Beginning Advice/Texas Trails

imported
#1 
														Alright everyone, I've made it one of my life goals to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail by my 30th birthday. The good news is I'm only 23, bad news, I've never done any extensive hiking or overnight expeditions. The most I've done has been an 8/10 mile trip in New Mexico.

So to start, does anyone have advice on good trails to do overnight trips and extended hikes in Texas? I know the terrain will be completely different in comparison to the AT, but I need to start somewhere haha.

I’m open for any and all advice on where and how to start, but I am dedicated and hell bent to make the 5/7 month trek up the Appalachian Trail at some point in the next 6/7 years!

														_Willispeach_
#2 
																	Depends on where you live. Texas is BIG. My favorite overnight hike near Austin is Lake Georgetown about 30 miles up I35. The awesome hiking is out west in Big Bend and Guadeloupe Ntl Parks. I will be glad to give details offline since this is an AT forum.   apple

																	_apple_
#3 
																	Lake Texoma. Cross Timbers Trail leaving from Juniper point off 377.

http://www.cedarbayou.com/cross_timbers.asp

This is a great trail. 10 miles out, 10 miles back. And the terrain is pretty intense in a few spots. Watch for poison ivy, and study the maps. Especially going through the marina.

																	_birdog_
#4 
																	14 miles out. so 28 miles round-trip. Sorry. 

																	_birdog_
#5 
																	I agree with Apple.  Texas has quite a few nice hiking trails, but the Goodwater Trail around Lake Georgetwn is one of the nicest. There are plenty of rocks, although nothing like the A.T., and plenty of nice scenery to make this 26+ mile loop trail a pleasant hike for any level hiker.

																	_Shabby_
#6 
																	About 30 miles outside of Houston is the Lone Star Hiking Trail. The LSHT is 109 miles of backwoods hiking through the Sam Houston National Forest.  The trail is very well marked and there have been many that have thru-hiked it. 

																	_Christine_