Texas Route 87 Lost Hwy (assesment)
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:22 pmAlrighty, I'm trying to guage who wants to do this trip on like the dates of December 9th-11th.
I personally have travled this back in 1993 in a 1986 Ford Taurus and was amazed!
This is also a great trip to see the old millitary installment (Fort Travis) on Boliver point as well as the Boliver light house (as many of you know I collect them).
We will also be riding the ferry from Galveston to Boliver, this means, we arrive on friday, see the sites and wheel out and camp overnight, then wheel on to Sabine Pass and then half way back to camp again before we finally wheel out take the ferry back and head home.
Anyone interested????
Photos taken 7-September-2001
Western End at High Island
Although the road is closed, the beach is still open to vehicles. There was a surprisingly large number of vehicles cruising along the beach at the end of the road. Since beaches to the west are very popular, there is a certain amount of overflow to this section.
Eastbound motorists on Texas 87 are diverted northward on Texas 124 at High Island. Although not visible in this photo, High Island is on a tall salt dome. Its thirty-eight-foot rise above sea level makes High Island the highest point on the Gulf of Mexico between Mobile, Alabama, and the Yucatán Peninsula. There are plenty of stripper oil wells around the Salt Dome.
There is plenty of evidence of the former road along the beach. This view shows a debris field of asphalt chunks.
This is the most dramatic evidence of the destroyed road.
A jeep maneuvers around the big asphalt chunk in the middle of the beach. Because of the asphalt strewn all along the beach, it's a good idea to have a truck or high-riding vehicle (preferably 4 wheel drive) when driving along this section of beach.
East End, at Sabine Pass
Texas 87 near Sabine Pass is very desolate and isolated. This isolation is one of the main reasons why local authorities have been trying to get the highway rebuilt:
The road comes to an abrupt end. Foliage has taken over the broken up asphalt just ahead. It's interesting how the roadway end is so different on the east and west ends. Perhaps the heavy traffic on the west end has prevented the growth of foliage on the west end.
First-hand report of driving the lost highway route
On September 29, 2003, I received a report from a TexasFreeway.com reader who drove the full length of the washed out highway. His report details a fascinating driving adventure. It sounds like conditions are very challenging and the route is becoming increasingly difficult to traverse. He called his journey transcendental. For me, the scenes of my 2001 visit (particularly at the east end) were surrealistic and are permanently etched in my memory. The road pavement came to a halt and natural vegation was ahead. Thunderstorms were forming in the distance. Waves were crashing.
Awhile ago I was doing some research on Texas 87 between High Island and Sabine Pass and came across your TexasFreeway website. I loved the pictures and mystery that the photos left me with, so I decided that I was going to conquer it.
I took my girlfriend in my 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 and waited for a nice, dry day and until low tide to proceed. Needless to say, it was an awesome adventure. Once I got past the crazy nude beaches (I had no idea that there were any in Texas), we were alone. It was quite scary, and the conditions were awful. There was no road or roadbed...just marsh to drive upon. The only low point was when the marsh was unable to be passed due to extremely deep mud (> 12"). I had to get out and build my own road using pieces of the road that remained. Numerous, cavernous bumps (thankfully, my truck has the 18" ground clearance) coupled with deep mud made it quite a jarring ordeal.
We had to navigate through a series of fences put up by the gov't, which required much maneuvering. I had to use 4x4 Low the whole way, as it was quite muddy and bumpy. After passing three abandoned oil processing centers (2 hours later..quite possibly the longest it's ever taken me to drive 20 miles), we made it to Sea Rim State Park (which I suppose is the reward for completing the route, as we got in free). Hundreds of beautiful, gigantic pelicans gracing the sky was quite a transcendental experience. I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to undertake the most challenging experience of my life, as well as the most rewarding one in my short 23 years.
