Top Backpacking Trails in Texas
20 routes. Each page shows when we last checked it. Updated October 2026.
Backpacking in Texas splits into a few distinct regions. In far West Texas, the site covers Big Bend National Park (the Outer Mountain Loop, the South Rim, and the Marufo Vega Trail), Big Bend Ranch State Park, the Guadalupe Mountains, and the Davis Mountains: rocky desert and sky-island country with little or no water, big climbs, and strong winds on the high Guadalupe ridges. The Hill Country trips, including Lost Maples, Colorado Bend, Pedernales Falls, and the Goodwater Loop at Lake Georgetown, run through limestone canyons and creek crossings. East Texas offers flat, often muddy pine and hardwood forest on the Lone Star Hiking Trail, the 4C Trail, and Big Thicket’s Turkey Creek Trail.
Most trips here are cool-season trips. NPS warns that desert heat from spring through early fall can be deadly, and flash floods are a risk in canyons and along rivers. Camping patterns vary: permits and designated sites or zones in the national parks, reservable primitive sites with no water and stoves only in state parks, and dispersed camping on the national forests outside hunting season.
Check current conditions before you go. As of Oct. 16, 2026, Big Bend listed many dirt roads closed after rain and was issuing backcountry permits only in person. The Forest Service still lists the 4C Trail’s Big Slough Wilderness section as impassable, Colorado Bend’s Gorman Springs Trail is closed for tree maintenance, and the Forest Service rated fire danger in the Texas national forests as extreme.
Quick picks
- Desert backpacking loop: Outer Mountain Loop
- Texas high point overnight: Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground
- Red-rock canyon overnight: Upper Canyon Loop and North Prong Primitive Camp
- Free first-come camps: Goodwater Loop at Lake Georgetown
- Longest trip: Lone Star Hiking Trail: Central Section
Big Bend
- Marufo Vega Trail Big Bend National Park (Rio Grande, above Boquillas Canyon) 14 miles Hard Desert wilderness zone camping; permit required
- Outer Mountain Loop Big Bend National Park (Chisos Mountains and desert) 30 miles Hard Desert wilderness zones plus designated High Chisos backpacking sites; permit required
- Rancherias Loop Big Bend Ranch State Park (Bofecillos Mountains) 19 miles Hard Backcountry zone camping, choose your own site; permit required
- South Rim and the High Chisos Big Bend National Park (Chisos Mountains) 12.5 miles Hard 42 designated High Chisos backpacking sites; permit required
East Texas
- 4C National Recreation Trail Davy Crockett National Forest (Ratcliff Lake to Neches Bluff, near Kennard) 20 miles Moderate Walnut Creek shelter camp, Pond camp, and dispersed sites; no permit found
- Big Thicket Turkey Creek Trail Big Thicket National Preserve, Turkey Creek Unit (near Kountze and Warren) 15 miles Easy At-large backcountry camping with a free permit
- Lone Star Hiking Trail: Central Section Sam Houston National Forest (Stubblefield to FM 945) 60 miles Moderate Dispersed camping most of the year; designated camps only from Sept. 26 to Jan. 8
- Lone Star Hiking Trail: Lake Conroe Section Sam Houston National Forest (Richards to Stubblefield) 40 miles Moderate Dispersed camping most of the year; designated camps only from Sept. 26 to Jan. 8
- Lone Star Hiking Trail: Winters Bayou and Tarkington Section Sam Houston National Forest (FM 945 to FM 1725, near Cleveland) 27 miles Moderate Dispersed camping most of the year (none in Big Creek Scenic Area); designated camps only from Sept. 26 to Jan. 8
Guadalupe Mountains
- Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Pine Springs) 8.4 miles Hard Designated wilderness campground (5 sites); Wilderness Use Permit required
- McKittrick Canyon to McKittrick Ridge Guadalupe Mountains National Park (McKittrick Canyon) 15.2 miles Hard Designated wilderness campground (McKittrick Ridge); Wilderness Use Permit required
- Tejas Trail and the Bowl Loop Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Pine Springs) 12.7 miles Hard Designated wilderness campgrounds (Pine Top, Tejas); Wilderness Use Permit required
Hill Country
- Colorado Bend State Park Backpacking Loop Colorado Bend State Park (about 30 miles west of Lampasas) 18.6 miles Moderate Two hike-in backcountry areas (Windmill and River); reserve online
- Goodwater Loop at Lake Georgetown Lake Georgetown, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Georgetown) 26.9 miles Moderate Three free primitive hike-in camps (Cedar Hollow, Sawyer, Walnut Springs); first come
- Hill Country State Natural Area Backcountry Camps Hill Country State Natural Area, Texas State Parks 6.5 miles Moderate Three hike-in backcountry camping areas (Wilderness, Butterfly Springs, Hermit's Shack)
- Lost Maples East and West Trail Loop Lost Maples State Natural Area (near Vanderpool) 10.4 miles Moderate Primitive hike-in camping areas A, B, D, E, F, G, H; sites not assigned
- Pedernales Falls Wolf Mountain Trail and Primitive Area Pedernales Falls State Park (Blanco County) 8.3 miles Moderate Hike-in primitive campsites in the Wolf Ridge area, 2 to 3 miles from the trailhead
North Texas
Texas Panhandle
West Texas
Backpacking in Texas: common questions
Do you need a permit to backpack in Texas?
