Mission Tejas State Park

Mission Tejas has a very nice Visitor center and park headquarters building right at the entrance. There is amply parking and it’s easy to find.

I was a little confused which building I was supposed to check in at, but I figured it out (Park Headquarters). The building is large, but the office is actually pretty small. It was very clean, white, and felt new!

The woman who helped me get checked in was an older lady and she was so kind! I gave her my Texas State Parks Passport to get a stamp and she was so excited for me. They have 2 stamp options for you to choose from.

Campground Amenities

There are not a lot of campsites on the property, so I felt lucky to have snatched one up! I would highly advise actually looking at the campsite photos if you intend to visit this park because each campsite is unique. I stayed at site 012 and had privacy on one side and campers on the other but some of the sites are pretty close to each other with very limited privacy.

If I were to come back, I’d try to reserve site 015 as it was right next to the bathhouse, private, but still felt safe, and it was at the top of a hill.

Something to be aware of – this park has two bathrooms, but only 1 bathhouse with a shower and there was only 1 shower stall! Despite being the only one, it was clean, had ample space, and I would have been happy to shower there.

The overnight temperature was around 40 degrees but I had no problem staying warm in my car. The only time I was really cold was when I had to get up and walk to the restroom in the middle of the night.

I slept in my car with my attached Hasika hatchback tent that I received as a Christmas gift from my best friend. To stay warm I lined the car bed with a comforter, a smaller blanket, and then just slept in my sleeping bag.

Trail Hiking Experience

Mission Tejas is the park I was most looking forward to on this park because it offers the most trail distance for me to accomplish. There are a little over 8 miles of trail at the park.

I arrived to the park with enough time to complete a few hikes before setting up camp and calling it a night. I started with Karl Lovett Trail (0.5 miles) because it was the closest trailhead to my campground. I followed that trail over the Fire Tower Trail to Big Pine Trail.

The plan was to hike right on Big Pine, get onto Steep Step Trail and circle back to camp using the series of mini trails in the area. Unfortunately, I missed the turn somewhere and hiked to the edge of the park alone Big Pine and had to rush back to camp because it got dark.

I try not to be out on the trails at night although I do have a safety vest, pepper spray, and other safety measures in place. As a female, solo-traveler, I just try to do what is safest for myself at all times.

Day 2

Steep Ravine Trail

This was my first full day of hiking and I was excited for it. I started out on. Steep Ravine Trail around 9am and it was perfect weather. Steep Ravine was by far my favorite hike of the entire trip. It was steep in some places, had switch backs through the forrest, and was just the prettiest of the hikes in my opinion.

I wrapped around from Steep Ravine to the primitive loop. These campsites are very remote and require a good 0.5 mile or more hike in to get to them. The primitive sites were very well maintained and are worth a visit. Check out my quick, 1 minute tour of the Primitive Camping sites.

Hardwood Trail & Nabedache Trail

Hardwood Trail connects Steep Ravine/Primitive Loop and Nabedache Trail. It’s just a connector trail so nothing too exciting there. However, Nabedache Trail is pretty cool!

If you’re coming the direction I was, right at the beginning of the trail is a little off trail that takes you to a creek for fishing. There were multiple benches to rest (and snack) on overlooking the water. It was a really restful place. I could definitely have taken some time to do yoga or mediate at that stop.

Chimney Loop and Tejas Timber Trail

Nabedache Trail lead to Chimney Loop and ended up coming up to the pond. The last part of the trail totaled about 1.5 miles. Chimney loop leads to a part of the park that has an old remaining Chimney built in the middle of the forrest (I’m sure there’s some history there, but I didn’t read up on it). Most likely by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The pond is a big attraction to park visitors as it’s an easy 0.5 miles trail around and when the sun is shining on it, it’s a beautiful sight to see and relax next to.

My Overall Review

Mission Tejas was the best park I visited this weekend in terms of hiking trails. I am glad I chose to stay overnight and camp here as I could not have accomplished it all in one day before sundown (at 5:30pm).

The trails varied quite a bit in terms of what landscape was provided which kept things interesting. Steep Ravine is in the forrest surrounded by trees, Nabedache Trail is marshy and has a pretty stream that flows along side, and Chimney loop provided history of the land and a stop off/rest space at the Chimney.

I would highly recommend a visit to Mission Tejas for a weekend trip or if you’re a happy hiker! I ended up hiking a total of 7 miles in a little over 3 hours.