ABOUT THE PARK

Lost Maples State Park is the Yosemite of Texas, and at the right time of year it would get a 6 flag rating instead of 5. The scenery is unlike that which you would find anywhere else in the Hill Country. Instead of the usual rolling hills covered with Live Oaks, these are huge hills with awesome sheer cliffs and are covered with Maples.

If you want to camp here anytime in the fall to watch the incredible display of fall color you will need to book your reservations many months in advance - and I do mean many, like the day they start taking reservations which is 11 months in advance. Sites in November book up almost immediately. The only problem with making reservations at this park is that there is no way to know exactly when the trees will turn colors, so it is a bit of a gamble. The TPWD has a "Lost Maples Foliage Color Change Report" which is updated weekly in October and November so you can get a good idea of what the current status is.

There are also many miles of hiking trails in Lost Maples, and every foot of them is worth the effort. You'll really need to stay 2 days to hike all of it unless you're hard-core and can do 11 miles of rough hiking. Actually, you need to stay a few days regardless because it is too far of a drive to go all the way down there and back in 1 day from Austin.

If camping at Lost Maples is full you can also try Garner State Park which is very close by. The car camping at Garner is much better than Lost Maples anyway, so I'd recommend staying there and then driving to Lost Maples early in the morning - try to get there by 9:30am before the crowds.