E.O. Siecke State Forest

Trail
N/A
N/A
Free
1point5stars (1.75)2
1star (1.00)
4stars (4.00)
No
No
No
N/A
Kirbyville
Newton
More Info
Photos
A view of the creek
Trout creek (Photo by Intense85)
Large bend in creek
A large area where you can set up camp and fish (Photo by Intense85)
A typical view of this section
A view along the trail (Photo by Intense85)
Reforestation
New pine trees were growing in the once barren areas. (Photo by Blaze)
View Of The Trail
This is a typical view of the trail; i.e., old dirt logging roads running through the forest. (Photo by Blaze)
Trout Creek
This old bridge across Trout Creek was out of service. (Photo by Blaze)
Clear Cut Areas
The areas where the forest had once been clear cut were very apparent and sobering. (Photo by Blaze)
Trailhead
This is the trailhead off of FM 82. (Photo by Blaze)
Log Entries
I did this hike Jan. 5, 2018. Took my 3 boys with me. All are 8yoa and younger.
By Intense85 on 1/5/2018
Rating: 2point5stars Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 3point5stars
Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
I think it was a pretty hike in the yellow pines. The trail followed trout creek.
Secluded And Remote
By Blaze on 5/7/2013
Rating: 1star Difficulty: 1star Solitude: 4point5stars
Distance: 7.10 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 19 minutes

The E. O. Siecke State Forest is a large plot of land off FM 82 approximately 4.5 miles southeast of Kirbyville.

Finding it was a bit of a challenge because there are no road signs indicating where it is, just a short dirt road that leads you to unmarked trailhead.  In addition, there are no printed trail maps and I could not find one on the internet.  So, my goal was to try and map this out using my GPS.

Basically, this area consists of a lot of trees with sections that have been clear cut and a lot of old logging roads running throughout.  The main geologic feature is Trout Creek.  Several paths take you to Trout Creek, but none of them take you across it.  Every time I thought I found a way across, I hit a dead end.  As a result, I had to backtrack several times.

The mosquitos are really bad.  Even with DEET on, I was terrorized constantly by these little annoying pests.

Other than that, there really isn't anything to see.  The areas that were heavily forested and clear cut in the past were fairly sobering, though.  I understand that we need wood and that trees are a renewable resource, but seeing the clear cut areas rubbed my conservationist heart strings the wrong way.

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