Lost Maples State Natural Area - Texas Parks and Wildlife

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Lost Maples State Natural Area - Texas Parks and Wildlife

Lost Maples State Natural Area covers 2904 scenic acres in Bandera and Real Counties, north of Vanderpool on the Sabinal River.
(3345)

Visitors enjoy picnicking, camping, backpacking, sightseeing, hiking, photography, birdwatching, and fishing.

08/21/2026

🍁 Volunteer with us! 🍁

Ever wanted to live at Lost Maples? Love helping people and want to help take care of your state park? Join our team as a volunteer park host! We are booking our park host calendar for the end of this year and next year, so contact the park or register at the link below if you are ready to become a host!

What is a park host?

A park host is a volunteer who lives in the park and helps our team with a variety of tasks, including maintenance work like cleaning restrooms, monitoring campgrounds and helping campers, and helping with activities and programs. Park hosts play an important role in supporting our team and giving our visitors a great park experience!

In exchange for 24 hours of work per week, park hosts at Lost Maples stay in a 50amp full hook up campsite with access to a washer and dryer.

Click this link to learn more and register!

🔗 https://tpwd.samaritan.com/custom/1353/opp_details/221220 🔗

Texas Parks and Wildlife Volunteers

08/14/2026

What a turn out Wednesday night for Lost Maples’ Perseids Party! Thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed a perfect evening of stargazing with us. With a clear sky and no light from the moon, we enjoyed some stunning views of the Milky Way, summertime constellations, and quite a few meteors even before the shower's peak!

🔭 The meteor shower will continue through the end of August, so you still have time to catch some more meteors before it's over! 💫

Although our phone wasn't the most powerful night camera, we were able to get a few nice pictures of the sky! (Turn up your screen brightness!) 🌌

Have some pictures of the meteor shower? We'd love to see them!

08/12/2026

TONIGHT!!! 🌠

Join us to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower!

More information here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/lost-maples/perseids-party

Bring a red flash light and consider parking in the larger day-use parking lot and making the short walk to the overflow parking lot to keep bright lights out of our viewing area.

08/08/2026

Quick reminder about our Perseid Meteor Shower Party Wednesday 8/12! Come out and enjoy the show! 🌠

Learn more about the event here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/lost-maples/perseids-party

08/07/2026

Take a peek at everyone's favorite limestone "statue":
🐒Monkey Rock!🐒

Carved by water over thousands of years, this limestone formation became shaped like a monkey. No human carving was needed to create it! Monkey Rock is surrounded by peaceful forest along the Sabinal Canyon, and is joined beside this cliff wall by other limestone formations and "seeps"; areas where water flows from the canyon walls. You can see a seep to the right of Monkey Rock in this video that is surrounded by small ferns that rely on the clean, clear water.

Monkey Rock, its neighboring limestone formations, and the seeps are all fragile. In order to keep them safe, it's important to avoid climbing on them, carving into them, or throwing things at them. You can help us make sure everyone can enjoy Monkey Rock for many more years to come by taking care of it whenever you visit Lost Maples State Natural Area!

Some of Monkey Rock's fellow limestone formations have been called cheese or duck shaped. Come check them out and see what shapes they remind you of! 🦆🧀

07/30/2026

🌟 Need a break from the Back-to-School season? Spend some time at Lost Maples State Natural Area this August! 🌟

For more details, please check the events page on our website here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lost-maples/park_events

All programs are free with park admission ($6 per person 13 and older)! Programs are subject to cancellation or changes. Keep an eye on our Facebook and check our website for updates as we get closer.

07/22/2026

🔥Check out that heat index!🔥

It's HOT today, folks! We are under a Heat Advisory through tomorrow night. We are expecting even higher temperatures as the day goes on, with a heat index up to 106 into the evening. Please be prepared for hot weather over the next few days.

If you're planning a trip to Lost Maples, come early in the day when it's still cool out, bring tons of water and sun protection, dress for the weather, and be super safe.

🐕Don't forget your pets, either. They also need plenty of water and shade to stay cool.

Stay cool!

07/21/2026

🚨PARK UPDATE🚨

Lost Maples State Natural Area is OPEN again! Keep reading for more information about trail and river conditions.

🐾Trail Conditions:
All trails are passable, but they are still a little rough in some areas due to damage from the flood. Be alert for debris and rough patches as we continue our clean up efforts. Be careful, wear good hiking shoes, grab your hiking sticks, bring lots of water, and give yourself plenty of time to hike the trail! Be ready to get muddy or wet!

🐟River conditions:
The water level in the river and Pond is still higher than usual. Floods can bring debris, bacteria, and chemicals from far upstream. Our normally clean water can potentially harbor some nasties until the flood water is done moving downstream. The water is starting to clear, but use your best judgement as the water continues to clear up.

07/18/2026

🚨Lost Maples is CLOSED🚨

Lost Maples State Natural Area is remaining closed until Tuesday at the earliest. Our trails, primitive campsites, and day use are CLOSED. If you have a reservation for our water and electric sites, those are still open, just be aware of the trail closures.

☎️If you are planning a trip to any of our state parks this week, especially in areas that got a lot of rain, please give them a call before you leave to see if they are open and if conditions are safe for your favorite outdoor activity, like swimming or hiking. We will be happy to give you an update on how the park is doing!

🔗Please also look extra closely at the park's website for any "park alerts" at the top of the park webpage. These will show up as a yellow bar. Click "view" on all park alerts before you visit the park so you can be aware of any important information!

Our trails are currently inaccessible for us to fully assess their safety and how damaged they are. We are expecting trails to be open again on Tuesday, however this may change depending on what the trails look like when we can access them again. We will continue to keep you updated on the situation.

07/17/2026

🚨PARK UPDATE🚨

Lost Maples State Natural Area is currently closed for day use and primitive camping. Our trails are closed due to flooding making them inaccessible.

Our water and electric campsites are open for those who would still like to come out and camp, but our trails are not expected to be open until next week.

Please call our office for more information and updates. If you are driving to the park, please be safe. Do not go around barricades, drive through water, or take any other risks. Many roads around the area are still flooded, closed, or damaged due to the weather we had this week. We will continue to keep everyone updated.

Check https://drivetexas.org/ before travelling and drive carefully!

Address

37221 FM 187
Vanderpool, TX
78885

Telephone

+18309663413

Website

http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lost-maples

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