Learn more about our conservation work at Lennox Woods Preserve. Download Texas Conservation Milestones print version (914kb).   Texas Conservation Milestones Home Protecting the Edwards Aquifer Restoring a Gulf Coast Treasure Saving the Attwater's Prairie Chicken from Extinction Richard Garriott: Conservationist, Space Traveler Balancing Energy and Conservation Yoakum Dunes Preserve A New Trail Showcases an Old-Growth Forest Conservation from Caddo Lake to the Lower Brazos River A New Home for Conservation in Texas Dick Bartlett: An Unparalleled Legacy Our Supporters

Lennox Woods Preserve in Red River County near the Texas-Oklahoma border contains nearly 375 acres of pristine old-growth forest. Dedicated in May 1990 to honor the long history of conservation and stewardship of the Lennox family, the preserve is home to a number of rare species of plant and animal communities supported by the waters of Pecan Bayou, a major tributary of the Colorado River and one of the largest undammed watersheds in northeastern Texas.

One of the preserve’s most enjoyable features is a looping trail that allows hikers to admire the various natural communities that make Lennox Woods so special. In late 1999 and early 2000, two severe ice storms felled trees at Lennox Woods, severely damaging the trail.

A gift from the Lennox Foundation allowed staff and volunteers to rebuild the trail. Following a formal dedication ceremony in March co-hosted by the Conservancy, Clarksville Mayor Ann Rushing and the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce, the newly rebuilt Martha Lennox Memorial Nature Trail opened to the public. A descendant of Red River County pioneers, Martha Lennox, along with her brothers, David and Bagby, worked to ensure the woods her family had cared for and loved for more than a century would be protected forever.

The trail takes visitors on an easy to moderate hike through a variety of habitats. The first portion of the trail follows the old Albion Road, a wagon road in use from the 1840s until the 1930s, and then descends through pine and hardwood forest to a tributary of Pecan Bayou. From there, it loops back to the main trail, returning to the trailhead. Depending on the season, sights along the trail range from spring wildflowers to spectacular fall color to bare branches against a winter sky. Eventually, the trail will also include plant-identification signs developed by the Red River Chapter of the Master Naturalist Program. 

Lennox Woods Preserve is located along State Highway 37, about 10 miles north of Clarksville, and is open to the public year-round during daylight hours for hiking, bird watching and other outdoor recreation. 

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Nature picture credits (left to right, top to bottom): Photo © TNC (Lennox Woods Preserve); Photo © David Bezanson/TNC (Lennox Woods Preserve sign); Photo © Austin Business Journal (Laura Huffman); Photo © Rebecca Flack/TNC (Frio River); Photo © Danny White/TNC (Oysters); Photo © Clay Carrington/TNC (Attwater's prairie chicken); Photo © Will van Overbeek (Richard Garriott); Photo © David A. Williams (prairie grass); Photo © Janet Haas (pronghorn); Photo © TNC (Lennox Woods Preserve); Photo © Lynn Mc Bride/TNC (Caddo Lake); Photo © Insite Architects (Pearl Brewery design); Photo courtesy of Dick Bartlett (Dick Bartlett)