years ago Sam Houston National Forest, in response to advocacy by the Lone Star Hiking Trail Club, designated and marked a series of Hiker Camp spots along the LSHT, for backpacker use during hunting season.  A good thing because the Hunter Camps are all some distance from the hiking trail.

Texas doesn’t have as much public land as most of the rest of the West.  So a lot of the backpacking is weekend-length destinations.  For longer trips, also look at Arkansas.

Avoid summer unless your destination has a body of water to cool off in.  Heat, drought, ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers.

Mina in Austin

This list of trails:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YizMBiygO-Devgw1wBytdwquyoCywzsLSpO7_HlGd-U/edit#gid=541890420

Wow.  Once again, thanks for the info.  That spreadsheet is awesome. Good point on the Sam Houston National Forest too.  That’s not too far away.  We actually are camping on our drive down there from MD (we have a 5th wheel) and staying near there so I will check that area out.

I very much appreciate everyone’s help!

Matt

Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains.  Chiggers and poison ivy will get you at some point.  I’ve been here 17 years and it just happens.  Oh and those fire ants.  That’s another story.

Caprock Canyons SP. Not a great a long backpacking trip, but there are backcountry camp sites. I have used it for car camping and some great long day hikes. Also, the State Bison herd is there.

Colorado Bend SP has a bunch of trails that are good for a couple of days of backpacking and camping. In my opinion, they moved the “river” backcountry campsites too close to the river. The Windmill sites are good, but bring your own water.

Lennox

I have many pleasant memories of hiking in Texas some years ago.  I enjoyed chasing the

Armadillo’s and was ever vigilant for the scorpions.

Good point on the scorpions.  Definitely need to get used to watching for them…and ants.  And chiggers….can’t really watch for those.  I guess I did not realize they had them that far south.  Chiggers can be pretty miserable.

One nice thing about living in the NE is the fact that I can backpack in the winter when none of the snakes, spiders, bugs etc are an issue.  I guess it really doesn’t get cold enough for that in TX most of the time.

Matt

Snakes might be less active but I don’t think they can be relied on the totally hibernate the way bears do in Alaska for example.  I nearly stepped on a large cotton mouth in Arkansas one winter. Oops.

Matt:
Also check out the San Antonio Backpackers MeetUp group. If you are 55+ there is also the Old and Bold Backpackers MeetUp group.

Texas backpacking is good between October and March. Big Bend–and Big Bend Ranch State Park–is excellent from Thanksgiving till Valentine’s Day.

I live very near Lake Georgetown which is a Corp of Engineers Lake. The Goodwater Loop around the lake–nearly 27 miles–is good. The portion of the trail along the southern shore is more interesting the eastern portion of the trail along the northern shore. Designated primitive camps about every 5-8 miles. The trail also passes through 4–car accessible–COE parks. It features nice hiking but NOT in the summer. October to about mid-March is prime time in Texas.

I live right up the road from SA, in Round Mountain.  I usually tell people that the best backpacking in Texas is in New Mexico.  There is just not much public land here, and the State Parks are small and overrun with people.  I do love Big Bend and the Guads, but I prefer designated wilderness to National Parks.  Of the two National Parks, I tend to favor the Guads.  Smaller, but less frequently visited, especially if you avoid Guadalupe Peak.  Here’s a link to a TR from my most recent trip there a few months ago: https://bpbasecamp.freeforums.net/thread/16894/guadalupe-mountain-national-park-january .   Closer to home, my favorite destinations are probably Hill Country State Natural Area and the Goodwater Trail.  Though it is right near an urban center, I think the Goodwater Trail is a real sleeper, it makes a great 2 or 3 day trip.  There is a fairly new backcountry site at South Llano River State Park that I would like to try some time.  I’ve done many trips to Lost Maples, one of my favorite places in Texas, but it is very small, heavily used, and only has about 8.5 miles of trail.  I have done lots of dayhikes on the Lone Star Trail, but be aware that many of the creeks in the area may have chemical contaminants, so should not be used (though perhaps the Sawyer S3 would safely treat such water sources, I’m not sure).  The suggestion to do some canoeing, if you are so inclined, is a good one.  The Guadalupe River is a beautiful river with some nice overnight options, and the Llano is one of the most beautiful in Texas.  Though a little less scenic, the Colorado River below Austin is wonderful, and offers many overnight options.  Out in east Texas you’ve got Village Creek, the Sabinal, and others.  Welcome to Texas, I hope your move goes well, and hope you enjoy your time here.

All I have to say is they gave you all the options I could think of and also take their word on Blue bell  unless you go to austin then try Amys icecream…But as for the Hillcountry Youlll find  most of the rivers..I spent most of my summers on the rivers.I lived in the HillCountry and went to school there. But lost Maples is great Guadalupe is good Went to big bend once a year. I moved in Virginia now 10 mins from the AT. OH if you do pickup canoeing or Kayaking Texas WAter Safari is a canoe competition. Well they gave you all the highlights..