Lost Maples State Natural Area

High canyon walls along the upper Sabinal River have made this corner of Bandera and Real counties a refuge for plants and animals for thousands of years. Its fame is a relict stand of bigtooth maples, left behind in these sheltered canyons, whose leaves turn in October and November. How bright they are depends on the year's weather, and the park posts a fall foliage report from mid-October. Sightseers crowded the old gravel road up the canyon to see the color long before there was a park.

Texas Parks and Wildlife bought the 2,208 acres from private owners in 1973 and 1974, and in 1980 the area was made a National Natural Landmark. It shelters more than 350 plant species, many rare on the Edwards Plateau, and birds such as the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and the green kingfisher. Apache, Lipan Apache and Comanche people ranged over this country before ranching came.

More than ten miles of trails include a loop along the top of a high cliff. The maples have shallow roots, so visitors keep to the trails and off the rocks and slopes. There are 30 campsites with water and electricity and primitive sites for backpackers. There is no cell phone service.