Texas National Forests

By Bryan French

This is Texas, the land of Cowboys and Rangers and Mavericks, a rugged land filled with cattle and sun and wind and tumbleweeds and dirt. Lots of dirt.

People looking for national parks and such in Texas usually turn to Big Bend National Park, 800,000 acres of desert and mountains and canyons. It looks just like Texas is supposed to look, right?

Not necessarily; the Lone Star State isn’t limited to a lone star outdoors. And you don’t always have to go westward.

Look to the southeast, and you can find the yin to Big Bend’s yang, natural gems hidden in plain sight.

Sprawling across 637,646 acres are the state’s four national forests — Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine and Sam Houston — lands that seem almost alien to Texas but offer recreation and beauty worth exploring.

The primitive camping alone, most of which is free, is reason to make the trek. (It’s about 175-260 miles from Arlington, depending on which forest you choose.)

But the forests also offer much more, including hiking, bird and wildlife watching and photography, cycling (on road and off), canoeing, swimming, fishing and hunting.

Or you can just enjoy the trees.

As Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote: "It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit."

National Parks in Texas

In 1934, the Texas Legislature approved a resolution to urge the purchase of depleted timberlands to create national forests in Texas. In 1935, land acquisition began in areas of what are now parts of the Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine and Sam Houston national forests.

Camping

Primitive camping: Camping outside of developed campgrounds is permitted at no charge and permits are not required. Camping in this manner is limited to 14 days, and the site must be occupied once every 24 hours. Camping is limited during deer firearm hunting season.

Developed camping areas: Campgrounds, with varying fees, are scattered throughout the national forests. A maximum of seven to eight people per tent pad are allowed, and all tents must fit on the one pad. Holding a space for someone else is not permitted. Campsites must be occupied the first night and at least once every 24 hours thereafter.

Electric hookups: Available at these recreation areas, Ratcliff Lake in Davy Crockett, Red Hills Lake in Sabine and Cagle and Double Lake in Sam Houston.

Reservations: Double Lake Recreation Area in the Sam Houston National Forest requires reservations (877-444-6777, www.recreation.gov). All other campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Firewood: It’s a good idea to bring your own. Some areas have firewood that was gathered and stacked by Forest Service employees for use by campers. Gathering small amounts of down and dead material is allowed when available. Permits from ranger district offices are required for cutting personal use firewood.

Pets: All pets must be confined to a leash, cage or vehicle. Dogs must remain on a leash not to exceed six feet, unless being used for hunting during a designated hunting season where the use of dogs is legal. Pets are allowed in all areas except where posted otherwise.

Information: 936-639-8501

Angelina National Forest

Highlights: The forest lies in the Neches River Basin and on the north and south shores of Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a 114,500-acre lake on the Angelina. The Caney Creek and Sandy Creek recreation areas offer camping, picnicking, cold water showers, boating and fishing on or near the shores of Sam Rayburn. Boston Lake Recreation Area is on a 12-acre natural lake near the Neches River. Boykin Springs Recreation Area is on a nine-care lake. The forest offers wintering habitat for the bald eagle and is home to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Size: 153,160 acres

Phone: 936-897-1068

Davy Crockett National Forest

Highlights: The Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area surrounds a 45-acre lake and offers camping, picnicking, a swimming beach, a bathhouse, showers, boating and fishing. The 20-mile Four C National Recreation Trail (no horses, bikes or off-road vehicles) begins at Ratcliff Lake and winds through pines, bottomland hardwoods, boggy sloughs and upland forests. The Piney Creek Horse Trail offers more than 45 miles of developed horse trails several miles southwest of Kennard.

Size: 160,643 acres

Phone: 936-655-2299

Sabine National Forest

Highlights: The eastern part of the Sabine National Forest outlines Toledo Bend Reservoir, the fifth largest man-made reservoir in the U.S. The 28-mile Trail Between the Lakes hiking trail extends from Lakeview Recreation Area on Toledo Bend to Highway 96 near Sam Rayburn Reservoir. In addition, many miles of roads that go through the woods are open to bicycles and horseback riders. Hiking is at its best in the early spring and fall. The 12,369-acre Indian Mounds Wilderness Area allows hunting, horseback riding and hiking but no wheeled vehicles or motorized equipment is allowed.

Size: 160,806 acres

Phone: 409-787-3870

Sam Houston National Forest

Highlights: The Lone Star Hiking Trail and associated loops are approximately 129 miles long and open to foot travel only (no pack animals, motor vehicles or bicycles). The trail transects the entire Sam Houston National Forest from near Richards, in the west to near Cleveland, in the east…. A multi-use trail system ($5 per user per day) for mountain bikes, motorcycles, ATVs less than 45 inches wide and horseback riding has 80 miles of marked trails.

Size: 163, 037 acres

Phone: 888-361-6908

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Bryan French, 817-390-7191 dbfrench@star-telegram.com

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