Trailhead #1 Richards. Start of Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT, Main Trail)

Intersect Little Lake Creek Loop (LLCL, Orange Markers). Stay Left

Poor quality Pond on Left, emergency use only

Mile marker on tree. I will not indicate each mile marker

Cross old logging trail. There are many of these you will cross on the trail. Make sure you watch the blaze signs.

Cross gravel road Forest Service 203 (FS 203)

Sharp Left as Trail parallels FS 203A

Cross Old Road FS 211E

Pond on Right Good lunch spot

Intersect West Fork Trail (Blue Markers). Stay Left and cross creek

Bethel Road (Also called FS 211). Parking, Trailhead #2 (Sand Branch) to Left. Cross road and enter Wilderness section.

Intersection with North Wilderness Trail (Red Markers) on Left. Don't turn. Continue straight. The North Wilderness Trail is 2.2 miles long and can be used as a shortcut, rejoining the LSHT at mile 8.0, and cutting out 2 miles of hiking. If you choose to take the North Wilderness Trail, you will encounter two creeks.

Clear Water in low volume spring feed creek.

Intersect Sand Branch Trail (Yellow Markers). Turn Left to stay on The Lone Star Trail. Entrance B to Wilderness Section.

Beginning of 2 board walks in this low area of Little Lake Creek, each about 150 feet

Little Lake Creek

Second boardwalk

Intersect Pole Creek Trail (Blue Markers) to Right. Go Left. Head North. The trail will follow along the general area of Pole creek.

Intersect North Wilderness Trail's east end. Turn Right and in 200 feet you will cross Pole Creek. No Bridge. If raining hard this could be difficult to cross. Water - A shallow sandy intermittent creek 1/

Cross buried power line

Trailhead on Left. Cross Highway FM 149. Watch blaze signs for next several miles as there are some sharp turns.

A small gully appears on your Left. Water in a hidden pond 150 yards to the north if you leave the trail and follow the gully downstream.

Turn Right and walk on gravel road FS 2429 for ~100 yards. Leave road and turn Left onto main trail.

Paved road (Osborn Road), with tiny parking area. Go straight across.

Intersect terminus of 18.5 mile long Little Lake Creek Loop Trail (Orange Markers), which goes Right. Stay straight.

Bridge (48 foot) over Caney Creek nice to have in wet weather. This is a muddy area and will be muddy for some time. Water - A shallow sandy creek.

Cross ORV Trail

Cross Pipeline and Gravel Road FS 204B.

Cross Highway FM 1375. There is a trailhead down the gravel road to the Left. Hikers may want to detour starting here. See http://lonestartrail.org/closure.html

Excellent view of Lake Conroe. Few nice spots like this one.

This is not a legal hunting season camp!

Water - from lake

Footbridge over permanent Quicksand Creek.

Stubblefield Campground. POTABLE WATER. Often a campground host here. Fee to camp is $15. Showers for paid campers.

Trail goes straight ahead through the campground to paved Stubblefield Lake Road. Turn Right and cross 200-foot bridge.

West Fork San Jacinto River.

Designated Primitive Hunter Camp - "Stubblefield Overflow Camp".

Trail leaves Stubblefield Lake Road opposite Overflow Camping Area and enters woods to Right. About 300 feet the trail takes a sharp Left. Watch, as there is a trail that goes straight.

Cross paved Gus Randel Road and a power line.

Cross gravel Pipkin Road leading to house on Right

Trail takes a sharp Right turn, following a property line which is fenced for a short distance, then unfenced. Stay Right of the red-banded property line trees.

FM 1374. Dogs at house west of trail make a lot of noise.

Old road FS 243: sharp Left onto road for 50 yards then Right into woods

Westbound thru-hikers may want to detour starting here: http://lonestartrail.org/closure.html

Water in tiny intermittent creek (Fern Creek). More reliable than most creeks. Held water May 25, 2011 in midst of drought.

Old Road FS 243. Turn Right onto road and follow for 0.2 miles where trail turns Left at Hikers sign ( do not cross creek).

Turn Right onto faint ORV track (FS 243F2)

Come to an unmarked gravel road. This is the old Bath road. Turn Right and walk the road for 1.5 miles and you come to the corner of Bath and Ball road. This junction is currently unsigned, but Ball Road is paved. Turn Right on Ball Road and go about 0.15 miles to gravel Cotton Creek Cemetery Road, which will have a cattle guard. Turn Left on Cotton Creek Cemetery Road and go 0.5 miles until the road forks.

Take the Right fork onto unmarked Forest Service Road 287, passing through a normally locked auto gate. The trail follows this Right fork for.15 mile until it leaves the road and enters the woods on the Right.

