A weekend escape before the holidays is exactly what Winter and I needed. Just an hour north of Houston, Double Lake Recreation Area is located in the Sam Houston National Forest. With quick access to the Lone Star Hiking Trail and car camping on the 22-acre lake, this made the perfect destination for camping before Thanksgiving.
Camping
We managed to snag a lake front camp site that even had a dock for fishing or kayaking. All the sites at Double Lake Recreation Area are fully equipped for your camping needs: a picnic table, fire pit, and spot for the tent.
Per my dads request, we set up our entirely too large 8-person Coleman tent. While the adventure was fun, I do not recommend sleeping in such a large tent unless you have the people to fill it, especially in cold weather. Speaking of cold weather, we definitely got some of that the weekend we camped. Every night of the trip was in the 40s – entirely too cold for this Texas girl and her warm weather pup! Card games around the camp fire in the evenings were a must. Plus, the portable propane heater helped keep us all warm – Winter lived in front of it.
As always, we ate really well while we camped. Chili is always a night one go-to for me. Why? The leftovers make a simple egg, peppers, and bacon hash for a hearty breakfast to start the day. Sandwiches are always an easy lunch, and grilled chicken and veggies with sweet potatoes were on the menu for dinner.
Lone Star Hiking Trail
Within Double Lake Recreation Area the trails are mountain biking only. However, the 90 mile LSHT passes by the south end of the lake. Whether you want to hike an out and back or a short thru hike, this is a great portion of the LSHT for a day hike.
I chose to do a quick 5 mile thru hike with Winter. We started in the Big Creek Scenic Area and hiked back to Double Lake – thanks for the drop off Dad. The gorgeous scenic area was short 10-minute drive from our campsite. With several short loops, this is a great daytime activity for if you do not want to do a longer hike. The hike is through classic east Texas forest. Somehow I managed to time the trip perfectly and we caught the tail end of fall colors. Once we left the scenic area, the trail was clearly marked with white tags on the trees.
In true Texas style, there was very little elevation change on the hike. The entire hike loosely followed Big Creek, which feeds Double Lake. About two thirds of the way Winter and I meet up with my Dad who had been nice enough to drop us off at the Scenic Area. The hike took us about 2.5 hours, and was a great day activity!
Interested in backpacking the entire 90 mile LSHT through the Sam Houston National Forest? Check out the USDA Forest Service or the Lone Star Hiking Trail Club websites to learn about the primitive sites and regulations for camping along the trail, as well as get trail maps and more!
Before you go
Like almost all camping in Texas, you need to reserve your camp site ahead of time online. You can “shop” for camp site availability for all of the three developed campgrounds in Sam Houston National Forest at recreation.gov. Once you reserve and pay for your camp site online, you are ready to go! Just do not forget to pack some natural tick repentant for this camping trip.
Most of the trails within Double Lake Recreation Area are for mountain biking only. The short trail around the lake and the LSHT offer hiking for those of us less inclined toward two wheels. There is also fishing and lots of water activities during the summer months.
Leave No Trace
This is so important when camping for the environment and also to prevent wildlife from coming into campsites for food. Luckily, at Double Lake Recreation Area there are no bears to worry about. There are plenty of raccoons, opossums, and skunks who could get into the trash. It is really important to clean up after every meal and never leave food or trash out overnight.
When camping with dogs, who have nature as their restroom, make sure they are not relieving themselves in the campsite. This will attract other animals, and also can cause less than desirable smells. Always make sure to bring plenty of baggies to clean up after them. Check out my series on Camping with Dogs here!
Using a refillable and reusable water bottle or bladder instead of using a plastic bottle from the convenience store is a must.
Check out more hiking and camping posts on the outdoor page! Plus we have been to the Sam Houston National Forest even more, check out Hiking Four Notch Loop on the blog!
Another great article Emily! That was a very nice weekend.
It really was! I want to go back soon.
Hi Emily,
I just found your site and it’s so helpful! I wanted to know if the trail you went on was off leash? Or if you have a camping spot you’ve gone to before that has some good off-leash hiking nearby?
The Lone Star Hiking trail is in the National Forest, so yes dog are permitted off-leash in the national forest sections. There are sections of the trail within state parks/national recreation areas that do required dogs to be on leash. Additionally some sections of the trail run along the back of private property so those areas might be a good idea to leash up. Plus much of the national forest the trial is in is also open the hunting, so another good reason to potentially leash up and/or put orange on your dog (and you).
The Lone Star Hiking Club has a good map of primitive camp sites and hunting seasons. The national forest website also has good information. Their site is linked in the post.
As far as nearby options for off-leashing, unfortunately most hiking in Texas is in State Parks, and they all have leash laws. There are some more options up near Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn Reservoirs, which also have national forest lands.
3dancing
Hi Emily,
I am trying to reserve a campsite. Can you tell me which site you stayed at?