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For years now, my wife, Lori, has been itching to visit Lost Maples State Natural Area near Vanderpool, Texas.  Because this unique stand of maple trees is known to display a fantastic array of colors during the fall, getting a reservation at the campground during that time of year is hard to come by.  So we decided to go in February to serve as a scouting trip of the facilities and to fulfill a much needed desire to get out and do some camping during the winter.  What we found was a small but very quaint campground nestled in a valley surrounded by large hills with the Sabinal River snaking its way right through the park.  It turned out to be the perfect setting for a very relaxing and tranquil weekend of gentle yet engaging outdoor recreation.

 

We left on a Friday afternoon and headed toward San Antonio.  As we left San Antonio and headed north on Highway 16, the country became more rugged and the drive more beautiful.  At times, I felt like we were driving through the Rocky Mountains with scenic vistas around every corner.  This is definitely one of the most beautiful drives in the state.  It took us approximately 5 hours from our home in Houston to pull up to the front gate at Lost Maples.  It was around 6:30 and it was right before dark.  The campground office was closed so no park rangers were there to greet us but there were 4 deer nibbling on the grass on the lawn around the office that served as an exciting welcoming party.  We slowly drove to the campground and selected site 28 as a suitable campsite.  Although we had made reservations, they wouldn’t have been necessary since only about ½ of the sites were occupied.  There are only 30 sites all with electricity and water.  Thirty isn’t many but the beauty of that is the campground would never feel crowded or overly busy.  All of the sites were very spacious, level, and had a picnic table covered with a permanent roof.  You really can’t go wrong with any of the sites.  But, if you want to get the best ones for different situations, here is what I recommend.  If you want pure seclusion, site 16 is your best bet although the picnic table would be behind an RV instead of at the front door.  Site 15 is a good second with more space but not quite as secluded.  For maximum shade and best for tents would be sites 1 and 2 which are spacious and have a big field behind them.  Sites 9, 11, and 13 are also shady and close to the bathroom but not as big as 1 and 2.  Sites 18-28 were the best sites for an RV in my opinion.  They don’t have much shade but are very spacious and have a large field behind them with provides a lot of space for kids to play and do have some small trees available for hammocks or clothes lines.  Sites 18, 19, and 28 can be cut off from the field if tents are set up behind sites 20 or 27.  Sites 26 and 27 are right next to the trash can which can be good or bad depending on your perspective.  By the time we had chosen our site for the weekend and I got the motorhome all set up, it had gotten really cold so we ate some dinner and decided to stay in and make an early night of it.

 

It must have gotten pretty cold Friday night as I saw a thin layer of frost on the hood of the Jeep when I finally ventured out and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower.  The bathroom facilities were the same basic but clean and very functional showers that I have seen at most of the Texas State Parks.  So I took advantage of the ample supply of hot water to take a long, soothing shower to start the day.  We had no agenda so the next task for the day was to cook up some bacon and eggs on the Coleman stove outside.  For some reason, bacon seems to smell better when it is cooked outside.  After we had all fully gorged on bacon and eggs and biscuits, we took a short bike ride to the park office to officially check in and get some information about the hiking trails.  The ranger recommended that we hike the first section of the East Trail (clockwise) which is fairly flat and easy to traverse and follows the Sabinal River for about a mile to some ponds that are stocked with Guadalupe Bass and also have sunfish and catfish available to anglers.  Well, for Emma (age 6) and Abby (age 11), that sounded right up our alley.  So we raced back to the motorhome, packed up some snacks and water in our backpacks, hopped back on the bikes, and made our way to the trailhead next to the overflow parking lot.

 

The trail is really more like an old dirt road that follows the Sabinal and made for some playful hiking through the scattered trees surrounded by the steep hillsides.  We crossed the river 3 or 4 times on the strategically places rocks provided to cross without getting shoes wet.  After about a mile, we arrived at an area where the water pooled up into a picturesque pond bordered on one side by 30-foot cliffs.  We quickly surveyed the shoreline to find the best spot for some fishing and had lines in the water within minutes.  Emma was the first to catch one of the overly eager sunfish and then Abby caught 2 or 3 in fairly short order.  After about 5 fish, they got wise to our tactics and then became more difficult to catch as they insisted on just nibbling on the pieces of hot dog we were using as bait instead of actually engulfing it and allowing us a fair chance of catching them.  Quite inconsiderate of them if you ask me.  Especially considering that we had every intention of releasing any fish we caught. 

