Lost Maples State Natural Area

Lost Maples: The Ice-Age Forest of the Texas Hill Country

20 stops· 35 min· 4.5 mi

Deep in the Texas Hill Country, hidden in the cool limestone canyons of the Sabinal River, grows a forest that shouldn't be here at all — a stand of bigtooth maples left stranded when the Ice Age ended, that every autumn sets these canyons ablaze in red and orange and gold, the finest fall color in all of Texas. Ranger Quinn walks you the whole East Trail loop through Lost Maples: past the flaming maples and the clear green river pools, up a steep climb to a Hill Country overlook, and back down through the wild uplands, telling you the maples, the birds, the rock, and the reasons all along the way. Ranger Boone Merrick walks with you too, with the tales this canyon keeps — how these maples came to be 'lost' here ten thousand years ago and never left; the raw and bloody frontier this Hill Country once was; and the legend of the lost silver mine that has drawn treasure-hunters into these hills for two hundred years. It's a real hike — four and a half miles with a stiff climb — so bring water, sturdy shoes, and a reservation in the fall, and come in late October or November if you can, for the color.