Day Trips: Lost Maples State Natural Area

Lost Maples State Natural Area leads a double life.

For a few weeks in November, the only large stand of bigtooth maples in Central Texas put on a colorful display that attracts hordes of leaf peepers. The other 52 weeks of the year it’s a quiet, heavily wooded canyon cut by the Sabinal River and laced with hiking trails.

Of the 89 state parks, six are classified as natural areas. State natural areas (such as Lost Maples and Enchanted Rock) preserve areas with outstanding natural features. The emphasis is on protecting those resources, not on recreation.

Because of the lack of recreational facilities, Lost Maples doesn’t attract large crowds. That’s all the better for those willing to make the trek to this remote park.

The campground has 30 campsites around a field that feels like it is in a bowl surrounded by mountains. Each site has a covered picnic table, fire pit, electricity, and water. The campground is popular with motorcyclists who come to explore the twisting and scenic roads around Leakey, 19 miles from the park.

More adventuresome campers can hike to secluded primitive campsites deep in the woods.

When the leaves aren’t popping, the more than 10 miles of hiking trails are the park’s primary activity. The rocky paths cross the Sabinal River several times before climbing scenic cliffs. With its headwaters just outside of the park, this part of the river is more of a brook.

Not to be missed on the East Trail is “Monkey Rock.” About a mile hike from the trailhead, the limestone outcrop looks surprisingly like its name implies. Towering over the stream, it looks like a monkey’s head with its mouth open and big round ears.

Lost Maples State Natural Area is about three hours west of Austin in a rugged and beautiful section of the Hill Country. Fishing licenses are not required in the park’s streams and ponds.

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1,694th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.