It depends on the managing agency. Big Bend National Park requires a backcountry permit for all overnight trips, and its permit page says that until further notice all backcountry campsites can only be obtained in person at Panther Junction Visitor Center; Guadalupe Mountains requires a Wilderness Use Permit, reserved on Recreation.gov and picked up in person at the Pine Springs Visitor Center; and Big Thicket National Preserve issues a free permit at its visitor center. No permit was found for the Lone Star Hiking Trail or the 4C Trail in the national forests, while state park primitive sites need a campsite reservation or permit from the park, so check with the agency before you go.
Can you camp anywhere in the Texas national forests?
Along the Lone Star Hiking Trail, the Forest Service allows camping anywhere along the trail except from Sept. 26 to Jan. 8, when camping is limited to designated areas, and there is no camping in the Big Creek Scenic Area. A forest-wide order in effect through Dec. 31, 2027 limits stays to 14 days in any 30-day period, bans camping within 300 feet of a developed parking area or boat ramp, and caps each campsite at eight people and two tents. Check current closures with the ranger district before you go.
When is the best time to backpack in Texas?
Most trips on this site are cool-season trips. NPS calls the Marufo Vega Trail potentially deadly from April through September and says that from early May through early October it may be physically impossible to carry enough water on the Outer Mountain Loop. In the Guadalupe Mountains, NPS warns that winds can exceed 40 mph, especially in winter, and the East Texas and Hill Country trips overlap with fall and winter hunting closures, so check the managing agency before picking dates.
Is there water on Texas backpacking trails?
Often not. NPS says there is no water on the Outer Mountain Loop or Marufo Vega Trail, that Rio Grande water is not potable, and suggests at least a gallon per person per day; Big Bend allows water caches only in set locations, and Guadalupe Mountains' 2026 compendium prohibits caching. State park primitive sites on this site have no water, and a mapping guide relays that the Forest Service advises against drinking national forest water even when filtered, so plan to carry or cache what you need.
Is it safe to backpack in Texas during hunting season?
Hunting shapes fall and winter trips here. Big Thicket National Preserve bans camping in hunting areas from Oct. 1 to Feb. 28, the Lone Star Hiking Trail limits camping to designated areas from Sept. 26 to Jan. 8, and several state parks close to everyone but permitted hunters on set dates, such as Colorado Bend from Oct. 19 to 22 and Pedernales Falls from Nov. 21 to 24. Check the park or forest alert page for current hunt dates before you go.
Can you have a campfire while backpacking in Texas?
Usually not. Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains prohibit ground and wood fires and allow containerized fuel stoves only, and Texas state park primitive sites on this site allow stoves only. In mid-October 2026, Pedernales Falls, Dinosaur Valley, and Caprock Canyons state parks listed burn bans on their alert pages, and the Forest Service rated fire danger in the Texas national forests as extreme and pointed visitors to county burn bans, so check current restrictions with the managing agency.
Where this comes from
- National Park Service: Big Bend alerts and conditions (updated Oct. 16, 2026)
- National Park Service: Big Bend backcountry use permits
- National Park Service: Guadalupe Mountains wilderness use permits
- National Park Service: Guadalupe Mountains wilderness camping regulations
- National Park Service: Big Thicket backcountry camping
- U.S. Forest Service: National Forests and Grasslands in Texas alerts
- U.S. Forest Service: Occupancy and use order 08-13-00-25-001
- U.S. Forest Service: Davy Crockett National Forest 4C Trail alert
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Colorado Bend State Park alerts
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Pedernales Falls State Park alerts