Trail leaves gravel logging road and goes into woods on the Right.

You come to a paved road. Turn Left onto the road and in a couple hundred feet you will come to Camelia Lake.

NOTE: Potable water is no longer available at the Camelia Lake Pumphouse!

The lake on the Left (Camelia Lake) is in Elkins Lake subdivision. Cross the dam. The spillway can be very slippery. You may need water shoes after recent rains. There are metal poles at both ends with openings at the side for hikers to go through. Right after going through the east end of the dam the trail turns Right. Water from lake should be avoided due to fertilizer and pesticides.

After entering woods you will pass under a power line.

Cross Alligator Creek and turn Left. The trail will follow the creek line for about a mile. Water - shallow sandy spring fed permanent creek

Footbridge

You will come to parking area off the feeder road of I-45. Turn Right and follow the feeder road for 0.7 of a mile to Park Road 40. The trail turns Left and goes under I-45 on Park Road 40.

If you detour Right at Park Road 40 you will enter the Huntsville State Park. Good camping. Showers. Water and Coke machine. Concession Stand may be open at the lake. Thru-hikers like to stop here and clean up. Plan on an extra 2 to 2.5 miles walking each way to camp here.

Walk Left on Park Road 40 for a mile and intersect US 75. Turn Right for 0.1 miles and then turn Left on Evelyn Lane. Sign at corner. Go about 0.3 miles and there will be a Metal gate to private property. To the Right of the gate you will see the Hiker's Sign and entry to woods.

Trail leaves Evelyn Lane to Left. About 200 feet you see Mile Marker 37.

High-voltage Power Lines

Small foot bridge

You come to Evelyn Lane again, though it is now a gravel road. Turn Left and continue on road for 0.3 miles.

Turn Left off Evelyn Lane into woods at Hiker Sign. Friendly dogs south of road.

Small intermittent stream. This is your best chance to find water in this section, but that is not saying much. 1/

East end of Phelps Section: 275 feet and you come to FM2296. Turn Left and in 0.5 miles you will come to FM2929 (on the Left) and Four Notch Road (on the Right). The street sign identifying Four Notch Road has been stolen at least twice in recent memory. Turn Right on paved Four Notch Road, crossing the Railroad Tracks. It is about 2.4 miles of walking on this road before you turn Left on FS 213. Some times a truck will stop and give you a lift over this section. A few dogs on the road. At FS 213 go about 0.2 miles and you will see the entrance of the trail on the Right.

Parking Lot on Left of trailhead. Designated Primitive Hunters Camp.

Trail will divide. To the Left is the Four Notch Loop Trail (Red Markers) and to the Right is the main trail. There is a sign at this place. Bear Right.

Cross gravel road FS223.

Intermittent Creek with poor quality water.

Watch signs in this area. There are some low spots in the area. This is the traditional HALFWAY POINT of the LSHT.

This is Boswell Creek and can be difficult to cross if raining. Water fairly reliable.

Four Notch Loop Trail intersects main trail. Go straight.

Trail turns Right and follows Briar Creek.

Cross Briar Creek on Footbridge.

Cross Gravel road FS206.

Cross Brandy Creek

Water in Pond on Left.

End of Four Notch Section. Road Walk begins by turning Left on unmarked gravel road FS 200. Go 0.7 miles and come to intersection of unmarked gravel road FS 207. Turn Right on FS 207 and stay on what appears to be the "main road" for 2 miles to intersection of FS 202 and FS 207 (Big Woods Road). There may be mile markers on the road #52 and #54.

Enter woods between FS 202 and FS 207.

Cross West Fork Caney Creek. Bearing tree and old fence line. There are many small creeks in this section. Common to area. This is usually dry but I give it 1/

Trail comes within 100 feet of FS 202 and its junction with FS 202D.Trail makes a sharp Right turn.

Intersect old road/fire break. Trail crosses fire break. New signage directs you to an off-trail pond by going 100 yards east (Left) of the trail down the fire break and then 30 yards south. Water in pond. In dry conditions, this is the ONLY water between miles 51.5 and mile 71.

Cross wet weather Pumpkin Creek. After the creek, watch for 90 degree turn to Right

Tricky intersection with abandoned pipeline. Watch for markers as trail crosses diagonally to the Right.

Trailhead #9 and Big Woods Parking Area.

Turn Left on dirt Ira Denson Lane and walk 0.2 miles and intersect FS 202, also called John Warren Road. Turn Right and walk 1.7 miles on John Warren Road.

