Lost Maples State Natural Area – Texas State Park 6/89

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The Deets

Listed as a State Natural Area, not a State Park, Lost Maples is located near Vanderpool, TX. The nearest big city is San Antonio, TX, a drive of just under two hours to the east of Lost Maples.

Lost Maples State Natural Area has quite a bit to offer, including over 10 miles of hiking trails, fishing, camping (including primitive), and stargazing. All of this can be enjoyed at a daily cost of $6 for adults and free for kids under the age of 12 (or completely free for everyone when using a Park Pass). Keep in mind that the fall season is the busy season for Lost Maples. It is highly recommended to reserve your passes well in advance because the park is known to fill quickly with those hoping to see the maples in full autumn splendor.

The History

Compared to other parks we’ve visited so far, the history of Lost Maples is rather scant. The state purchased the land from private owners in 1973-74. Five years later, the park opened to the public. Apache, Lipan Apache, and Comanche tribes lived throughout the area, and in the 17th century, the Spanish started exploring and settling here. Ranching took place on the lands in the 1800s.

Our Experience

A few words of advice. Take plenty of water. Take something to munch on. Wear sunscreen. Wear good hiking shoes and appropriate clothing for a strenuous hike. We saw so many people out on these long trails that were completely unprepared. Many of the trails here are in the 2 to 3 mile range with the longest being 3.6 miles. The East, West, and West Loop trails all have pretty intense summits and descents. In short, come prepared.

We really enjoyed Lost Maples. The staff that we interacted with were all very nice, the facilities were open and clean, and even though the park was at capacity (pandemic capacity, mind you), we still felt like we had plenty of space and weren’t crowded. For us, the trails were an invigorating challenge that we were eager to meet.

The natural beauty is astounding. Not only are the trees starting to show their fall colors, the natural springs, canyons, and incredible views at the overlooks are breathtaking. Another word of advice? Stop walking every once in a while and take a look around. It’s easy to get wrapped up in watching your feet on the trails, and with that, you miss so much of the splendor surrounding you.

The Trails

As we mentioned above, these trails are TOUGH, but they are well worth it. Every trail in the park is rocky, so be sure to watch your footing. Often, especially on the West Trail, you are walking through the riverbed and the stones are fist-size or larger, making it awkward footing. We both agree that this is a hiking park, not a walking park.

Our favorite trail by far is the West Trail. It has so much to offer and we saw more color from the trees on this trail than on any other. The overlook views may not be as amazing as those on the East Trail, but we fell in love with it nonetheless. The first natural spring has the most crystal clear waters we’ve ever seen. The canyons are cool and shady. Some parts of the trail feel so wild that it’s easy to imagine yourself in a fairytale. Seriously, it’s an incredible trail. Our only complaint about this trail is that it’s easy to lose the trail itself. Keep an eye out for brown wooden signs with yellow arrows pointing you on. Every time we felt lost, we always found a sign nearby.

The West Loop Trail was probably our least favorite. This is simply because it is very similar to the trails we have closer to home. The majority of this trail is through a grove of Ashe juniper, which is lovely, but something we are familiar with. Other parts of the park were more appealing to us because they were different than our normal.

The Maple Trail is by far the most popular and the most crowded trail we encountered. It’s easy to understand why this trail is so desired during the fall season. If you prefer to skip it, you can stay on the East Trail and skirt around it. Also located on the East Trail are Monkey Rock and the grotto. You can see both of these locations before having to climb the summit.

Our Takeaway

Yes. Go to Lost Maples State Natural Area. Yes. It is a stunning park with immense beauty. The drive out there itself is gorgeous. Obviously, the most exciting time to visit is during the fall season, so make sure to book well in advance so you don’t miss out!

We loved it here. We’d have preferred to camp, but every campsite was sold out. Instead, we stayed at a hotel in Kerrville, about an hour away. Practically everything closer to the park was either sold out or $200/night and up. We opted for the Hampton Inn since we have a Hilton rewards credit card.

Camping would have allowed us the opportunity to not rush on the trails. We weren’t keen on driving at night (all it takes is hitting a deer ONCE and you’ll avoid driving in the dark from that moment on), so we wanted to leave with plenty of time to drive. Luckily, we were perfectly able to do that, but the park is great for stargazing, and we were so bummed that we couldn’t enjoy that while visiting. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go back someday and enjoy the dark skies!

Prefer to see the park in action? Check out our vlogs for Day 1 and Day 2.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy