I’ve always been fascinated by hikers who choose to thru-hike, and I decided it was my time to get started. Thankfully, there is a great trail to start my thru-hike portfolio close to home – The Lone Star Hiking Trail. Getting ready for any long backpacking trip takes some research and time to prepare, so in this post, I’ll be sharing with you how I’ve started planning a Lone Star Trail Thru-Hike.

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Trail Overview

The Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT) is currently the longest continuous hiking trail in Texas, stretching through the Sam Houston National Forest. It ranges from Richards, TX to Cleveland, TX, covering nearly 100 miles. The trail was built in sections through the 1960s-70s.

Planning a Lone Star Trail Thru-Hike is great for beginner thru-hikers. It’s mostly flat and has multiple options for camping along the way, allowing hikers to go at their own pace and pitch camp when needed. The Lone Star Trail is also well documented, and finding information about the trail, camping locations, water sources, etc., is relatively easy.

Despite being well documented, it’s not a super popular trail, providing hikers privacy and a real outdoor experience. There are three main sections of the trail that have varied ecosystems: dense woodlands, palmetto swamps, and upland forests.

Many hikers utilize the LSHT to test out new backpacking and camping gear to train for longer hikes.

Resources for Planning a Lone Star Thru Hike

Thankfully, planning a thru-hike of the Lone Star Trail is not a difficult task. There is an abundance of resources available to help you with your preparations.

Karen Borski Somers wrote a book titled “The Lone Star Hiking Trail: The Official Guide to the Longest Wilderness Footpath in Texas“. It provides everything you need to know about your hike, including camping locations, typical water levels, and trail navigation. I purchased it when planning my hike, and it’s excellent.

There is a Facebook group, simply called “Lone Star Hiking Trail,” that has over 20,000 members who regularly post about their preparation and experiences on the trail. This group is very active and has been immensely helpful during my preparation. They post often about trail conditions, volunteer work to maintain the trail, and group hikes along the trail.

Additionally, you can get some great information about the trail, including recent hiker reviews, images, terrain, and more, using the Alltrails.com app! You can even download the trail map for offline use.

Of course, there are also YouTube videos and other Blogs that are great resources for planning a Lone Star Thru Hike, too.

Common Questions for those planning a Lone Star Thru Hike:

‣ Are permits required to hike the Lone Star Trail?

No, you do not have to have a permit to hike or camp along the Lone Star Trail.

‣ When is the best time to hike the trail?

Technically, you can hike the trail year-round, each season bringing its joys and challenges. Some things to consider when deciding when to hike:
– Texas gets very hot in the summer months and is fairly humid in early fall.
– Hunting season in this area is late September to late January. During that time, you must camp in specific areas, which can impact your daily mileage.
– Mid to late Spring can bring in some heavy rain and thunderstorms that may wipe out a good few sections of the trail, making them impassable. Make sure to check the latest trail updates when you head out.

My personal opinion would be early March. It’s still cool, hunting season is over, so you can camp anywhere along the trail. Spring rains haven’t really started coming in heavily yet, and there aren’t as many bugs as there are in the warmer months.

‣ How long does it take to hike the Lone Star Trail?

Most thru-hikers finish the 96-mile trail in a week or less.

‣ How do you get to the trail?

Trailhead #1 is located in Richards, Texas.

If you’ll be flying in to hike the trail, you’ll find yourself in Houston, Texas, which is about an hour away from Trailhead #1. From there, you have a few options:

• You can rideshare to the Greyhound station, take the Greyhound to Huntsville (or Conroe), and then rideshare to trailhead #1.
• You can rideshare to the Greyhound station, take the Greyhound to Huntsville (or Conroe), and then have one of the Lone Star Trail shuttle volunteers* pick you up and take you to the trailhead.
• If you’re planning far enough in advance, you may be able to get a Lone Star Trail Shuttle Volunteer* to pick you up from the airport and shuttle you right to the trail!

*Lone Star Trail Shuttle volunteers can be found on the Lone Star Hiking Trail Facebook page.

If you’re driving to the trail, all of the trailheads and parking lots are on Google Maps! If you wish to park your vehicle at the last trailhead and want a shuttle to Trailhead #1, you can also book a ride with one of the Lone Star Trail shuttle volunteers!

What to Expect on the Trail

Trailheads and Access Points

If you’re planning a Lone Star Trail Thru-Hike, you’ll most likely want to start at Trailhead #1 in Richards, TX, and work your way east, or Trailhead #15 in Cleveland, TX, and work your way west. Both trailheads allow overnight parking if you’d like to park your vehicle. There have been some reported break-ins at trailhead #15, so be sure to clear anything valuable out of your vehicle before hitting the trail if that’s what you plan to do.

There is a small church next to trailhead #15 that has been known to allow thru-hikers to park behind the church during their hike if you’d feel safer doing so. The Montague Church of Christ is located at 15151 FM1725, Cleveland, TX 77328, and the phone number to reach the church to ask for permission to park is +1-281-745-0398.

There are many access points (or trail heads) along the Lone Star Trail if you wish to complete the hike in sections. They’re all well mapped on Google, fairly easy to find.

If you need to get off the trail early and not complete your entire thru-hike in one go, you can easily have someone pick you up at any of the above-mentioned trailheads and give you a ride back to your vehicle They are well spread out along the trail so you never have to go too far to get to the next one.

