Little Pond Trail: Cute little hike to a small pond with benches. Definitely a quick, easy hike. Perfect to sit by the pond and listen to the birds. Right by the ranger station! read more

Sam Houston National Forest - Parks Near Me - New Waverly, Texas

I wanted very badly to give it a better reading, but there is a significant portion of the trail that is very narrow, and you can go through here with shorts. There's lots of overgrown brush, and lots of places where a tree was just left to block the middle or the side of the path. Parking is limited, shade is not consistent, the last and first mile or so is very sunny. It crosses creeks several times so it might nice had it not been so dry this. I still prefer this over driving up to Huntsville, maybe I need to explore more of the trails around here as well read more

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Some friends and I went to the park to take wedding invitation photos and had the best time. We all talked about going back to hike because the Forrest was pretty and clean, trails not too difficult, and we had so many options to choose our adventure. We spent hours there trying to get as many varying backdrops as we could (including by the lake) and it was truly magical. Highly recommend for a full day in nature. Bring water! read more

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Great place to start your camping trip with the family. Great hiking trails and great views.

Nice place for trails and RV to spend time in the park. Plenty of camping sites. $7 per person entry fee is alot, should charge by car, not by headcount read more

Sam Houston National Forest - Parks Near Me - New Waverly, Texas

This is a HUGE National Forest, and some of the trails put you in the middle of nowhere, and you don't see anyone for HOURS. I like that!!! On top of that, National FORESTS are free for day use, you only have to pay if you are camping. So, this means you don't have to stop in at the ranger station unless you want trail maps - which are useless BTW. They don't list the distance of the trails, the only thing they are good for are finding the trail heads located along the roads that traverse through the forest. I suggest skipping the ranger station and use a phone app instead to find more details for the trails (the Alltrails app is a good one). The trails are pretty easy, just look out for the tree roots across the trails so you don't trip. A few parts of the trails (but not much) can be swampy/marshy, so you might want to wear waterproof boots/shoes. I did several trails and the most elevation change I experienced was 70 feet over a mile. The trails I did were in total shade. The trails are marked very well - look for the metal tags (blazers) nailed on the trees to make sure you are on the trail. It's hard to get lost in this forest, even though you will feel like you are in the middle of nowhere at times. For an easy stroll, and a view of the lake, I recommend the FM1375 trailhead. It's about four miles to the Stubblefield trailhead/campgrounds (there are restrooms there) and then four miles back. The most challenging trail I was able to find was part of the Lonestar Trail. I started at the intersection of FM149 and Forest Road 219. The Alltrails app lists it as challenging, but I would say it's more on the moderate side. You can get 14 miles or more from this trail. There are a few uphill parts, but nothing too strenuous. I LOVED it though! Tall pines, and I was all alone - I only saw two people over a period of 4 hours! On most of the trails, there are fallen logs that you have to climb over, so this might be a problem for those with short legs. In summary - if you plan on just doing day hikes here, download the Alltrails app and use it to find the trails you are interested in. The maps at the forest headquarters are USELESS. Pro Tip: Hunting is allowed during hunting seasons, so, wear a Hunter Orange vest and hat - unless you want to be mistaken for a deer. I'm serious about this! read more

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Great outdoor experience! Plenty of trails, wildlife and not too many people. Highly recommend

The Sam Houston National Forest is a great day trip for metro Houston folk who need to get away from the concrete and don't want to drive more than 50 - 75 miles. It is especially nice in the late fall, winter and early spring. Otherwise, it is very hot. The SHNF is big at 163,000 acres; incorporating parts of three counties, Montgonery, San Jacinto and Walker; and is bookmarked and incorporates parts of lake Livingston and Lake Conroe. Inside the SHNF is the Lone Star Hiking Trail. This trail is over 100 miles long and is no joke. *Hazards... You can get lost. Cell phone reception is spotty. Ticks and snakes. Make sure to remember and mark where you enter trail so you can find your way out. Along the trail you may encounter scenic creeks, deer, pig, turkey and lots of small animals and birds. Have fun. Most trails are wilderness so no bathrooms or garbage so it is pack in pack out. Fires hazard risk can be high say Smokey Bear. read more

