toejam

I camped at Eagles Roost on the Cross Timbers Trail on Lake Texoma again last week. I kayaked in again, but I'm reporting this in the Backpacking & Hiking forum because I wilderness-camped and hiked on the trail. The kayak allows me to bring lots of fresh water and a comfortable chair.

This was my third time to camp here and once again I saw nobody else either camping or hiking. When I first arrived at the Eagles Roost bluff I watched an osprey floating on the wind and thought, "maybe this place really is an eagles roost." Later that afternoon I was returning from a hike along the shore line to the west and scared up a bald eagle that flew directly to the Eagles Roost bluff. I saw that eagle several more times that evening and the next morning. I think it's actually roosting to the west of Eagles Roost where I first saw it.

I highly recommend the Cross Timbers Trail for hiking and backpacking. It really doesn't get much use, especially the section between Cedar Bayou & Paw Paw Creek. And if you avoid weekends, Lake Texoma with its islands and sandy beaches is about the best kayak-camping destination I know of.

copuswalker

Sounds like you had a great trip!

I have thought about that hike a # of times. Just always seemed to close to civilization. Always thought of it as busier than the Goodwater trail?

We have passed up on Texoma in favor of Lake Murray and do not know much about it. Is the swimming good and the water clear? Might be worth a try?

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

Alchemist2000

Thanks for the report. We have day hiked/geocached along this trail multiple times. It has much more vertical elevation gain than most other trails in the north Texas area. We have never done it as an overnight stay. I still hope we can do that one of these days.

toejam

Texoma is pretty clear and has good swimming, mostly because of the sandy beaches. The beaches were realy nice last spring when the water was down - now there is not nearly as much sand showing and weeds are growing in the shallow water most places. It will be better in the spring. Lake Texoma has a lot more wild life than Lake Murray and lots of places to camp on the shore. It can be scary on the weekends because of alcohol and drug crazed lunatics operating heavy and loud equipment. e.g. the beaches on the public land across the lake from Eagles Roost are nice but covered with litter, quiet five nights a week, but loud until dawn the other two.

copuswalker

Gotcha, The weeds can be the pits for swimming!
If I go it would be through the week. I make all my hikes week days. It can be scarey when the rowdies get too close! We hiked the 4c trail once and suddenly this truck with 5 guys (3 in the back) all with guns comes up to us. They were there to shoot cans in the little pond. We talked for as little time as we could, and left. Man I was worried they were gonna shoot the wife and take me :eek:

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

ab5cc

I am new to this board. I am taking my grandson on Cross Timbers trail in 2 weeks and did a Google search.....found this place. I first hiked the trail in the late 1970's. The bridges were new then, I remember that. I took my son on the trail a few times in the mid and late 80's. Now, I will be taking my 7 year old grandson.

I have been back into backpacking for over 1 year now. We have all new gear and have been 3 times to McGee Creek Scenic National Recreation Area up here in Oklahoma. But, I am a little concerned about being so far from civilization alone with a 7 year old in case I become injured.

We live in southern Oklahoma, about 30 miles from the trailhead. The funny thing about Eagle's Roost is that when the trail was developed, Eagles were rare here, if any at all. Now, they are a common sight in the winter months.

I really enjoy this trail. It seem remote, but is close enough that your cellphone will work if you have an emergency. I like that if you are alone or travelling with a young child.

Kenneth

toejam

Yup, call on the cell phone or flag down a fishing boat! Have fun!

I went to McGee Creek in Nov. several years ago. It was a great trip. I need to hike the Ouachita Trail sometime too.

ploddinTod

This is a very good backpacking trail. Toejam, from your place it's probably 5 hrs to the western terminus at Talimena State Park. I've only hiked 5 sections so far but my favorite parts are those that go through the wilderness areas....Kiamichi and Flatside. Since it is basically a ridgetop trail, you have to plan water sources more carefully, sometimes even caching water at road/trail junctions.

__________________
PloddinTod

ab5cc

All packed up and ready to go on Cross Timbers Trail Saturday morning. I was gonna make it a 2 nighter, but gotta work until 5pm on Friday and it would be after dark before I arrive. I will give a report on the trail condition Sunday night or Monday.

Kenneth

copuswalker

Good luck....Hope all goes well and look forward to the trip report!!

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

ab5cc

We're back! We had a great trip. I will say that the trails are in pretty good shape overall. I could see evidence of many Eagle Scout projects. These included many check dams, steps, trail reinforcements, and trail erosion repair and control projects. 25 years ago when I first hiked this trail, you could only camp in designated areas. This time, I noticed 5 well established campsites in the first mile. I guess like everything else, budget cuts have reduced enforcement to nothing.

This is a well used trail. This weekend, with exceptional November weather, there were 2 scout troops with a total of 21 and me and my grandson on overnights. I counted six groups of two and 2 families with small children on day hikes. It was fun to sit in camp and watch all the day hikers rushing to make it out by dark. The trail is marked with white reflectors (probably another Eagle project) which would make leaving at night easier...especially with a headlamp.

This trail has some steep grades with sharp narrow turns along the cliff-edge overlooking Lake Texoma. If you are thinking of riding a mountain bike, I imagine that you would be carrying it most of the first mile.

We were taking a rather long hike after setting up camp and shedding the gear and we heard the sound of a 4 wheel ATV down below us. I knew this wasn't right because motorized vehicles are not allowed. We started back to check on our gear. Along the way, we could hear the ATV but never could see it. We got closer and saw the tracks. When we got into the campsite, there was a large white dog. The dog had torn down our trash bag and scattered the trash and urinated on the tent and ground cloth. Plus, he was soaking wet and muddy, setpping all over our packs. I threw a stick at the large Lab and yelled. Then about 30 feet away, the owner, a fat woman on the ATV, called to her dog to come and started the ATV up and left.

I have never encountered anything like this in all my years of camping. It didn't ruin my trip, but just reminded me that you can't discount rednecks. I still have no idea how the ATV got in there. You could tell that before the lake rose, they had been riding around the edge of the water, but 90% of that is underwater, so they have taken to the trails.

If you have any specific questions, just ask. I didn't make the whole 14 miles this time, but I will try to answer any questions. It is a good place to go.

toejam

Another reminder to plan my Lake Texoma trips for weekdays!

Where did you camp?

copuswalker

That's another reason why I do all my hiking through the week.

Nothing scarier than being isolated with rednecks????They could do anything :eek:

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

ab5cc

I don't know the name of the camp we used. It wasn't too far-in. About a mile. That is about a mile from the trailhead. You have to walk about 1/2 mile through the closed campground (closed 11/1) to get to the trailhead. We went on from there without our backpacks to explore.

toejam

I don't know if the camps have names. If you want a shorter hike, next time you might try starting from Cedar Bayou or Paw Paw Creek and hike towards Eagles Roost. That should be a lot quieter - especially if you start from Paw Paw Creek.

Thanks for the report.