Have you been on trail recently? Stumbled upon or dreamed up a killer new route?

In this post, we want to give you all the chance to update u/ULTexas and the Trail Database with the latest route you’ve put together through the Sam Houston National Forest, the mountains of West Texas, and everything in between. Maybe you simply want to update the latest conditions on one of our favorite trails you just experienced. We would all love the contribution to keep this an active resource.

I'm doing half of the trail late this November to early December. It seems very similar to the AT but was wondering what the weather and water would be like during this time? It seems like water is more scarce but should I expect anything longer than a 10 mile water carry? Shelters seem to have less reliable water sources, so should I expect more dry camps in shelters? And will the temperature drop into the teens over night? Also, I saw comments that the trail can get rocky, will it be miles and miles of having to slog through boulder fields? Thanks!

We usually discourage posting image only posts; this isn't Instagram. At r/ULTexas, we try to have substantive discussions concerning backpacking in our great state. However, it can be fun to check out other hikers' pictures.

Feel free to post those pics here! Please include when and where you took those pictures. Locations can be left vague. No need to give us the latitude and longitude numbers. The name of the park or trail will do.

Nostalgic pictures are fine as well. Maybe you'll see a picture that inspires you to get off reddit and get outside.

Hey everyone, I am planning a Guadalupe Ridge Trail Thru hike and was wondering if anyone who has done it could answer a question I had about when to attempt the trail. I was planning either March or Early December as I've hiked in GUMO around similar times and it's been pleasant. I unfortunately can't do the recommended start time of October. Are either of these times feasible?

I'm flying into El Paso to do some backpacking at GUMO and BBNP in early October, and wondering where I might be able to pick up some fuel and other essentials. Looks like Cabela's only has the massive size and Dick's may not have it at all...I'd appreciate any suggestions y'all have. Thanks!

Have you been on trail recently? Stumbled upon or dreamed up a killer new route?

In this post, we want to give you all the chance to update u/ULTexas and the Trail Database with the latest route you’ve put together through the Sam Houston National Forest, the mountains of West Texas, and everything in between. Maybe you simply want to update the latest conditions on one of our favorite trails you just experienced. We would all love the contribution to keep this an active resource.

I’ve been researching the park and planning routes for a trip during my fall break, 11/25-11/30. For some background, I’m hitting the south rim loop at Big Bend the weekend of 11/22-11/24, and then planning to shower + wash clothes at the Rio Grande Village Store, followed by driving to GUMO. I’m coming from Austin (~7.5 hours) so the Big Bend trip is 2 days (Afternoon + full day + Morning) and 2 nights. The long drive makes the planning of this a bit of a pain, as at least one of the hikes needs to start in the afternoon. I decided it was best to have Big Bend be the afternoon start, as there's a lot more campsites to choose from.

This makes the logistical planning for the follow on to guadalupe a bit difficult, so I figured I’d ask for some advice from y’all. I’m comfortable with big mileage and big elevation gain, in fact that’s why I wanted to come out to west texas so bad. I understand I need to carry all my water, that’s not a concern to me, as I’ve hiked enough to dial in my consumption pretty accurately. I plan to bring 3 gallons to be safe.

So onto the route itself. I've laid out a couple of options on Gaia, and would love some opinions from people who regularly head out to the park. I know that they recently changed the rules regarding off-trail travel, so I'm not sure how feasible the Guadalupe Peak -> El Capitan traverse or the Four Peak Traverse is anymore. Let me know what y'all think, and any other park-specific advice you have. Thanks!

ETA: I will be returning in the future to see the rest of the parks, as this is not even scratching the surface, but right now I'm a student so I have to cram in as much as I can, when I can.

Just a quick reconfirmation:

Thursday, September 12th at 7 PM

Billy’s On Burnet - Patio http://www.billysonburnet.com/

2105 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX 78756

(Yes, the patio out front—can’t miss it.)

No formal agenda. Just beers and talk about UL backpacking/ great trails.

First round’s on me.

See you there.

We usually discourage posting image only posts; this isn't Instagram. At r/ULTexas, we try to have substantive discussions concerning backpacking in our great state. However, it can be fun to check out other hikers' pictures.

Feel free to post those pics here! Please include when and where you took those pictures. Locations can be left vague. No need to give us the latitude and longitude numbers. The name of the park or trail will do.