Sam Houston National Forest - Creeks are awesome - Parks Near Me - New Waverly, Texas

Large nature space to explore during a weekend. Bring the dog, a hammock, and some snacks and you are good to go. Bring some mosquito repellent if it's that season or you will get destroyed. read more

My pup and I went recently and had difficulty finding trails that we're open. This being out first time I am unsure if this my error for not knowing the area or if the trails are simply closed for now. HOWEVER that did not spoil out day at all! We went for a drive through the forest and just kept going and going. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with plenty of wildlife about as we went. Eventually we made our way back to the ranger station and walked the small trail there. It was a lovely walk with plenty of birds flying around and a small pond. Definitely going to return soon but this time I'll go inside and find out the right trails to walk on. read more

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Sam Houston National Forest is the biggest forest area in Houston, offering many miles of multi-use and hiking trails, fishing, camping areas, and wilderness to explore. The internet actually is not that helpful in terms of "official" info on the forest/hiking trails. The websites I found useful were the Lone Star Hiking Trail Club's site (http://lonestartrail.org/) and of course, Yelp reviews! TripAdvisor had some stuff on it as well and Instagram's #lonestarhikingtrail hashtag was helpful too! The LSHT Club's site recommended downloading the app "Maprika" which allows you to save area maps onto your phone and if you have reception, you'll show up as a blue dot on the map. Pretty neat and something I'll be using on future hikes! The LSHT also has an interactive map online that gives wonderful directions to each parking area -- definitely take advantage of it since the Ranger Office is closed on weekends. I came here on a recent Saturday morning in February for an easy hike. I chose the Big Creek Scenic Area because it was easy to get to, offered a few different length hiking trails, and I was hoping for some creek/prettier scenery. Be forewarned, all the parking lots/trail heads do NOT have bathrooms, water fountains and I didn't see any trashcans either, so come prepared with everything you need to...dispose of your waste. There were zero other people on the trail when we came which made it a nice, quiet hike. The hike itself was very easy, with pretty much no elevation changes save for one "hill" if you can call it that. The trail is well maintained with obvious blazes nailed on trees every few yards, bridges in good order, and no trees blocking our path. We did the longest trail (Big Creek) which includes part of the Lone Star Hiking Trail (the nearly 100 mile trail that runs east-west across the entire forest) but overall it was maybe at most 3 miles long and didn't take more than an hour to hike, which included LOTS of stopping to look at trees and taking pictures. I'm a mountain/snow/river kind of person so Houston nature scenery has always been underwhelming...but you can definitely still find beauty in the stillness of the park, with its tall pines, winding creeks, and birds. I wish I had chosen a longer hike (when we got back to our starting point I was actually surprised at how little time it had taken) but it left time for us to explore other things in the area, like Lake Livingston State Park and oddly enough, a random cemetery on a hill we stumbled on further down the road. I think I'd come back to see the other areas of the park, but I have a feeling that it all kind of looks the same along the way. Overall, it was an awesome way to spend a winters morning in Houston and it's something any nature-loving city-dweller should experience at least once! read more

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I went along with my college's science club to hike and camp the night out. Pros: Big long walking trails that stretch out to be 3-6 miles, a lot of walking in narrow wildness paths, the longer you walk you will find a campsite. The campsite we found was near a big pond and a makeshift hut. There were blackberries along the side of the pond, and bullfrogs singing along the pond, while walking the trail the scenery wasn't really cleaned up, it looked like a forest. Cons: The walking is a bit rough, steep hills, crossing creeks had water so your shoes will get wet, huge horse flies were biting at my club member's legs, my president got stung by a wasp, snakes were in the wild, bullfrogs sung all night but louder, the ground was hard. Overall, the Sam Houston National Forest was an okay forest because it was scenery I had seen before while living in Mississippi. Big pine trees everywhere, rural look, no mountains. read more

Went to Cagle St Park for a short trip. Nice large pines and a view of the lake. It's hot during June so almost empty!

