4C National Recreation Trail

Davy Crockett National Forest (Ratcliff Lake to Neches Bluff, near Kennard)

The 4C Trail follows the abandoned tramways of the Central Coal and Coke Company, which logged this part of the Davy Crockett National Forest until the early 1920s, according to the Forest Service. It runs about 20 miles from Ratcliff Lake, where the sawmill stood, to Neches Bluff Overlook above the Neches River bottomlands, with a shelter camp at Walnut Creek about two-thirds of the way.

It’s a gentle, flat trail on paper, but since July 2025 floods it has had serious damage (see the notice).

The hike

Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area marks the southern end. The Austin Chronicle described the 45-acre lake in 1996 as the sawmill’s old log pond, with brick sawmill remains nearby. The Forest Service says the trail is marked with white rectangular tags and crosses about a mile of private timberland.

The Outbound’s mile-by-mile description crosses FS 521 around mile 2 and paved FM 227 at 2.5, where it warns of heavier traffic, then reaches Sikes Creek near mile 4 and a pond near mile 5. OuachitaMaps puts the Big Slough Wilderness between miles 7.5 (FS 519) and 8.9 (FS 517, with the Hickory Creek crossing). Backpacker says the wilderness has been “untouched by loggers since 1968,” and Hiking Project notes large oaks there. This is the section the Forest Service now calls impassable.

North of the wilderness, the trail crosses FS 511 around mile 10.5, where The Outbound suggests caching water and camping at least 200 yards from the road. OuachitaMaps reaches Walnut Creek at mile 12.3 and a pond with a primitive campsite at 13.1. The trail then crosses Camp Creek near mile 15, FS 526 at 16, and FS 511 again near 17.5, before a gravel-road stretch and the climb to Neches Bluff Overlook. The 1996 Austin Chronicle column describes the view as “100 feet above the Neches River bottom lands.”

Backpacker’s 2013 version is a 13.4-mile one-way trip from CR 1170 north to the overlook, through Big Slough and past the Walnut Creek shelter. Hiking Project’s condition reports mention bridges out in 2017, overgrowth and flooding on the northern section in 2023, and fallen trees making the trail hard to follow for about two miles south of Walnut Creek camp in 2016.

For a longer East Texas trip, see the Lone Star Hiking Trail’s eastern section.

Tips

Call the district first. Big Slough and six bridges were closed or unsafe as of the latest alert.
Cache water. The Forest Service lists none, and OuachitaMaps passes on its advice not to drink the creeks.
Wear blaze orange from November to January, as Backpacker recommends.
Expect weekend company at the Walnut Creek shelter (The Outbound).
Watch traffic at the FM 227 crossing.

Camping

No camping permit was found for the 4C Trail. The Forest Service trail page doesn’t give camping rules, but the forest-wide occupancy order (08-13-00-25-001, through Dec. 31, 2027) limits stays to 14 days in 30, bans camping within 300 feet of developed parking, and caps each campsite at eight people and two tents. Walnut Creek camp has a permanent open shelter, tent pads, and a fire ring (Hiking Project), and East Texas Outdoors adds a pit toilet. OuachitaMaps and Backpacker list a primitive camp by a pond about 0.8 mile past Walnut Creek. Check county burn bans before any fire.

Inside Intel: Backpacker (2013) points to the Walnut Creek shelter, whose “tent pads [are] good for overnights.” The Outbound adds that it’s a popular spot and “may be crowded on the weekends,” so the pond camp a little farther on is a fallback.

Trail facts

Distance: About 20 miles (Forest Service); 19.5 to 20.1 by other sources
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Easy to moderate; currently damaged
Campsites: Walnut Creek shelter (mile 12.3); Pond camp (13.1); dispersed
Water: None listed; cache water
Permits: None found
Uses: Hiking only; no horses, bikes, or vehicles (East Texas Outdoors)
Trailheads: Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area (Hwy. 7); Neches Bluff Overlook (FS 511)
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

Tent pads at Walnut Creek:

Walnut Creek camp has an open shelter and tent pads that Backpacker called good for overnights. If you sleep on your side, these pad, pillow, and knee tips may help you wake up less sore.

Get the side-sleeper tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.