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

Orientation at the Lost Maples day-use area on the Sabinal River — the plan for the East Trail loop, the famous fall maples, the reservation note, and the honest measure of the hike.

The bigtooth maples along the Sabinal — the relict trees that turn Lost Maples brilliant in fall, how to know them, and the narrow window of peak color.

The mixed streamside woodland of the canyon floor — sycamores, walnuts, oaks and pecans sharing the shade with the famous maples, and why it's all so lush.

The spring-fed Sabinal River and the limestone canyon — the clear pools, the bald cypress, and the cool, moist microclimate that lets the maples survive here.

The glass-clear pools of the Sabinal and what lives in them — Guadalupe bass, turtles, the rare green kingfisher — and a word on treading lightly.

The trailside ponds and the deeper reaches of the canyon — Monkey Rock, the still pools, and the lush green heart of the East Trail before the climb.

The wet, fern-hung seeps along the canyon walls — where rainwater filtered through the plateau trickles back out, feeding the whole canyon.

The wildlife of Lost Maples — the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo, the river life, and how to share the trail safely with snakes and other creatures.

The Ashe juniper 'cedar' taking over as the trail leaves the river — 'cedar fever,' and its surprising role as the only nesting tree of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.

Boone's tale of the legendary lost mines of the Texas Hill Country — the lost San Saba silver and Bowie's mine — that have lured treasure-hunters into these hills for two centuries.

The steep ascent from the canyon floor toward the Scenic Overlook — the hardest stretch of the East Trail, with pacing and safety.

The geology underfoot on the steep climb — the hard limestone caprock that armors the Edwards Plateau and gives Hill Country canyons their flat tops and steep, rocky sides.

The high point of the East Trail — the sweeping view over the Sabinal River canyon and the rolling Texas Hill Country. (Boone's tale of the old refuge dwells here.)

The open Edwards Plateau uplands above the canyon — live-oak mottes, grassland and big sky, and how utterly different the dry high country is from the green canyon below.

Boone's tale of the Texas Hill Country as one of the last and rawest frontiers in America — the Comanche and Apache, the German settlers, and the rare peace of the Meusebach treaty.

The tough, useful plants of the dry uplands — agarita, Texas persimmon, prickly pear, sotol — and how they're built for the opposite world from the pampered canyon maples.

The descent back to the day-use area through the plateau uplands and grasslands — the different, drier ecosystem above the canyon, and the loop's gentle close.

Boone's tale on the high ground — the mountain lions, bears, and wolves that once ruled the Hill Country, the war that emptied it, and the one great cat that never quite gave up.

The rocky descent back toward the river and day-use area — practical footing advice, and the cool green world of the maples rising back up to meet you.

Quinn's closing back at the Lost Maples day-use area — a last thought on the lost maples and the hidden canyon, thanks for walking along, and a request for a review.