Resupply & Water Sources

Taking care of your body is the number one priority while thru-hiking. There are no official resupply stops along the trail. If you need to, you can stop in at Huntsville State Park around mile #35, which has a small state park store where you can find a vending machine and basic food and beverages. Adding a stop at Huntsville State Park will detour you a little over 2 miles each way to get off and back on the trail.

As for water, I used the “Thru- Hiker’s Guide for the Lone Star Trail“ to look at where all the major water sources are. This guide hasn’t been updated since August 2024, and water supplies can change drastically from week to week, depending on how much rainfall has been coming in, but it can provide a pretty good example of where you can expect water. The key below explains how the Lone Star Trail water sources are measured for water availability. The Key is part of the guide.

You can always cache food or water along the trail if you have the time to do that. Be sure your cache is labeled appropriately, and you always pack out what you bring in.

Lastly, you will absolutely want to have a water filtration system and/or water purification tablets when completing this hike. Many of the water sources are fairly dirty pond waters. Before you set off for your hike, make sure you’ve tested the filter and know how to appropriately use the water tablets if that’s your plan.

Primitive Campsites, Hunter Camps, and State Campgrounds

During hunting season, hikers can only camp at designated campgrounds. Throughout the rest of the year, hikers can technically camp anywhere along the trail, but there are primitive campsites, hunter camps, and actual campsites along the way. Most options are free, but some of the staffed campgrounds, such as Stubblefield Lake and Huntsville State Park, will have camping fees.

I would use either the lonestrailtrail.org website or Karen Borski Somers’ Book to identify where you would like to camp. I’m choosing to just use Somers’ Book. In the back of the book, there is an index of the trail indicating where each campground is, noted by a little tent icon next to the mile markers. I’m planning on just taking pictures of this index on my phone to reference while on the trail.

Be advised – most campsites will not have electricity, water, or restrooms. Some will have water sources in the form of a lake, pond, or stream, but they will all have to be filtered. Some hunter camps have pit toilets or port-a-potties on-site.

Leave No Trace

Although I’ve referenced the “leave no trace” policy on almost every blog I’ve posted about hiking, it’s so important and is worth repeating. Leave No Trace is basically a reminder to take care of the land by minimizing our environmental impact while we’re out enjoying nature. Some of the key concepts include:

• Stay on the trail or in designated camping areas to protect sensitive ecosystems and minimize soil erosion and vegetation damage
• Respect wildlife by not feeding any animals you see along the way and ensuring you’re storing your food properly
• Leave what you find – don’t take or damage anything you find along the trail (this includes writing on rocks and carving trees!)
• Pack out what you bring in. There are minimal trash receptacles along the trail, so be prepared to carry all your trash with you until you find an appropriate place to dispose of it

Personal Preparations for Planning a Lone Star Thru Hike

Physical preparation and training

If you’re not used to backpacking regularly, simply walking more steps per day than you typically do will drastically assist you in your hike.

If you have a treadmill at home, access to a stairmaster, or are able to get outside with a weighted vest or backpack, that will help prepare you to carry your load. Carrying a pack with weight is going to be a bit challenging, no matter the weight, trail, or distance.

It never hurts to prep for a thru-hike. Many hikers have hiked the trail without any preparation, though, so don’t let fear of your fitness level stop you from getting out there. You can always bail out, celebrate what you’ve accomplished, and then head back out when you’re more prepared to take on the longer distance.

Mental Preparation

When backpacking long distances, you will most likely come across challenges you do not typically have to face during your day-to-day life. You may have weather challenges – extreme heat, constant rain, or even freezing temperatures. You may deal with dehydration, hunger, fatigue, excessive bug bites or even injuries. The best way to mentally prepare yourself for these situations is to know that they may happen and to have a plan in place in case you find yourself being challenged out on the trail.

You also have to be kind to yourself and adaptable. Sometimes our mind and body are not on the same page, so giving yourself grace to slow down or even leave the trail if something becomes too difficult is vital. There may be days when you’re feeling tired or unmotivated, and you’ll have to convince yourself that you’ve got it. You’ll have to repeat your mantra, whatever that may be, to keep yourself going. I know when I hike and I get tired, I often think “one foot in front of the other” and I just keep repeating it to myself as encouragement.

Mental toughness is built when we’re challenged. Every time you overcome an obstacle or achieve a new level (successfully bandaging some blisters, setting up your tent on the first try after a couple of days of struggle, or getting faster at filtering water after a few attempts) make sure you take the time to congratulate yourself and say “I did that”. You can do hard things!

Conclusion

Planning a Lone Star Trail Thru-Hike shouldn’t be difficult at all as there are an abundance of resources available to you and a whole community of hikers who have completed the trail already! You’ll want to make sure you pack the essentials, have enough food and water with you or cached along the trail so you don’t go hungry or get dehydrated, and you’ll want to be prepared to take care of any minor injuries you may get along the way.

I’ve got my trip planned thanks to the lonestartrail.org and Karen Borski Somers! I’m feeling confident in my ability to get out there and get after it. I know whether or not I complete the whole trail in one thru-hike or not, I’ll have experienced a beautiful section of Texas and built new skills along the way!

Best of luck to you future hikers, and let’s keep the trail clean for the next ones!