Turn Right and walk 1.7 miles on John Warren Road. Watch for dogs. Intersect Highway 150

Turn Left and in 0.3 miles you will see the flashing traffic light at Evergreen. The Evergreen Baptist Church has given hikers permission to use the outside water tap behind the sanctuary.

FM 945 intersects Highway 150 at the flashing light. Turn Right and walk 2.7 miles to Butch Arthur Road where Trailhead #10 is on the far Left corner. The section from here to Double Lake is called the Magnolia Section.

Start of Magnolia Section Trailhead.

Cross a small footbridge. The trail parallels an intermittent stream for the next 1.3 miles. While it is usually dry at the bridge, there is often water in the stream from mile 69 to 69.6. After mile 69, some of the water is runoff from private land of unknown quality, so get water at or before Mile 69 if you can.

Water from intermittent stream.

Cross gravel road Freeside Lane / FS 2126.

Small foot bridge.

Hiker's gate.

Cross East Fork San Jacinto River. The trail now crosses the river 100 yards north of the old bridge location. Water of unknown quality from shallow sandy permanent creek.

The bridge over the San Jacinto River is washed out. In times of high water, the crossing is hazardous and alternate arrangements should be made for thru-hikers.

Pipe Line Right of way.

Bridge with small intermittent stream.

Trail turns Right (due east) along a pipeline for 200 yards, then leaves the pipeline to the Left (north). Gravel road FS 280B crosses the trail and pipeline in this section.

Cross FM 2025 and shortly go under power line. You go through a couple of Hiker's gates. Trailhead #11 Iron Ore is to the Right.

Lake Shore Trail around Double Lake. The Lone Star Trail takes a U-turn around the information sign. You are now 75.0 miles from the start of the Lone Star trail. In this section you will follow a creek line for 4 miles to the Big Creek Scenic Area where you will go west for several miles before heading south.

Double Lake Recreation Area has restrooms, potable water, and camping (for a fee).

Cross gravel road FS 220 ALL MILE MARKERS WILL HAVE TWO NUMBERS STARTING HERE. THE MILES TO DOUBLE LAKE AND THE MILES FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAIL.

For the next 4 miles you will pass over several footbridges. If there is a heavy rain you might find some areas difficult to pass. There is water in Big Creek (Double Lake Branch); this is a semi-permanent stream.

Elevated tramway. Go Left on Tramway, then Right back into woods. You are now entering Big Creek Scenic Area. Camping and campfires are prohibited within the scenic area.

Intersection of Big Creek Trail to Right. LSHT goes Left over bridge.

White Oak Trail to Right. The old Magnolia Trail seen on some old maps is now closed. Follow the main trail signs.

Final Bridge Crossing of Big Creek. Get water here. In very dry conditions, there will be no flowing water for the next 13 miles, until you reach the San Jacinto River.

The trail takes a Right on a raised area that was an old tramway. The trail now goes in almost a straight line for several miles.

Big Sign on Right with map of the Big Creek Scenic area. You can see all the side trails. Trailhead #12 "Big Creek" is to the Left about 500 feet. In the next half mile you will come to the Pine trail and the Big Creek trail

Information sign and gravel road FS 221 as you exit Big Creek Scenic Area.

Trailhead #13 - "Tarkington" and FM 2666. Cross the road a bit off to your Left (east). The trail will parallel the road for a short distance and then head south.

Trail to Hunters Camp on the Right. The Hunters Camp is.6 mile to the west.

Maps may show the trail crossing Tarkington Bayou several times, when in fact the trail never crosses, always following on the west bank of the bayou.Trail hugs Tarkington Bayou (often bone dry) for the next 3 miles. 1/

Water - Pond 50 yards on Left (East). Dam visible from Trail. Cross pipeline (dirt road). Turn Left and then Right.

Old Dirt road. Left 100 yards on road then Right. You continue to follow Tarkington Bayou. 1/

Water - Small Pond on Left (East)

Trail turns Right leaving Tarkington Bayou and goes nearly arrow straight for 2 miles SW along an old tramway.

Cross gravel road Forest Valley Drive. Watch for dogs here.

Trailhead #14 "Mercy Fire Tower" and FM 2025. Cross the road and start the last section

Very muddy area

Iron Bridge crossing East Fork San Jacinto River. There is always water in the river.

Trail Crosses FM 945

Concrete foundation. Base of old fire tower or tramway steam engine

Concrete foundation.Base of old fire tower or tramway steam engine

Pond on Right (North)

Gravel road FS 274E

Gravel road and foot bridge

Iron Bridge crossing Winters Bayou. There is always water in the river.

Foot bridge

Power Line

Two foot bridges within 200 feet

End of Trail. South end of Winters Bayou