Here some links of possible intrest for the trip:
Fort Travis:
Bolivar Light House:
Galveston Ferry
Nope sorry folks this won't like a huge rock crawling, highly technical trail run, but what I see is a great historical getaway with the real live living show of how nature changes the earth.
This is calculated to be a 3 day 2 night trip starting on a friday meet-up (On Galveston Island) and ending Sunday.
Mainly all you will need is fuel (don't foget extra(Jerry Cans)) and food/water, plus the accomodating gear to get you through the night.
There is no people, stores, perse roads, buildings, nothing for 20 miles, so be prepared, also huge camp fires are a go, as we'll collect wood along the jouney.
As for towrigs (if you plan to tow your rig), you can look at the camping cost for Fort Travis and leave them there for the weekend.
Well I found my missing disc so here are the missing photos I was supposed to post:
early 1900's concrete battle ship
We drove by beachfront from just after the ferry landing/Ft Travis, to the first night of camping just west of the Lost Hwy 87
How Doug wakes his buddies up after a drunk'n stooper the next morning.
Everyone getting on an old piece of the highway 87
Everyone flexing on what used to be a roadside building
Doug finding his Baja carnage from the night before
John and I working the pole together
Doug (Doug), Jeff (SVO), Rob (GoFast), Dillon, John (up top)(Johnstone)
Doug didn't see this one coming LMAO!
Here's John the Klingon, he rode the 20 miles like this.
Ride'm Coyboy
One of two bouy anchors that were washed ashore, the other was way bigger
Navajo Sun rise (Thanx Johnstone)
We weren't able to get to the Fort Travis the first night as we were late, but we did make it back on our way out
In order to deviate from paying $15 to park, we got some icecream from Joe's
Lori (Stang Girl), Brandy (Baby Girl), Jason (Zavaral), John (Johnstone)
Although I suggested the idea for this trip and put together the maps and such, I really want to thank everyone who came out to participate in the festivities and express thier enthusiasm about this trip, you truley are the one who made it worth it.
Including the ones who called me on the phone and were not able to make it.
This was an awsome trip, it was great to come back to places I have been and seen the changes that have occured over the years.
It was also a pleasure as always to meet new forum members and see others that I haven't seen in a while.
Doug/Danny I'm glad you made it home safely, with T-case problems, and despite having to leave early cause of drama caused by Ms. K.
It was great you could attend will do it again before you get shipped out.
Dispite someone who could say the "F" word more times in five min than most of us say in a life time, it was still fantasic.
To watch Rob's son go wheeling for the first time and see that smile on his face was priceless, THANX DILLON!
We had more food than you could shake a stick at, from sandwhiches, deer meat/sasage, sasages, T-bone steak, baked potatoes, chips, beer, coffee, hot coco, soda pop, and whatever else you could think of.
To camp out is always the best, the entertainment as always was top notch!
To Mr. Brooks at Ft. Travis, thank you for taking the time to give us some great history, and for your hard work and trying to make a great place even better.
And thanks to the people of the Elissa for keeping more 18th century history alive.
And thank you Rick for the Explorerforum!
To you all, thanx for making this weekend a great one for us!
I personally have travled this back in 1993 in a 1986 Ford Taurus and was amazed!
This is also a great trip to see the old millitary installment (Fort Travis) on Boliver point as well as the Boliver light house (as many of you know I collect them).
We will also be riding the ferry from Galveston to Boliver, this means, we arrive on friday, see the sites and wheel out and camp overnight, then wheel on to Sabine Pass and then half way back to camp again before we finally wheel out take the ferry back and head home.
Anyone interested????
Photos taken 7-September-2001
Western End at High Island
Although the road is closed, the beach is still open to vehicles. There was a surprisingly large number of vehicles cruising along the beach at the end of the road. Since beaches to the west are very popular, there is a certain amount of overflow to this section.