Very beautiful place. The weather in the summer months in the Houston area can be quite humid. If I go again it would be in the fall. read more

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The Houston Area Trails & More hiking group likes doing 10+ mile hikes here every other weekend or so. I personally would rather not drive almost 2 hours north of Houston to walk in a remote forest where you can hear hunters shooting and there's no cell phone signal. The scenery is pretty boring--imagine endless tall pine trees or endless two-lane roads with pine trees on either side. Sometimes you get to see deer. My friend picked up a tick hiking here once so you might want to use insect spray or check your skin for ticks after hiking. The trail system is extensive and fairly well-marked. There are well over 100 miles of trails--perfect for those solitary backpackers. The Lone Star Hiking Trail Club does a fantastic job of maintaining and organizing it. Their website has a plethora of information about trail heads, trail conditions, etc... Just google LSHT. If you come here, make sure your car is in good condition since you might not see anyone on the road for a while. Also, it's recommended you wear orange so the hunters can see you and not shoot you. read more

Didn't know such amazing scenery existed this close to Houston. Jumped on the "challenging" bike/hiking trail & it was so much fun! Thinking on going at least once a month to get away from the city. read more

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I definitely enjoyed this trail! I went on the Lone Star trail since my boy friend and I brought along our fur baby, Piper. The trail was nicely marked. We didn't see anyone else on it which was good for us since Piper is still getting use to her leash since she is a baby. It is so nice and peaceful out here. It's just you and nature. No other sounds to interrupt the beauty of it all. We did not see any snakes or odd critters which j was definitely expecting. It was such a nice visit that I plan to come back each week. read more

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Drove by this park and it's an incredible hidden spot. Beautiful and breath taking. Early morning walks makes it magical. I truly believe is a place to visit and enjoy nature. read more

Fell in love with this forest when we first arrived, I wasn't sure if we were going to find a good camping ground. After 45min of searching we finally found it & was so happy, we had our own private area with easy acces to the lake! Will definitely come back to our favorite spot! read more

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Great place to visit. Friendly people and well mapped out. Plenty of camping sites. Close to Huntsville and places to visit

This was my first trip to SHNF I always wanted to go here but finding it seemed a little bit of a hassle. Please study google maps before you go if its your first trip. Having been almost every state park my car can get me to for a weekend I was very pleased with SHNF, the scenery is beautiful and it is an actual forest. But please note that you DO need to study the map to know how to get here. RANGERS OFFICE- The rangers office is NOT OPEN Saturday or Sunday, pls don't be surprised. Prepare everything before you leave the house. Also out of towners who are complaining about there not being enough maps or paved roads...umm..this is a FOREST...mainly used by hikers, campers, and mostly hunters. And this is TEXAS so your Prius is not really going to get you smoothly into a forest and please don't expect roads to be paved for you INSIDE A FOREST. I would explore the area on my own before I would take my family out here. There is plenty of wildlife boars, deer, snakes, wild rabbits, wood peckers etc etc. Would I camp here?..probably not inside the forest..I would do it in the Cagle Recreation Area with other campers. Another thing I noticed was people in the Cagle Recreation Area are not exactly friendly. Also most of them are at the boat ramps with their expensive fishing boats thinking im probably the cleaning crew or something. I am not sure and not to be racist but they were just giving me weird looks cause I was not one of them. Now I did meet friendly hikers and campers inside the forest. Safety- Having had my experience with state parks and forests, I will strongly suggest that you be locked and loaded here. This is a very dense forest and you will meet people suddenly around the corner, but I will tell you this is an isolated area and you will not exactly find help immediately. Also please wear distinctive clothing when you are hiking. This forest is used for hunting a lot and you will hear gun shots off and on and not small ones either. DO NOT AND ABSOLUTELY DO NOT GO OFF THE TRAIL. Hunters are bound only to be 150 yards away from the trails and you are going to be putting yourself in danger if you decide to become overly adventurous. As far as weapon carrying goes you cannot have a loaded weapon on you on a NATIONAL FOREST ROAD so unload it when you are on the road and load it once you are off it. I did not come across any ranger when I was there, I just came across a man working the Cagle Recreation Area he has a trailer to the side and he wears the National Forest ID Badge, but don't expect him to be there all the time. He is very nice and friendly. Bigfoot are you out there? Now before I had even gone into this forest, I didn't know that there have been numerous sightings in this forest. Do I believe them, I don't know. I don't care about Bigfoot but I don't want to run into him either. There were a couple of times when everything in the forest got REALLY REALLY QUIET and my dog sensed that way before I did and when I got home I read that this is a strange phenomenon that occurs here without any explanation. Its almost if everything becomes very very still all of a sudden. This happened to us twice and then we continued on our way. Please DO NOT LITTER THIS FOREST , TAKE YOUR TRASH WITH YOU. -Do not make illegal fires. -Be aware of sounds and sights. -Watch your dog, he will sense things way before you do and this will only help you. -Beware of Hunters stay out of their way. -Do not bring your Prius to a monster truck rally -Do not expect a ranger to chauffer you around. *Happy Trails!* read more

