Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own..
During our trip to the Big Thicket National Preserve, we planned to spend the day walking the trails and swimming at the nearby state park. Unfortunately, the biting bugs were so bad that we called it quits early. We did end up hiking Hawthorn Trail and Pineywoods Boardwalk Trail at Lake Livingston Texas State Park following that off with some time in the lake.
Hawthorn Trail and Pineywoods Boardwalk Trail at Lake Livingston Texas State Park
The hiking trails at this Texas State Park are interconnected and you should be able to hike all the trails in the afternoon. The official trail at the time of this writing is about 5 miles in total. We ended up only hiking two trails because of the mosquitoes. Between the mud and the bugs, the trails were not enjoyable.
The Hawthorn Trail
According to AllTrails.com, this trail is referred to as the main trail and is a large 1.7 looping trail that takes on several trails. But officially the first part of the trail is called the Hawthorn Trail. It’s a short .20-mile trail that takes you to the other trails.
The trailhead is near the main entrance and office. It’s a natural surface trail that has a mixture of packed dirt, leaves, and possibly exposed tree roots.
The hawthorn trail is considered an easy trail and should take you about 20 minutes (one way) to complete.
The Pinewoods Boardwalk Trail
The Pineywoods Boardwalk Trail also called the Pineywoods Nature Trails is a .9 loop trail that takes through the forest, swamp, and meadows of Lake Livingston State Park. The trail is a boardwalk and sits just above the water. The wooded area is a mix of loblolly/short-leaf pine and hardwoods. The hardwoods include white oak, sweetgum, ash, and dogwood.
Along your walk, you will find a bird blind, pollinator garden, an overlook of Duck Pond, and a picnic area that includes tables to take a break and enjoy the scenery. This area has great views of Frog Pond.
The deck is well maintained, but you will find uneven surfaces, where the ground has shifted, the wood has warped, and where sections were replaced or repaired.
Hiking Hawthorn Trail and Pineywoods Boardwalk Trail at Lake Livingston Texas State Park
The hike was miserable. But since we paid to be in the park there isn’t much to do there except hike and water activities we decided to hike a few miles and see if we wanted to come later in the year. But after about an hour into the trails, the bugs wouldn’t stop. We just had to keep moving. When we ended up at a point where we could head back to the car we went in that direction.
The trails were well-marked in some spots, in others, it was difficult to figure out what trail to take when we came to an intersection. The dirt surfaces were packed but muddy in some places with a few exposed roots on the trail. The boardwalk was in great shape with only a few places having saggy boards or misaligned sections.
After we finished up the trail we decided to spend some time in the lake in the swim area. The public swim area is cut grass right up to the water’s edge and natural muddy bottom. The water was cool and the bugs were surprisingly non existing on and near the water.
Advice
If you are spending the day at the lake and plan to hike any of the trails are a few tips.
- Download a digital copy of the map via AllTrails or other hiking trails. There is limited cell service here.
- Bring and apply bug spray. Make sure it’s the good stuff and apply often (follow application directions). The bugs will chase you down.
- Where shoes/hiking boots are designed for water/muddy areas. This area can be muddy after heavy rains and stay muddy for days.
- The boardwalk is slippery when wet.
- Watch for exposed roots.
- Watch for snakes and other biting critters.
About the Images
For this trip, I didn’t carry my camera with me. Too many bugs to stop and take photos. So everything was shot on the move with my Samsung Note 8. I then edited them with Adobe Lightroom CC, Topaz Labs Denoise AI and Topaz Labs Sharpen AI, and Aurora HDR.
About James
Leave a Reply