Sam Houston National Forest and Huntsville State Park

The 158,411-acre Sam Houston National Forest, about 50 miles north of Houston, offers ready access to numerous clusters of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The forest also contains some of the best remaining examples of native pineywood forest. The forest is crisscrossed by approximately 150 miles of hiking trails, including the Lone Star (national recreation) Hiking Trail. This 140-mile-long trail stretches from its eastern trailhead near Cleveland north through the Big Creek Scenic Area to Double Lake, then northwest to Huntsville State Park and southwest to the Little Lake Creek Wilderness Area. Since much of this route crosses private land, it is important that hikers do not trespass. Hiking is not recommended from November 15 to December 31, during deer hunting season. The 2,083-acre state park is dominated by Lake Raven, a 210-acre impoundment of Prairie Branch, Alligator Branch, and Chinquapin Creek. The park contains 8 miles of hiking and biking trails that circle the lake, providing easy access to birding sites year-round. The park can be extremely busy on weekends. Key birds: Wood Duck; American Woodcock; Red-headed, Redcockaded, and Pileated Woodpeckers; White-breasted and Brownheaded Nuthatches; and Bachman’s Sparrow are present year-round. Mississippi Kite; Chuck-will’s-widow; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Wood Thrush; Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Swainson’s, Kentucky, and Hooded Warblers; American Redstart; Louisiana Waterthrush; and Indigo and Painted Buntings occur in summer. Osprey; Bald Eagle; Grasshopper, LeConte’s, and Fox Sparrows; and Rusty and Brewer’s Blackbirds can usually be found in winter. This eTrail provides detailed information on birding strategies for this specific location, the specialty birds and other key birds you might see, directions to each birding spot, a detailed map, and helpful general information.