Texas Forest Trail Region

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Nacogdoches, TX
Texas Forest Trail Region

We LOVE East Texas & aim to share its beauty, history & culture with the world. We've been welcoming travelers to Texas before it was even a state.

In fact, we named it. Our native settlers the Caddo, called the first Spanish explorers “Tejas”, which means friends. WHO WE ARE
The Texas Forest Trail Region was designated by the State in 2001 as an official “Heritage Region” of Texas. It is one of 10 regions in Texas which comprise the award-winning Heritage Trails Program developed by the Texas Historical Commission. WHAT WE DO
The Texas Fores

t Trail Region supports communities, historic sites and attractions in East Texas, encourages economic development through heritage tourism, education, marketing, and historic preservation initiatives. WHO WE SERVE
The Texas Forest Trail Region (501c3 nonprofit) serves communities in and travelers to a thirty-five county region in East Texas. Our office is located in downtown Nacogdoches in the award winning Convention and Visitors Bureau. MISSION STATEMENT
The Texas Forest Trail Region is a network of partners working together to foster regional economic development by promoting heritage tourism and the preservation of cultural and historic resources. We serve the following 35 counties:
Angelina • Anderson • Bowie • Camp • Case • Cherokee • Gregg • Franklin • Hardin • Harrison • Henderson • Houston • Jasper • Jefferson • Marion • Montgomery • Morris • Nacogdoches • Newton • Orange • Panola • Polk • Red River • Rusk • Sabine • San Augustine • San Jacinto • Shelby • Smith • Titus • Trinity • Tyler • Upshur • Walker • Wood

09/21/2024

Tree canopies at dusk in Alto, Texas. In 1850, a local post office was established in the area under the name Branchtown. Two years later, in 1852, the town was renamed Alto, meaning "high," reportedly at the suggestion of Captain Henry Berryman, due to its location at the highest point between the Angelina and Neches rivers.

📸 by Kristen Bonin

09/21/2024

Peace and quiet in the Sam Houston National Forest on the north end of Lake Conroe in Walker County, Texas. Did you know that the Lone Star Hiking Trail, which is the longest continuous hiking trail in Texas, winds 96 miles through the forest. Visit Conroe, Texas

📸 by Dustin LeNorman

09/20/2024

Our annual photo contest has started!!⁠
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We are now accepting entries for the 2024 TexHeritage photo contest! We're giving away over $8,000 in cash & prizes, including an amazing Grand Prize weekend getaway! Categories include: ⁠

Everything East Texas • The Beauty of Conroe • Friends and Fun in Nacogdoches • In And Around Kilgore • Palestine's Unique Life • Magic of Fall/Winter in East Texas • Historic Sites of East Texas • Spotlight on Lindale • Tyler Attractions • The Great Outdoors of East Texas • And 21 other categories from around Texas to submit photos to!
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We can't wait to see East Texas from your perspective!⁠ For more information, click here: https://bit.ly/4ex6lMT

09/20/2024

Kayaker taking photos on Caddo Lake in Uncertain, Texas. With our annual photo now open for entries - it's time to get out and take photos of all the amazing places in ETX. https://bit.ly/4ex6lMT

📸 by David Watson

09/19/2024

The Woodlands hiking trail awaits you in the Big Thicket National Preserve in Polk County, Texas. The trail, which outermost loop is 5.4 miles, has a surface that consists of leaf-covered hard-packed soil, wooden bridges, and grasses.

📸 by Janice Kennedy

09/18/2024

Spent the day at the N. East Texas Tourism Council meeting in Paris, Texas. The Eiffel tower replica was built in 1993 by local welders and the city’s chamber of commerce. Unlike the original in France, the Texas version sports a large red 10 ft. tall cowboy hat perched at the top, giving it a distinctly Texan flair. Lamar County Chamber of Commerce

📸 by Seong MacLaren Visit Lindale TX

09/17/2024

Magical sunset on Caddo Lake in Harrison County, Texas. Named after the Caddo Native American tribe, the area around Caddo Lake holds historical importance. The Caddo people lived in the region for centuries, and the lake was a crucial part of their culture and livelihood.

📸 by Tracey Bastrom

09/17/2024

A foggy morning in a field taken in Angelina County, Texas. Did you know that the county was named for a Hainai Indian girl who, according to Spanish legend, helped early Spanish missionaries of the area around 1690.

📸 by Lillie Dingler

09/17/2024

Sun setting on the Kilgore High School in Kilgore, Texas. The Kilgore Independent School District was established 1906. With the oil boom in 1930, a combination high school, junior high, and auditorium was built in 1933, with an elementary school later added to the property. Visit Kilgore

📸 by Ryan Roberts

09/16/2024

Photo of "The Buckeye" farming equipment found in Anderson County, Texas. Did you know that Anderson County covers a total area of 1,077 square miles, equivalent to 689,280 acres. The western Claypan region, which spans 66,000 acres, is primarily used for pasture. The Timberlands are mainly utilized for both pasture and woodland.

