Lost Maples State Natural Area

Though we reserved our spot, it wasn't far enough in advance and as such, we did have to move a few times during our stay. We moved once because someone else had come in that reserved our spot and the second time we moved because the site was not what we like. Each site comes with a fire ring, lantern pole, picnic table and shelter. We love the shelter because it extends our living space in inclement weather. There is also water and electric at each RV site. Sites are asphalt. Bathrooms are complete with showers and though in need of some hardware and grout work, they were pretty clean overall. Great pressure and plenty of hot water. Women's & Men's room hand driers was inoperative for the must part of our stay there. They hand no paper/hand towels, so bring a small towel just in case. Drinkable water has a slight yellow color to it. We were told this is iron and is still drinkable. We used it for cooking and cleaning only. The park is very quiet and dark at night. Easy access for most RV's but check in advance for site size as they vary somewhat.
There is also a nice large day use section at the East Trail trailhead, and another good size parking lot at the East/West Trail trailheads. Trails vary in difficulty from easy to Challenging. Some of them can be quite rocky as well and have multiple water crossings. Good shoes are a plus. And if you're on the fence about trekking poles, bring em'. My favorite hike is to start off in the day use area and hike up East trail, then taking the connector to West trail and returning down the west side of West Trail. There are more cool water features on East trail then west, but all of the trails have something for everyone.
Cell reception is nonexistent here. We could not get a signal with either AT&T or Verizon. The closest place for cell service is down the road at the General Store.

Lost Maples is a great campground that is often overlooked in people's eagerness to get to the more popular Garner State Park down the road. Lost Maples is known for it's fall color, but is great other times of the year.
30 amp service, water, no sewer, but a dump station.
Only 30 sites, back in only. Older shower house that is kept clean.
Great hiking trails, creek runs through campground, but not deep enough to swim in, splashing & floating enjoyable. Great small pond.

This park is deep in the hill country, don't expect long straight Texas roads, But curvy dips and beautiful vistas. Very popular with tent campers and motorcyclists.

Small park, not a party station. Nice day use area for hikers.

Very popular birding destination.
No cell service. Drive two miles south of park, you can get service.
WiFi at Park Headquarters.

The Good

• It’s beautiful here!! It’s famous for Fall colors but it’s still great in Summer (albeit HOT).
• Covered picnic tables.
• There are some big shade trees (particularily between sites 10 and 11 near the restrooms where we stayed). - - - You can also walk behind these sites and sit in the (shallow) river to cool off.
• Pet friendly.
• Well marked, relatively easy, wide white rock trails that an ATV could get down in an emergency.
• Small campstore with a few souvenirs. (No ice!!)
• There is a decent country store 4 miles away for beer/ice/ice cream/whatever but the gas is ex-pen-sive since it’s way out there.
• Saw lots of hawks, birds, bats, lizards and deer.
• Can fish here without a license.
• There is a really pretty (deep) “pond” on the East-West Trail. It’s about a mile walk in. There is a bathroom out there. See photos.
• We didn’t even need bug spray!! (Just lots of sunscreen)
• They DO have recycling.
• Quiet
• Can see ALL the stars. (So far out there’s no light pollution or traffic noise).

The Bad

• Did I mention it’s hot and not that shaded?
• The river is low right now so a lot of it looks stagnant. You have to hike in if you want a good swimming hole.
• Sites a kind of close in some areas.
• $6 per person per day entry fee on top of camping fees (unless you have a state park pass which is free if you’re 65 or older... $70 annual otherwise.)
• NO CELL SERVICE FOR ATT OR SPRINT (but you can drive 5 minutes either way out of the park and get some.)
• No sewer hookups if you need those but there is a dump station on the way out.
• You can’t reserve an exact site (but can go look and move if you don’t like what they give you).
• not sure if this is good or bad but COME PREPARED bc the nearest good sized city with medical facilities (Kerrville) is 50 miles away. Bring plenty of ice and gas if you don’t want to drive and pay extra.

On our Nov 2017 RV trip we paid a visit to The Lost Maples State Natural Area. This is truly a unique place in the great state of Texas! Home of the Big Tooth Maple trees makes this a great park to visit in the fall when the trees are changing colors. Unfortunately our visit to Lost Maples State Park was highlighted by a gloomy overcast sky, chill winds and fog. This made for a fairly short visit to the Lost Maples State Natural area.