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Lone Star Hiking Trail, Sam Houston National Forest, Texas
| The Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT) and its subsidiary trails cover 128 miles of piney woodlands in the Sam Houston National Forest, north of Houston. It is divided into 3 section, west, central and east. The west section is 40 miles of the trail running between Richards Texas and the Stubblefield Campground on Lake Conroe. In this area, trail (singular) is a misnomer. The area south of Hwy 149/FM 1375 is a complex of 7 different trails providing many loop and point-to-point options giving the hiker a choice of day hikes or spending many nights under the stars. The woods of east Texas are flat and full of tall pines. There are plenty of bayous but foot bridges keep the crossings dry. Look for large mature pines with painted blazes indicating areas where the red-cockaded woodpeckers are feeding. Houston is very hot and muggy in the summer so consider later fall through early spring for your hike. The Big Map: The map on the right is free for download but probably better used for planning. It is nominal 1:24,000 based on USGS 7.5 minute quads and has been sized to print to scale. The area covered is just the west portion of the LSHT south of Subblefield Campground where multiple trails provide convenient options for custom loops. A legend is provide to help identify the different trails. |  |
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Ready to Print Maps: Karen Somers, author of the authoritative trail guide for the LSHT has provided the following ready-to-print topo maps of the entire trail (pdf format, 8.5 x 11 paper). They are copyrighted but free to download for your personal use. Want preprinted waterproof maps? Jump to "To Buy Maps" at the bottom of this page. Overview Map Lone Star Trail Description: In 2009 Karen Somers published "The Lone Star Hiking Trail, the Official Guide to the Longest Wilderness Footpath in Texas." It has trail descriptions broken down into 11 sections to correspond to major access points, trail mileages and black and white topos. Basically everything you need for day hiking, through hiking or selecting your custom backpacking trip. A full-color second edition of this same guidebook is for sale starting in November 2019. In addition, the Lone Star Hiking Club has an excellent description of the Lone Star Trail. In cooperation with the Houston Sierra Club, they are also responsible for building and maintaining the trail. Drop by their site and a give them the kudos they deserve. Driving Directions to Richards Trailhead: From Houston, go north on I-45 about 40 miles to Exit 87, Conroe/ Highway 105. Turn left (west) on Highway 105 and go 13 miles to Montgomery. Go north on FM 149 14.3 miles to Forest Service Rd 219. Turn right, go .1 miles and trailhead parking lot is on right. To Buy Maps: To buy waterproof maps, email Karen Somers. The maps are $4 each for single maps and $30 for a set of 12. Shipping and handling is $5 per order, up to a full set. Payment is by Paypal. Please, do not email me (Charlie) about these maps. |
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Weatherproof Topographic Maps at
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