Sabine National Forest

The easternmost of Texas's national forests, Sabine stretches across 160,656 acres along Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Texas-Louisiana border, one of the premier bass fishing destinations in the entire South. The 186,000-acre reservoir consistently ranks among the top bass lakes in America, drawing anglers from across the region for trophy largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish. The 28-mile Trail Between the Lakes connects Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn reservoirs through longleaf pine uplands, hardwood bottoms, and pitcher plant bogs. The forest's Lakeview and Willow Oak recreation areas provide developed camping and boat launches along the reservoir's scenic western shore. Sabine protects some of the most biodiverse bottomland hardwood ecosystems in Texas, with bald cypress-tupelo swamps harboring river otters, alligators, and nesting colonies of great blue herons and egrets. Active prescribed fire management maintains the open pine savannas that support red-cockaded woodpeckers and a diverse understory of native grasses and wildflowers.