 

In any event, the water was very clear and a large, black catfish swam back and forth in front of us just taunting us.  So, after about 45 minutes of watching, the girls, although they had already named the fish Blacky, decided that they wanted to catch him.  So, I put on a bigger hook with a sinker and a large piece of hot dog and tossed my enticing little nugget of tastiness into the water.  About 20 minutes later and numerous swim-by’s, Blacky decided he could no longer refuse our offering and engulfed the piece of hot dog.  To be honest, we had all forgotten about it.  It then became a family affair to catch him.  Mom noticed that Blacky had taken the bait. Emma was the first there but couldn’t get any leverage against him so she handed the rod to Abby.  Abby couldn’t make up any ground either so she gave the rod to me.  I could see Blacky and realized that he had tangled the line in some grass and weeds.  So, I deftly maneuvered the line to untangle him and then reeled him to shore.  We were all quite excited as I estimated him at about 10 pounds, which translates to a realistic weight of about 4 pounds.  Blacky didn’t fight very hard once I untangled him and looked rather dejected so we took a few pictures with him and then released him to enjoy a good hot dog another day.  I suspect he was not looking forward to having to tell his fellow catfish that he was duped by the old hot dog trick.  I’m sure it is quite embarrassing within the catfish community.

 

Blacky’s catch and release had exhausted our fishing enthusiasm so we packed up and hiked back to the motorhome.  We had only snacked during the hike and it was well after lunch time so we were all famished.  We had chili dogs for lunch.  As you can see, hot dogs serve multiple purposes for us.  After lunch, I got out the hammocks and our big outdoor lounge chairs and before I knew it, everyone had kicked back and moved into serious relaxing mode.  The weather and setting were perfect for just chilling out.  So, that is what we did.  Emma fell asleep in the hammock.  Lori fell asleep in the motorhome.  I dozed in and out in the big lounge chair.  Abby spent this quiet time collecting items to put into the makeshift club/fort she had built.  After I had spent enough time dozing, Abby and I spent about 30 minutes playing catch (softball season is right around the corner).  Once Emma and Mom woke up, we spent the rest of the afternoon just dinking around playing ladderball, riding the bikes around the campground loop, and playing Frisbee.  Before long, Lori had dinner ready.  By now, it was almost dark and was starting to get cold again.  Since there was a fire ban, we didn’t have a lot of reason to stay outside so we stayed in.  Abby did homework while Emma watched a movie.  No too long after that, we all went to bed.

 

Unfortunately, Sunday was Superbowl Sunday and Lori had invited some folks over so we couldn’t stay and linger for too long.  However, we did have time to take a quick bike ride to the trailhead for the East Trail if you plan to take it counter clockwise.  It looks like the trail is much more serious if you make the whole loop in that direction.  We walked down the trail a short distance to the river and took some pictures.  Then it was back to the trail head, back on the bikes, and back to the motorhome.  It didn’t take me long to get everything packed back up and we were on our way already talking about making this a standard trip in February.  Our Superbowl guests were expected to arrive around 5:00 and we got back around 4:00 so had to hurry to get everything ready.  We had just enough time.

 

Well, that about wraps it up.  I hope you enjoyed this vacation.  If you have any questions, send me an e-mail.  Be sure to check back soon for the next Outdoor-Joe Camping trip.

There were plenty of photo opps like this one while hiking the East Trail at Lost Maples State Natural Area in Vanderpool, Texas.

 

Emma poses while sitting on a rock on the Sabinal river at Lost Maples State Natural Area.
 

The water was so clear, Abby felt compelled to wash her hands.

This was the view out of our front door at the campground at Lost Maples State Natural Area.

Abby, Emma, and I leisurely tooling along on our bikes at Lost Maples State Natural Area.

After the short hike to this pond, we didn't waste any time getting started with the fishing.

Emma was quite proud of her catch while at Lost Maples State Natural Area in Vanderpool, Texas.

 

After watching this catfish swim around for almost an hour, we named it Blacky and quickly let it go after catching it.

 

A beautiful picture of my two precious angels.