There is NOTHING available inside the park. The trails are well marked and well maintained. also harmless snakes :) WHAT ABOUT THE TRAILS? Here is a trail map The East Trail leads you up a strenuous path to an impressive peak, the maple trail and West trail are much easier. Also, many natural hazards exist due to the steep and rugged terrain. People should stay on designated trails, because maples have a shallow root system, and soil compaction from walking can damage the trees. WHAT CAN YOU DO AT LOST MAPLES? admire the beautiful maple trees duh! Visitors enjoy picnicking, camping, backpacking, sightseeing, hiking, photography, bird watching, fishing, swimming and nature study. You will pay your fees at the ranger station just inside the gate, they also sell trinkets like earrings made of real metal leaves coated with metal etc that are nice but a lil pricey. On the same day I came back to the park in the evening and I got parking fairly easily! HERE IS ANOTHER TIP: GO ON A WEEKDAY! WHAT ABOUT ENTRANCE FEES? check the website because it depends on who is going with you. It also helped with the lighting to photograph the maple trees. we stayed very close to the park in Vanderpoole in a 3BR cabin ( I wouldnt recommenced it as there was big scorpion in the bathroom) but I made sure I was at the park gate bright and early. And believe me it is not nice to be stuck on the road waiting for a car to exit. WHATS WITH THE PARKING AT THE PARK? Well the park has limited parking (250 cars), so when those spaces get full, cars have to wait outside the park till a car comes out of the park. The campsites get full 6 months or more before, so do the hotels. If you dont want to camp: there are a number of cabins/ guest houses available at varying distances from the park.WHATEVER YOU DECIDE, BOOK EARLY. If you are young and the camping type there are a) primitive campsites that you need to hike in to and b) campsites with electricity.this site provides information about and how to book the campsites. I went last fall bordering winter, We were there on November 17th, it was a gorgeous day 90F the colors were peaking! HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE FALL COLORS PEAK? Lost Maples issues a weekly Lost Maples State Natural Area Foliage Color Change Report that tells you the state of the foliage from October through November, you can google it and keep your eye on it and book your trip accordingly.This can be a lil dicey as if you are coming in from out of town you need to book hotel rooms etc. so I hope this helps: WHEN TO GO TO LOST MAPLES? in fall when the fall colors are at their peak and the maple trees turn bright red. For most people this is a trip you have to plan for and then go. Here is my advice to you! MAKE IT HAPPEN! IT IS REALLY WORTH IT! HOLD ON A MINUTE! IT ISNT THAT EASY! unless you stay in Vanderpoole or Utopia or somewhere nearby. You are reading my review along with so many others, so you are interested in visiting Lost Maples State Park. The leaves are just starting to color up (barely - October 11th is when we hiked) All in all - beautiful park, beautiful drive, and super close to SA. We didnt make it to the east side, so I cant commit on that. It is a super steep climb and then the top is so overgrown with cedar trees there arent any views or anything. Its the trail/loop on far west of the park. DO NOT TAKE THE 2nd WEST LOOP TRAIL THING. It had some steep areas that were pretty challenging. Hiking - we hiked all the western side of the park. If you dont mind loud and crowds, then this is a perfect spot. But all this makes it a pretty packed place, so if you are expecting peace and quiet then this might not be the area for a wknd camping trip. ![]() With this being said, this area is super close and easy to make it to (~1 mile hike), is has a restroom, and by a beautiful pond (one of the only ones we saw). There would have been more peace and quiet by the RV/Tent camping in front of park. I think we counted 20 or so tents in a little area. There were so many other campers there that stayed up until 2am drinking and being loud. We camped in primitive camping area "C" - I recommend to push on further, or camp somewhere else. ![]() We left from San Antonio at 5 oclock and got there just in time to set up camp. The drive there is the best drive in texas, IMO.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |