Four Notch
Four Notch Trail is a 5.1 miles trail in National Forests in Texas, Texas. The Forest Service rates it trail class 4, highly developed. It is open to hiking.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The National Forests in Texas official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 30.6475, -95.4185 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 30.6537, -95.3827 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.
The trail
| Length | 5.1 miles |
| Trail class | 4, highly developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 0-5 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 803 |
| Forest | National Forests in Texas (unit 0813) |
| States | Texas |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. Dispersed camping is allowed on most National Forest land outside posted closures. The forest office has the current rules.
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx San Jacinto 8214
13 mi from the trail midpoint · 2 acres · 0% contained
- PrescribedRx Trinity 8273
23 mi from the trail midpoint · 149 acres · 0% contained
- PrescribedRx Trinity 8321
23 mi from the trail midpoint · 121 acres · 0% contained
- PrescribedRx Trinity 8374
24 mi from the trail midpoint · 48 acres · 0% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Four Notch Trail?
5.1 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in National Forests in Texas.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Four Notch Trail?
hiking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Four Notch Trail start?
The line begins at 30.6475, -95.4185 and ends at 30.6537, -95.3827. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Four Notch Trail in a wilderness area?
No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Where can I camp near the Four Notch Trail?
No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. Dispersed camping is allowed on most National Forest land outside posted closures. The forest office has the current rules.
How developed is the Four Notch Trail?
Trail class 4, which the Forest Service describes as highly developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Four Notch Trail?
The typical grade is 0-5 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Four Notch Trail?
National Forests in Texas, Forest Service unit 0813. The trail is in Texas.
Is there a fire near the Four Notch Trail?
4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Rx San Jacinto 8214 at 13 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named FOUR NOTCH in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0813. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.