huckepack

Lone Star Hiking Trail

Length

This trail
151.9 km
How
Measured on our OpenStreetMap map line (data of 5 Nov 2026): the main route
Official
151.9 km, sum of the 3 main stages (huckepack)

152km

Ascent · descent

This trail
880 m up, 950 m down, estimated
How
Estimated from the GEDTM30 terrain model along our OpenStreetMap line: every main stage's climbs and drops along samples 100 m apart, each counted once it reaches 10 m
Keep in mind
A 30 m terrain model: short climbs between the samples are missed

estimated: 880m ↑950m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingNatural ground: 85 %
  • Climate: Moderate in Dec–AprHeat: 26 °C by day (April)
  • Effort: HardLongest day: ≈ 20 h (stage 2)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Moderate in Dec–Apr; Effort: Hard

Days

This trail
3 days, one per stage of USDA Forest Service's stage list
Why
No source suggests days for the route as listed here

3days

Per day

This trail
51 km · ≈ 290 m ↑
How
The trail's length (our measurement, 152 km) ÷ its days (3, one day per stage of USDA Forest Service's stage list); ascent likewise
Keep in mind
Stages vary in length; see the stage table

51km· about 290 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 96%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 2%
  • Farmland and villages: 2%
  • Bare rock and sand: 0%
  • Water, snow and ice: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by William L. Farr and Alexander Hatley; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
United States
Regions
Texas
Start
FS 219 near Richards (Trailhead 1)
Finish
FM 1725 near Montague Church, Cleveland (Trailhead 15)
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Houston station (Amtrak)109.4 km by road · 93 min
  • George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)99.5 km by road · 86 min
  • William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)129.9 km by road · 113 min
Protected areas
Sam Houston National Forest; Little Lake Creek Wilderness; Big Creek Scenic Area
Managed by
USDA Forest Service, Sam Houston National Forest, Lone Star Hiking Trail ClubOfficial website (opens in a new tab)
Waymarking
Marked with two-inch by four-inch aluminum markers.
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
the trail's ascent (the terrain model's estimate) over the main stages' length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T1 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The Forest Service: "The terrain is relatively flat with some wet areas; and bridges allow for easy creek crossings. The southern portion of the trail follows an old railroad tramway." A footpath through pine and hardwood forest with short road walks and no steep or exposed passages: hiking (T1).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club (opens in a new tab)

    estimated T1
  • Climbingestimated 6 m per km
  • Steep stretches0 % of the way
  • Natural ground85 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Dec–Apr

  • Heat · April26 °C by day
  • Cold · January6 °C at night
  • Wet days · March10 days
  • Snow · January0 days
  • Wind · April18 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

  • Longest day · stage 2estimated 20 h

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
16–30°C
Nights in season · highest point
6–20°C
Wet days a month
9–11
Daylight
10.2–13.7h
SeasonSeasonDay high and night low0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °C40 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight10.4 h11.1 h11.9 h12.9 h13.7 h14.1 h13.9 h13.2 h12.3 h11.4 h10.6 h10.2 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January16.1 / 7.415.1 / 6.38.90.4310.4
February18 / 9.117.1 / 8.18.70.31.511.1
March21.7 / 12.520.9 / 11.69.90.10.411.9
April25.5 / 1624.8 / 15.38.80012.9
May29.6 / 20.429 / 19.810.60013.7
June32.4 / 23.532 / 2310.90014.1
July33.6 / 24.533.4 / 24.210.10013.9
August34.1 / 24.834 / 24.59.80013.2
September31.2 / 22.330.9 / 21.88.20012.3
October26.7 / 17.526.1 / 16.87.60011.4
November21 / 12.420.2 / 11.58.300.110.6
December17.1 / 8.816.1 / 7.79.201.310.2

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevation
1FS 219 near Richards Stubblefield Recreation Area30.7 km200 m ↑250 m ↓120 → 70 m
2Stubblefield Recreation Area FM 945 at S Butch Arthur Road75.7 km410 m ↑380 m ↓70 → 90 m
3FM 945 at S Butch Arthur Road FM 1725 near Montague Church45.5 km270 m ↑320 m ↓100 → 60 m

Totals and averages count the main stages only. Distances are ours, measured on the OpenStreetMap map line between the stage ends: no source publishes them. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (GEDTM30, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m; climbs and drops counted once they reach 10 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
139m high44m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
6 % (3°), 31 m up over 500 m, stage 2
Steepest descent
−7 % (4°), 35 m down over 500 m, stage 2
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

6% ↑−7% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
0 km up, 0 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

0km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 85%, 128.4 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 15%, 21.9 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 0%, 0.1 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

85% natural15% gravel<1% paved
0 m139 mStage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km150.3 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
GEDTM30 terrain model (OpenGeoHub, from Copernicus and other elevation data), 30 m grid, the bare ground under the trees, every 100 m along the main route
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 63% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest96%Grassland and shrubs2%Bare rock and sand0%Water, snow and ice0%Farmland and villages2%Stage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km150.3 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. Camping is permitted anywhere along the trail, except from September 26 to January 8 during hunting season, when overnight camping is allowed in designated camping areas only. Sections of the trail cross private property and public road rights-of-way.

14.6 km without a bedCamping15Huts0Hostels0Rooms0Stage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km150.3 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 15 campsites, 0 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 44.4–59
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
20.4 km without clean water, km 9.8–30.2, stage 1
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 0 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 12 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

20.4kmScarce

Any water

This trail
20.4 km without any water, km 9.8–30.2
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

20.4kmScarce

Shops

This trail
150.3 km without a shop, km 0–150.3
Counted
0 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

150.3km
Water · 20.4 km withoutPublic drinking water · 150.3 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 150.3 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 20.4 km withoutShops · 150.3 km withoutStage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km150.3 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: USDA Forest Service, National Forests and Grasslands in Texas
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes ModerateTicks ModerateAmerican alligator Low

Copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes

Moderate danger

The Forest Service names copperheads, cottonmouths (water moccasins) and rattlesnakes among the snakes of the Texas forests, found under logs, in tall grass, near water or on warm trails, most active in spring and summer, early morning and evening; most avoid people.

If you meet one

  • Stay on trails and avoid walking through tall grass or heavy brush
  • Wear boots and long pants when hiking
  • Use a flashlight at night
  • If you see a snake, stop and give it space
  • If bitten, remain calm and call 911 or seek immediate medical help
  • Keep the affected limb still and below heart level

Don't

  • Don't place hands or feet in places you can't see (like rock crevices or log piles)
  • Don't try to handle, catch, or kill it

Advice: USDA Forest Service, National Forests and Grasslands in Texas. Level: ours. Silhouette: Blair Perry (Crotalus viridis), PhyloPic, public domain.

Ticks

Moderate danger

The Forest Service says ticks thrive in the wooded, brushy and grassy places of the national forests in Texas and can carry Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

If you meet one

  • Wear long sleeves and tuck pants into socks or boots
  • Use EPA-registered insect repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, or permethrin
  • Stay on trails and avoid brushing against vegetation
  • Check yourself, children, and pets for ticks, especially in hidden areas like underarms, behind ears, waistbands, and hairlines
  • Shower within two hours to help remove ticks before they attach
  • Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull upward with steady pressure

Don't

  • Do not twist, burn, or squeeze the tick

Advice: USDA Forest Service, National Forests and Grasslands in Texas. Level: ours. Silhouette: Guillaume Dera (Ixodes ricinus), PhyloPic, public domain.

American alligator

Low danger

Alligators live in the ponds, lakes, rivers, bayous and swamps of the national forests in Texas; the Forest Service says they generally avoid humans but can be dangerous if provoked, fed or threatened.

If you meet one

  • Stay at least 30 feet away from any alligator
  • Keep pets leashed and away from the water's edge
  • Avoid the water at dawn, dusk, or night when alligators are most active
  • Remain calm and observe from a distance
  • Supervise children closely when near water

Don't

  • Don't feed or harass wildlife — it's illegal and unsafe
  • Do not attempt to feed or move closer

Advice: USDA Forest Service, National Forests and Grasslands in Texas. Level: ours. Silhouette: Ferran Sayol (Alligator mississippiensis), PhyloPic, public domain.