Lost Maples State Natural Area is a state park in the Edwards Plateau of Texas, United States. This beautiful part is situated in the Hill Country approximately five miles north of Vanderpool on Ranch Road 187 and 71 miles west of San Antonio. The natural park is along the Sabine River in western Bandera County and far eastern Real County.

Besides the bigtooth maples there’s a forest of sycamores thriving on the waters of the Sabinal River. Fall foliage makes this area a must for return visits when the color peaks in early November. The Lost Maples covers 2174.2 scenic acres.

History of Lost Maples

This area was purchased from private owners in 1973 -1974 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the site was opened to the public on September 1, 1979. The park contains relict stands of bigtooth maple trees and contains extraordinary biological and scenic resources. The Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service made the park a national natural landmark in 1980.

Archaeological evidence prove that this area was used by prehistoric peoples at various times. In historic times, which began with Spanish exploration and colonization efforts in the late 17th century, the Apache, Lipan Apache, and Comanche Indians ranged over the land and posed a threat to settlement well into the 19th century.

The wonderful park, which is located along the steep, rugged upper portion of the Sabinal River watershed, is surrounded by high canyon walls that have created a natural shelter for plants and animals for thousands of years. The most impressive and admired scenic attraction is the autumn color of its isolated population of bigtooth maples, the scientific name of the tree is Acer grandidentatum.
Lost Maples has been developed to protect its resources and allow visitors. It has a day-use area, twenty picnic sites, parking, and restrooms. Besides one camping area with thirty sites and a restroom with showers, the park has eight primitive camping areas accessible only by backpacking. Visitors can enjoy nature study, bird watching, camping, picnicking and hiking.

The maples in this park are remnants of a larger, more widespread population that flourished during the cooler and wetter climate of the last ice age. Today, soils and microclimate control their present distribution. Before this area became a park, sightseers would crowd the narrow gravel road that wound its way along the Sabinal River Canyon to view the fall colors of the maple trees.

Besides the maple tree the park also is a home to many other rare and threatened plant species. Species of rare birds such as the golden-cheeked warbler, black-capped vireo, green kingfisher, and diverse mammals are plentiful in this natural park.