Trail Between the Lakes

My son and I started from fm2426 and hiked east 19 miles. The trail was great. Well marked but not very well travelled. We hiked 2 days and camped 2 nights. The only negative I can say is that a game warden took interest in my son's truck and ran his tags, got all his info and texted him questioning as to his intention. We informed him what we were doing and that we were ok. That should have been the end of that but instead he contacted federal park police who went and checked my truck at the park on Toledo Bend. We had paid the fee for day use and were all legal. However, when we exited the trail, in the rain, the federal park K-9 unit was waiting for us. He ran up on us like we were wanted murder suspects and began telling us all the facts they had mined on us and how we should have left a note as to our actions on my son's truck on fm 2426. Wow! Nothing better to do? Overall a good time though.

Our first backpacking trip. We made it a 3 day 2 night trip. It is definitely a hard trail, but when done we felt so accomplished. The trail was clearly marked 98% of the time. It looks to have new “blazes” that clearly mark it as the TBTL. We did notice though that over time it has been marked several different ways. Along with what I have already mentioned, you will see original aluminum, yellow, and white. Some of the aluminum are really hard to see due to discoloration (turned black). We only got turned around a couple of times. There is one power line crossing that is not clearly marked and we went about 1/2 mike out of our way. The other time wasn’t near that long. We did not stash water. We used our sawyer mini filter and only pulled from running creeks. No one got sick. Water tasted great.

This was a great trail to learn how to backpack. Truly a challenge. Loved every minute of it.

I have done this trail 4x. fun trip. recommend to do in fall. need to bring plenty of water. typically we start off hwy 87 and hike east to yellow pine lake. we set up camp there. no luck with fish last time i went. their is a ccc road right there so you can stash water and supplies there if needed. has several areas where trail is hard to find...but that adds to the adventure. several crossings that are moderate in difficulty.

Great hike overall. We hiked the 28 miles in 12.5 hours. Glad we took water and rested from time to time. Moving from east to west, miles 1-17 were great. Well kept and adequately marked. There were only some recent erosion areas or fallen trees that slowed us down a bit. Around mile 18 there was a recent tree clearing that seemed to inadvertently remove the trail markers and cover the path so we took a light duty road south to FM 2426 till we reconnected about mile 19. Miles 20-23 were the most difficult to navigate. Markers were sometimes hard to find and we had some growth to deal with. It probably didn't help that fatigue was taking its toll on us as well! Miles 24 through 28 were great. Thanks to the volunteers working hard to maintain the trail!

I didn't care for this trail. Maybe I wasn't on the right section of it. I can't hike the entire thing. I started at the Lakeview Recreation Area and me and my dogs went about 2 miles and turned around. There were no views of the water anywhere except for one part where I hiked off the trail to actually see it. It was just a walk through the woods basically. It was very pretty at the Lakeview Recreation Area though. When we were done with our hike, we enjoyed the beauty of the lake before we left.

Reference my GPX file under tracks. Trail is fairly decent but very over-grown in many areas. The area between Jones Cemetery and 87 isn't too bad. East of 87 there are some very over-grown areas and fallen trees from lightning strikes. Creeks are mostly stagnant but we filtered from them with no ill effects. Storm rolled through around mile 6 and ended our day.

All in all a pretty moderate hike with a lot of creek crossings. Ticks and spiders are very prevalent as are chiggers. We saw one Copperhead, a juvenile. Would like to hike through to the small Yellow Pine lake.

Humidity before and especially after rain was intense. 90 degrees and no breeze except on the pipeline.

I really enjoyed this hike. My son, dog, and I made it an overnight hike. I personally mentally enjoyed having to crawl/jump through multiple creeks although it ate up our energy level. Some creeks were tough for my dog to navigate but we all made it. We carried our own water for the trip which turned out to be a good thing as the creek water was completely still and stagnant. Trail was hard to identify for long stretches at a time which ate up our time as we had to keep stopping at certain points to try to locate it. One particular stretch is completely overgrown with weeds and bushes almost over our heads which was actually kind of fun looking back. This trail is a good hike for adults and older adolescents. Only real complaints include seeing absolutely no wildlife, occasional difficulty finding the trail which kills your time (if you are on a schedule), and I lost my keys somewhere along the way. We got caught in a thunder storm, which was interesting. We had to build a shelter to get out of the rain, but that was relatively easy with all the downed/leaning trees and our emergency blankets. Just had to watch for falling limbs. It was evident much of the forest had experienced fires which killed a lot of the trees.

Overall, really good hike. Good for those with moderate or higher fitness level.

Just returned from hiking TBTL. Completed all 28 miles in 13 hours and 55 minutes.

The trail is pretty, quiet, and remote. We were on the trail all day and never saw another person. Saw no wildlife either, which was a bit disappointing.

For several long stretches, there really is no "trail." You have to keep a sharp eye out for the trail markers. At times, even these are hard to spot since often they are spaced out too far. If you are out on the trail after dark, it is at times VERY difficult to follow the markers.

Great trail. Looking forward to spending many more hours on it.

Trail Between the Lakes is a challenging and beautiful hike in east Texas. I am used to hiking in the Appalachian Mountains, so the level terrain made hiking here quite comfortable for me. My only complaint about this trail is that there is no good water to be drawn from the creeks in the area.

I have made two attempts to hike the entire 28 miles in one day--once in January 2012, and once in August 2012. I made it 21 miles in January, and 17 miles in August (105 degrees--way too hot!!) before hitchhiking to my car. I still think it is possible to do it, and am making another attempt next week. It is necessary to be out on the trail after dark, which is fine for the most part, but it is difficult at times to spot the trail markers by headlight.

The hike is good also because it can be broken up. The trail crosses primary roads at 3 points, so cars can be parked at trail intersections for shorter hikes. It is also an excellent trail for overnight trips, although you would need to cache water along the route.

One other nice thing about the TBTL: it is remote and primitive. Some people don't like primitive trails, but being one who likes to get away from people when he goes to the woods, I enjoy the fact that you are not likely to see another soul at any point on the trail. I've only been twice, but have hiked long stretches on it both times and never saw anyone else on it.

The best time to go is in late fall, winter, or early spring. Summer is OK, but take a shady siesta between the hours of 2 and 5 when the sun is the hottest. Take advantage of early mornings and twilight to do your hiking in summer.

Have fun, and stay safe!

Going backpacking Feb 2013 along the whole trail with Scouts. Anyone who has hiked this trail please provide a review.

I have been out here a few times already and love the place! the trail totals just over 28 miles in length and consists of very mild and beautiful terrain. Its a there and back style of hike and I have unfortunately have only made it just over ten miles before turning around due to bad weather. I am planning to hike the whole time before the end uf the summer so you can expect an update from me eventually. The real name of the trail is The Trail Between The Lakes if you want to google that for further info.