The Best Hiking Trails in East Texas

The Pineywoods are not as flat as people expect. TPWD lists Mission Tejas State Park's elevation as 167 to 552 feet. Tyler State Park's trail map warns that several loops include elevation changes. At Daingerfield State Park, the Mountain View Trail climbs to the highest point in the park. North of Jacksonville, the Texas Historical Commission marker at Love's Lookout puts the overlook at 713 feet, with a view of 30 to 35 miles.

Tyler State Park (789 Park Road 16) is on FM 14 about eight miles north of Tyler, according to the Handbook of Texas. It's built around a 64-acre spring-fed lake, and TPWD counts 13 miles of trails. The park's trail map lists the Lakeshore Trail at 2.1 miles. TPWD rates it easy and "relatively flat," and it is hiking-only. Parts of it use the main park road. The Whispering Pines Trail is a 1.0-mile hiking-only trail the Civilian Conservation Corps built more than 70 years ago, with steps, a small waterfall and a wading pool. For a longer outing, the multiuse B Loop runs 3.1 miles with many elevation changes. On multiuse trails, bikers ride clockwise and hikers walk counter-clockwise.

Daingerfield State Park (455 Park Road 17, Daingerfield) is in Morris County. TPWD lists the Rustling Leaves Trail as a 2.4-mile hike around the lake. The Mountain View Trail is 0.8 mile and rated challenging, and portions are steep. TPWD promotes the park for its spring blooms and fall colors.

Mission Tejas State Park (19343 State Highway 21 East, Grapeland) sits at the north end of the Davy Crockett National Forest and has 8.5 miles of trails. The longest, the Steep Ravine Trail, is 2.4 miles and rated challenging. The park's Commemorative Mission is a replica of Mission Tejas that the CCC built in the 1930s. It honors the 1690s Spanish mission. TPWD says dogwoods bloom around the last week of March and fall color follows later in the year.

The Davy Crockett National Forest covers more than 160,000 acres in Houston and Trinity counties. Its Four C National Recreation Trail runs 20 miles from the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area to the Neches Bluff Overlook. The name comes from the Central Coal and Coke Company, which logged the area, and parts of the trail follow that company's abandoned tramways. The trail is marked with white rectangular tags. All but a 1-mile segment through private timberland is on national forest land. Ratcliff Lake charges a $3 day-use fee per vehicle. As of July 14, 2025, the Forest Service said the Wilderness (Big Slough) section was impassable from flood damage and flagged several unsafe bridges, so check the trail page before you plan a section hike.

The Angelina National Forest covers parts of Angelina, Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Jasper counties. The Forest Service describes its Sawmill Hiking Trail as a 2¾-mile trail linking Boykin Springs Recreation Area to the Aldridge Sawmill historic site. The Boy Scouts of America helped build it.

Love's Lookout is a roadside park four miles north of Jacksonville on the east side of US 69. It's a short stop with a scenic overlook rather than a hike. The historical marker there explains that the lookout was part of John Wesley Love's peach orchard and that the park was developed as a WPA project.

Martin Creek Lake State Park (9515 County Road 2181D, Tatum) is about 20 miles southeast of Longview and has nearly four miles of hike-and-bike trails. The park map lists the Old Henderson Road Loop at 1.4 miles, the Harmony Hill Loop at 1.7 miles and the Island Trails at 0.9 mile. The Old Henderson Road Loop follows a former trade route between Henderson and Shreveport. The Harmony Hill Loop skirts the former community of Harmony Hill, now a National Register historic district. TPWD notes that bald eagles and osprey can sometimes be seen on the lake in fall, winter and spring.

Trail safety: TPWD advises a quart of water per hour of activity, sunscreen and insect repellent. It also recommends telling someone where you're going. Trails may close for prescribed burns or other resource work.