Finding Fantastic: Exploring Lost Maples State Natural Area. Cross Country Road Trip: Part 2

The next stop on our cross country road trip from Houston to Los Angeles was Lost Maples State Natural Area. This is a state park located in Vanderpool, Texas about 1.5 hours outside of downtown San Antonio. The entrance fee to the park is $6 per person and they don't accept National Park passes as payment.

This State Park is notable because of its large maple trees that turn beautiful colors during the fall months. In Texas, there aren't many indicators of changing seasons, so this is a nice contrast. Sadly, when we went to this park in January, the leaves had already fallen so we weren't able to see any of the fall colors. During the fall months, the park can get very busy so it is best to reserve spots online or arrive early.

This park has over ten miles of hiking trails as well as opportunities for camping and fishing. After pulling into the main area where you pay, continue up the trail to an open parking area. From here you can decide which hike to do based on ability and time constraints. We chose to hike up the East-West trail about a mile and then take the east trail past Primitive Campsite B to a lookout point. The lookout point was stunning and I would definitely recommend this hike if you have about an hour and a half to spend in the park. This hike was fairly moderate with some steeper areas towards the top.

I definitely want to revisit this park in the fall to see it's full glory. I would also like to come back and do one of the longer loop hikes as there is a lot more to see in the park. Overall, this park was a great stop that is relatively close to San Antonio if you are in the area.