Hike & Bike

SFA hikers

Outdoor Recreation

On the right path

Whether you’re committed to daily cardio exercise or you simply enjoy an occasional walk or bike ride in a natural setting, we’ve got you covered. You’ll find several hike and bike trails at SFA, including easy access to the Lanana Creek Trail.

You have even more options in the surrounding community, including beautiful, shaded paths in the Pineywoods, where you just might spot some of the local wildlife.

Hike & Bike at SFA

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or expert — just follow the signs and you can easily customize the intensity of your workout on our five-mile off-road hike and bike trail. The well-designed path, which shows off the beauty of our campus, draws people from the surrounding community as well as students, staff and faculty.

SFA Multiuse Trails

SFA's Multiuse and Bike Trails consist of one mile of paved trails and five miles of unpaved multiuse trails. Use of the trails is open to the SFA and Nacogdoches communities. The trails were originally built with a matching grant provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and SFA. Ongoing maintenance of unpaved trails is provided by volunteers and coordinated by SFA Outdoor Pursuits.

Trail Rules and Etiquette

  • Trails are open to all members of the Nacogdoches and SFA communities.
  • All trails are open to walkers, runners and bikers. Trails labeled with a black diamond sign are geared toward bikers, while trails with blue or green signs are suitable for any user. Bikers should yield to walkers and runners to ensure the safety of all users.
  • Stay on the trail corridor, and do not create “social trails.” This leads to new trails and makes it confusing for other users.
  • Trails should not be used after periods of rain. If you are leaving a wet tire rut or footprint, it is too wet to be on the trails. If you must go on the trail, do not step off the trail to get around a wet spot. This causes the trails to widen, which can impact the natural area around the trails more than intended.
  • If you see a blocked drainage feature, feel free to unblock it. It helps dry the trails out for users after you.
  • Any and all trail work must be approved by Campus Recreation professional staff prior to work starting. This includes building features, changing layouts of trails, building new trails, removing ground cover and building new drainage features.

Reporting a Maintenance Problem

Email outdoorpursuits@sfasu.edu with the following information:

  1. Google Maps pin or very specific location (e.g. Perimeter Trail near the Downhill Trail junction)
  2. General description of the problem

Volunteer Trail Work

  • Campus Rec is always looking for individuals or groups that want to work on the trails. All volunteers must sign a waiver and turn it in to Outdoor Pursuits prior to work starting.
  • Contact Outdoor Pursuits staff at outdoorpursuits@sfasu.edu to schedule a time to work.
  • If you have any ideas for improvements or new features, email outdoorpursuits@sfasu.edu.

SFA Gardens

Immerse yourself in lush, natural beauty as you make your way along the paved trails in our gardens, which include the SFA Mast Arboretum, the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden (Texas’ largest azalea garden) and the Piney Woods Native Plant Center. The gardens are open from dusk to dawn daily.

SFA Experimental Forest Interpretive Trail System

This setting of mature hardwoods and pines features two separate loops, spanning 2.8 miles. Along the way, you can see some of the most scenic areas of the Experimental Forest, where researchers study wildlife and hardwood trees. The forest is home to 300 species of birds and 80 species of butterflies. Visitors are welcome daily during daylight hours.

Hike & Bike around Nacogdoches

You’ll find a wealth of hike and bike trails in Nacogdoches and the surrounding East Texas Piney Woods.

Trails of Nacogdoches

The trails are open to walkers, runners, hikers and cyclists.

Lanana Creek Trail consists of 7.1 miles of recreational trails, which go right by the SFA campus. The Lanana Creek segment takes you past thickets of paw-paw, dogwood and scarlet-blooming buckeye.

Angelina National Forest, Boykin Springs, Hiking Trail

The Boykin Springs recreational area is a trailhead for the 5-mile Sawmill Hiking Trail near Jasper, which is designed for all skill levels.

Davy Crockett National Forest, 4C Trail (Day & Multi-Day Hiking)

This 20-mile-long trail begins at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area and ends at the Neches Bluff Overlook. The trail is rated “easy” for the south and central sections and becomes more difficult in the north section, which has steeper terrain.

Hiking events and clinics

If you’d enjoy spending a day with other hiking enthusiasts, Nacogdoches Naturally Family Outdoor Adventures, a project sponsored by SFA Gardens in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, hosts special events through the year. Most recently, it organized a family day trip to the hiking trail at Boykin Springs at Angelina National Forest.

If you want to expand your hiking skills, SFA’s Outdoor Pursuits program hosts backpacking and biking clinics with trained guides. Visit the Trips and Clinics page to learn more.