Lost Maples State Park
Drive from Austin: 160 miles / 2 hours 45 minutes
Where am I? West of Austin
Site we stayed at: #23 in the electric area.
What to do: Hiking, fishing, stargazing
FYI: There are 30 electric & water sites, or you can backpack in to a primitive site.
Finally made it out to Lost Maples State Park for the amazing fall colors!
And maybe you caught on that this write-up is being posted 6 months late… woof. We got caught up in the holiday season and never got around to the blog. But better late than never!
Lost Maples State Park is maybe one of the hardest Texas State Parks to book because of the short timeframe you can catch the maple trees changing colors. Reservations open 5 months in advance, so we’d recommend setting a calendar alert to make sure you get a spot! But of course, the park is beautiful year round if you’re open to going outside of the fall.
There are over 10 miles of hiking trails at Lost Maples State Park ranging from .5 - 3.5 miles round trip. And unlike a lot of Texas parks, you can actually get some elevation change!
Before heading into the park, we stopped by Lost Maples Winery in Vanderpool, because wine not. We were there in November 2020, so there was plenty of outdoor seating with social distancing in mind, and you can even walk down the hill to sit closer to the river. FYI this is about the last area you will have any cell coverage. There is no reception inside of the park. If you need service/wifi/ or snacks, the general store outside the park is also great.
We were joined by our lovely friends, Matt & Jenny (and their pup Chevy) for the weekend. There is a burn ban in place, so unfortunately no ground fires, but we stayed plenty warm with wine, chili, and hiking!