📸 by Taylor Hooten

09/15/2024

The beauty of the piney woods of East Texas. Did you know that the loblolly, shortleaf, and longleaf pines are all native to our region?

📸 by Julie Price

09/15/2024

Photo of Our Lady Of Sorrows Catholic Church in China, Texas.⁠ Founded in 1918, the current church building was dedicated in 1935. The church features seven bells, seven windows facing the highway, and seven outdoor stations, each symbolizing the seven sorrows of the Blessed Mother.

📸 by Becky Callan

09/14/2024

Beautiful sunset over Lake Conroe in Conroe, Texas.⁠ Did you know that following the record-breaking seven-year drought of the 1950s, Lake Conroe was developed as part of a reservoir-building initiative by state water planners to prevent future water shortages like those experienced during that period.

📸 by Visit Conroe, Texas

09/14/2024

Prepare to showcase your talent - our annual Photo Contest is back and bigger than ever! 📸

This year’s theme, "Texas Is Amazing," invites you to dive into the heart of our great state and showcase your stunning shots. With over $5,000 in prizes across 20 categories, now’s your chance to shine!

And that’s not all - the Grand Prize? A Miranda Lambert-themed Lindale Getaway! Don’t miss your chance to explore Texas through your lens in our four designated regions.

Texas is calling! Let’s see how you capture its beauty, people, and attractions. Keep an eye on our social media for all the exciting details

09/13/2024

Beautiful sunset near the Sea Rim State Park in Sabine Pass, Texas. The park is having a "Shore Fishing Clinic" event starting at 9:00 am on Sat., Sept. 21, 2024. Learn tips and tricks for fishing from the beach. All fishing gear provided, bring a cooler if you want to bring your catch home. Texas Parks and Wildlife

📸 by Farrah Faulk

09/13/2024

Looking down the footbridge in the Garden Park in Rusk, Texas. At 546 feet, this is considered the nation's longest footbridge. Built in 1861 for rainy season crossings, it's just two blocks east of the town square.

📸 by Diann Bayes

09/12/2024

Fall creek scene taken in the Big Sandy Creek Unit in the Big Thicket in Polk County, Texas. The Big Sandy Creek Unit is a large piece of parkland in the northwest corner of the Big Thicket. The unit features the 18-mile Big Sandy Trail, which is the preserve's only trail open to mountain biking and horseback riding.

📸 by Don Reeves

09/11/2024

An evening view of downtown Conroe, Texas. In 1881 Houston lumberman Isaac Conroe established a sawmill on Stewarts Creek. In 1884 a post office was established at the mill commissary, the community took the name Conroe's Switch, in honor of him. Within a decade the name was shortened to Conroe. Visit Conroe, Texas

📸 by Kim Asaro

09/11/2024

Photo looking skyward taken in Smith County, Texas. Honoring and remembering today.
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📸 Constance Berridge

09/10/2024

The 1843 Sitton Dog Trot located at the Millard's Crossing Historic Village in Nacogdoches, Texas. Today, the house is used to show off natural dyes, host pickling demos and to make old fashioned laundry soap. Visit Nacogdoches

📸 by Peter Wright

09/10/2024

Sunrise over the boardwalk in the Cattail Marsh Scenic Wetlands & Boardwalk in Beaumont, Texas. One of Beaumont's best-kept secrets is this 900-acre wetland in Tyrrell Park featuring birds and wildlife. The marsh includes this boardwalk that stretches out into the wetlands, providing scenic views and seating areas.⁠ Visit Beaumont, TX

📸 Lori Spaid

09/09/2024

Photo of the grass house replica located at the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in Alto, Texas. Did you know that at their peak, ca. A.D. 1100, the Caddo were the most developed prehistoric culture in Texas.

📸 by Texas Historical Commission

09/09/2024

Greater roadrunner looking for food in Rusk County, Texas. Did you know that roadrunner's can be found in every county in Texas. Their running speed has been clocked at about 15 miles per hour.

📸 by Connie Burnett

09/08/2024

Looking forward to fire pit weather on Lake Cypress Springs in Mount Vernon, Texas. Initially, the lake was called Big Cypress Creek Lake during the dam's construction and was later referred to as Lake Franklin County. However, in 1971, it was officially renamed Lake Cypress Springs.

📸 by Channion Burnett

09/08/2024

Cannon display at the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site in Port Arthur, Texas. The site tells the story of Confederate Lt. Richard “Dick” Dowling and his 46 men who thwarted a Union assault on Sabine Pass. Thanks to their efforts, area ports escaped capture and Union forces never penetrated the Texas interior in the Civil War. Texas Historical Commission

📸 by Lilyana Ortiz

Address

202 E Pilar Street
Nacogdoches, TX
75961

Website

http://www.texasforesttrail.com/

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