Nostalgic pictures are fine as well. Maybe you'll see a picture that inspires you to get off reddit and get outside.

Anybody up for an meet and greet with a beer or 3 on a patio in Austin?

Billys on Burnett. 7 Pm Thursday Sept 12 7PM
Billys on Burnett. 7 Pm Thursday Sept 12 7PM

I am totally new to backpacking and camping in general. Hike quite a bit, athletic and did whole day hike before ( without proper backpack )

I’m going to do 2 day 1 night in Georgetown, and 1 day hike during my trip in Colorado this month as preparation as well.

I am planning trip to big bend, but feel like I should not do it solo, since I am pretty new to this. Let me know if anyone looking for people to hike the big bend, please

Have you been on trail recently? Stumbled upon or dreamed up a killer new route?

In this post, we want to give you all the chance to update u/ULTexas and the Trail Database with the latest route you’ve put together through the Sam Houston National Forest, the mountains of West Texas, and everything in between. Maybe you simply want to update the latest conditions on one of our favorite trails you just experienced. We would all love the contribution to keep this an active resource.

We usually discourage posting image only posts; this isn't Instagram. At r/ULTexas, we try to have substantive discussions concerning backpacking in our great state. However, it can be fun to check out other hikers' pictures.

Feel free to post those pics here! Please include when and where you took those pictures. Locations can be left vague. No need to give us the latitude and longitude numbers. The name of the park or trail will do.

Nostalgic pictures are fine as well. Maybe you'll see a picture that inspires you to get off reddit and get outside.

Have you been on trail recently? Stumbled upon or dreamed up a killer new route?

In this post, we want to give you all the chance to update u/ULTexas and the Trail Database with the latest route you’ve put together through the Sam Houston National Forest, the mountains of West Texas, and everything in between. Maybe you simply want to update the latest conditions on one of our favorite trails you just experienced. We would all love the contribution to keep this an active resource.

I've been curious about this trail for years. It was closed for a while due to hurricane damage, and there's still a bridge out... but I stopped by just to take a look. It appears there are enough trails to do a 14-mile out-and-back from the Nails/Birch Creek units. (28 mile total) It's flat as heck but pretty wooded, and civilization isn't encroaching like it has at Lake Georgetown. Has anyone ever hiked this?

I have backpacked most of the state parks in Texas, and stayed in the remote camping sites, but I have struggled finding parks with different locations for remote camping. So largely I have backpacked into a remote site and then hiked out with just a daypack from there. I am hoping to find a little more traditional experience. I am in DFW and can fairly easily drive 4-5 hours. I need y'alls recommendations for where to go?!

We usually discourage posting image only posts; this isn't Instagram. At r/ULTexas, we try to have substantive discussions concerning backpacking in our great state. However, it can be fun to check out other hikers' pictures.

Feel free to post those pics here! Please include when and where you took those pictures. Locations can be left vague. No need to give us the latitude and longitude numbers. The name of the park or trail will do.

Nostalgic pictures are fine as well. Maybe you'll see a picture that inspires you to get off reddit and get outside.

Is the ground water along this trail ok for drinking (filtered of course)?

To the fella who made the carbon stakes, I would like to buy another round. Set of 20

I just tried out a few options to make backpacking in the summer semi-pleasant and thought I’d share my findings.

The test trip: quick overnight at LBJ grasslands on the multi-use trail. I hiked in ~2.5 miles, camped, hiked out the next morning. Highs in the low 90s/lows in the low 70s. Very breezy, no rain.

Tip 1: hammock camp instead of tent camp. This was surprisingly great, so breezy. I was actually cold at night and had to grab my backup quilt. One con - I think I got mosquito bites through the hammock fabric while hanging out after dinner. I used the Covacure hammock from amazon ($28) and Foxelli diamond tarp ($25?). The whole setup is ~3 lbs, but I’m not carrying my air pad (~1lb), so it doesn’t add any weight to my pack compared to my tent (xmid 2).

Tip 2: bring a frozen water. This was amazing for the hike in when it was still so hot. Having cold water when you’re slogging through knee-high grass that’s maybe trail is such a moral booster.