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Love the clean forest and watching the boats launching. It was peaceful and beautiful

I can only attest to the incredible customer service at the ranger station to which I made several phone calls in the past week. While in Houston on business, I paid a visit to the park, on a circuitous trip to Bush Airport, to secure my 'lifetime senior pass' to all National parks, forests and monuments. The park is easy to access about an hour north of Houston and sits, as one would expect, in a beautifully serene setting. I will return when I have the time to explore. read more

I've been going on hikes with the Lone Star Hiking Trail Club (www. Lonestartrail. Org) for a couple of years now and the Lone Star Hiking trail in the Sam Houston Nat'l forest is awesome. The main trail is 96.5 miles long with added loops for a total of 128 miles of trails. It starts at trailhead #1 in Richards TX and stretches East to Coldspring/Cleveland, TX, ending with trailhead #15. There's a variety of surfaces from flat & dry to deep ravines & creeks/rivers to cross. The LSHT can be day hiked, or done as a through-hike back-packing adventure. The main trail is fairly well marked with small rectangular metal chips nailed to trees. Some of the loops off the main trail are not as well-marked. For the city slickers, the LSHT is in the Sam Houston National forest and there are NO sidewalks or bathrooms (except for only a couple of campground toilets) so be prepared (pack it in, pack it out - leave no toilet tissue in the forest), take food & plenty of fluids to drink, & a compass is handy to have also. The trail is somewhat maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife, and volunteers from the LSHTC, the Houston Sierra Club, the LSHT Conservancy, & various other volunteers & organizations. There are times when the trail is in good condition & times when it is not, depending on the weather & availability of volunteers. Prior to your hike you can go to www.Lonestartrail.org & click on "Maps" tab & decide which trail to go on, and print a map to take with you. Or click on "Group Hikes" tab to see when & where their group hikes are held (there are two per month) which is a good introduction to hiking on the Lone Star Hiking trail in the Sam Houston Nat'l forest. The LSHTC (LONE STAR HIKING TRAIL CLUB) also has a Facebook page that is good for asking questions about the trail and if there are any section closures. For example section 1 is presently closed by the forest service due to downed trees from the tornado in April of 2015. I recommend that you try the Sam Houston Nat'l forest & the Lone Star Hiking trail. With its beautiful tall pine trees, wildlife, and variety of hiking trails you'll be glad you did. read more

Our hiking group (MeetUp - Houston Area Trails and more) have been hiking the Lone Star Hiking Trail for a long time, different segment each time. It is a nice forest and a great trail, mostly under the trees' shade making the hikes very pleasant even when the local Texas temperatures are in the high 90's! Kudos to the Lone Star Hiking Trail Club for creating and maintaining the trail, although some more trail maintenance is now needed... We continue hiking other sections. See you on the trail! read more

Beautiful trail. Needs to be maintained however. Some parts of the trail were not passable.

We spent a very pleasant evening at the Cagle Campground. Nice spacious sites with 30-50 amp electric, water and sewer. Campground hostess was very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend. read more