Just off one of the largest lakes in the state, a quiet trail winds through the piney forest.
The Pineywoods Boardwalk Trail at Lake Livingston State Park offers a stroll through classic East Texas habitat, with views of both wetlands and woodlands.
“This is the one trail I recommend above all others,” says park ranger Joel Janssen. “The boardwalk keeps you away from the mud — we get 50 inches of rain a year — and any poison ivy. It’s got educational panels along the way. It joins our other trails, so you can do the full trail system of the park by using the Boardwalk Trail.”
A quarter mile of walking brings hikers to a wildlife blind. Windows look out onto water features that attract birds and other wildlife. A whiteboard lists recent bird sightings, which might include cardinals, a variety of woodpeckers, waterbirds, different warblers and, in spring and summer, painted buntings and indigo buntings. A native pollinator garden features a monarch waystation.
Along the trail, loblolly pines and a variety of oaks provide shade. American beautyberry and other plants grow in the understory. Hikers can often see animals — or at least signs of them.
“I saw box turtle on the trail the other day,” Janssen says. “There’s armadillos, skunks, swamp rabbits, a number of bird species and white-tailed deer.”
Interpretive panels cover topics such as animal eyesight, becoming a birder, the aquatic life of ponds and owls and their nighttime vision.
The Frog Pond is about three-quarters of the way along the trail.
“The Frog Pond is really cool at nighttime,” Janssen says. “It’s the orchestra pit of the park. You can hear all the different frogs and crickets and all the night critters singing to you if you go out there on a night hike.”
Since the trail is a loop, hikers end up where they started after a mile of walking.