Tip 3: ditch my sleeping bag for a fleece blanket - not great for me. This would work for me if it was warmer or less windy (it was very windy that night), but I was cold. I ended up using my 50f quilt. Maybe the fleece with a sleeping pad in the hammock would have been ok. I also think the fleece + pad in my tent would have been enough.

Final thoughts - this worked much better than I expected. I was way more comfortable sleeping temperature-wise and I like having the hammock when chilling at camp. Hiking in 90+ temps will never be super fun, but the camping experience was a big improvement over my last trip in my tent. The one thing I dislike about the hammock is it’s hard to temperature regulate as the conditions change - my quilt would have been too hot until it cooled off after midnight, then it was a pain to rearrange from fleece to quilt, everything was tangled around my legs or caught under me.

I’ll definitely use this setup for the summer, but I still prefer my tent when the weather is better.

Have you been on trail recently? Stumbled upon or dreamed up a killer new route?

In this post, we want to give you all the chance to update u/ULTexas and the Trail Database with the latest route you’ve put together through the Sam Houston National Forest, the mountains of West Texas, and everything in between. Maybe you simply want to update the latest conditions on one of our favorite trails you just experienced. We would all love the contribution to keep this an active resource.

We usually discourage posting image only posts; this isn't Instagram. At r/ULTexas, we try to have substantive discussions concerning backpacking in our great state. However, it can be fun to check out other hikers' pictures.

Feel free to post those pics here! Please include when and where you took those pictures. Locations can be left vague. No need to give us the latitude and longitude numbers. The name of the park or trail will do.

Nostalgic pictures are fine as well. Maybe you'll see a picture that inspires you to get off reddit and get outside.

Someone pls dm if yall whould like to hike the trail.

Was going to do a quick thru of the LSHT next week, but the flooding has really messed it up.

What would you recommend for 25-60 miles of trail within 4ish hours of Houston?

Good water was on the radar, but I would enjoy something more isolated. I'm considering Colorado Bend. I've done the Ozarks in the summer, but the ticks are unreal.

Have you been on trail recently? Stumbled upon or dreamed up a killer new route?

In this post, we want to give you all the chance to update u/ULTexas and the Trail Database with the latest route you’ve put together through the Sam Houston National Forest, the mountains of West Texas, and everything in between. Maybe you simply want to update the latest conditions on one of our favorite trails you just experienced. We would all love the contribution to keep this an active resource.

Hi all,

I'm still pretty new to backpacking and have only used established backcountry sites before. I just did a short trip in the LBJ grasslands on the multi-use trail (orange trail), knowing I'd need to do some site-selection, and I found it really tricky - there weren't really any areas with bare ground. It's been so wet recently that all grassy/flat areas were knee-high in plant life. Finally, tired of wading through the prairie looking for a clear space far enough off the trail, I just picked a spot that was reasonable flat and matted down the plants as best I could. I'm glad this was no-stove trip because there was literally no clear ground (aside from the trail) where I could have set up my stove.

All the advice I see online seems geared at finding flat ground in the mountains, staying away from water, and basic LNT/safety tips. Does anyone else use the LBJ trails? How do you find good sites in the prairie? Is this just spring in north Texas?

Pic of site: LBJ campsite

I'm wondering where other than Talimena State Park one can park overnight. So far it looks only like the Old Military Road Picnic Ground where the Choctaw Trail meets the Old Military Trail. Just want to make sure I have some backups.

I live in Austin and car camp throughout the year, but I struggle to find primitive sites that aren't several hours of driving out of town. I'm wanting to find somewhere that I can hike in and camp 1-2 nights to test out gear. Any thoughts? TIA

We usually discourage posting image only posts; this isn't Instagram. At r/ULTexas, we try to have substantive discussions concerning backpacking in our great state. However, it can be fun to check out other hikers' pictures.

Feel free to post those pics here! Please include when and where you took those pictures. Locations can be left vague. No need to give us the latitude and longitude numbers. The name of the park or trail will do.

Nostalgic pictures are fine as well. Maybe you'll see a picture that inspires you to get off reddit and get outside.

Looking at the hammock gear burrow quilt and am conflicted on what temperature rating I should get for 3 seasons backpacking in Texas. Figured I’d just ask what has worked best for yall and if you would recommend a 20 degree comfort rating or 30 degree? Thanks in advance!