Eastbound motorists on Texas 87 are diverted northward on Texas 124 at High Island. Although not visible in this photo, High Island is on a tall salt dome. Its thirty-eight-foot rise above sea level makes High Island the highest point on the Gulf of Mexico between Mobile, Alabama, and the Yucatán Peninsula. There are plenty of stripper oil wells around the Salt Dome.
There is plenty of evidence of the former road along the beach. This view shows a debris field of asphalt chunks.
This is the most dramatic evidence of the destroyed road.
A jeep maneuvers around the big asphalt chunk in the middle of the beach. Because of the asphalt strewn all along the beach, it's a good idea to have a truck or high-riding vehicle (preferably 4 wheel drive) when driving along this section of beach.
East End, at Sabine Pass
Texas 87 near Sabine Pass is very desolate and isolated. This isolation is one of the main reasons why local authorities have been trying to get the highway rebuilt:
The road comes to an abrupt end. Foliage has taken over the broken up asphalt just ahead. It's interesting how the roadway end is so different on the east and west ends. Perhaps the heavy traffic on the west end has prevented the growth of foliage on the west end.
First-hand report of driving the lost highway route
On September 29, 2003, I received a report from a TexasFreeway.com reader who drove the full length of the washed out highway. His report details a fascinating driving adventure. It sounds like conditions are very challenging and the route is becoming increasingly difficult to traverse. He called his journey transcendental. For me, the scenes of my 2001 visit (particularly at the east end) were surrealistic and are permanently etched in my memory. The road pavement came to a halt and natural vegation was ahead. Thunderstorms were forming in the distance. Waves were crashing.
Awhile ago I was doing some research on Texas 87 between High Island and Sabine Pass and came across your TexasFreeway website. I loved the pictures and mystery that the photos left me with, so I decided that I was going to conquer it.
I took my girlfriend in my 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 and waited for a nice, dry day and until low tide to proceed. Needless to say, it was an awesome adventure. Once I got past the crazy nude beaches (I had no idea that there were any in Texas), we were alone. It was quite scary, and the conditions were awful. There was no road or roadbed...just marsh to drive upon. The only low point was when the marsh was unable to be passed due to extremely deep mud (> 12"). I had to get out and build my own road using pieces of the road that remained. Numerous, cavernous bumps (thankfully, my truck has the 18" ground clearance) coupled with deep mud made it quite a jarring ordeal.
We had to navigate through a series of fences put up by the gov't, which required much maneuvering. I had to use 4x4 Low the whole way, as it was quite muddy and bumpy. After passing three abandoned oil processing centers (2 hours later..quite possibly the longest it's ever taken me to drive 20 miles), we made it to Sea Rim State Park (which I suppose is the reward for completing the route, as we got in free). Hundreds of beautiful, gigantic pelicans gracing the sky was quite a transcendental experience. I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to undertake the most challenging experience of my life, as well as the most rewarding one in my short 23 years.
Here some links of possible intrest for the trip:
Fort Travis:
Bolivar Light House:
Galveston Ferry
Nope sorry folks this won't like a huge rock crawling, highly technical trail run, but what I see is a great historical getaway with the real live living show of how nature changes the earth.
This is calculated to be a 3 day 2 night trip starting on a friday meet-up (On Galveston Island) and ending Sunday.
Mainly all you will need is fuel (don't foget extra(Jerry Cans)) and food/water, plus the accomodating gear to get you through the night.
There is no people, stores, perse roads, buildings, nothing for 20 miles, so be prepared, also huge camp fires are a go, as we'll collect wood along the jouney.
As for towrigs (if you plan to tow your rig), you can look at the camping cost for Fort Travis and leave them there for the weekend.
Well I found my missing disc so here are the missing photos I was supposed to post:
early 1900's concrete battle ship
We drove by beachfront from just after the ferry landing/Ft Travis, to the first night of camping just west of the Lost Hwy 87
How Doug wakes his buddies up after a drunk'n stooper the next morning.
Everyone getting on an old piece of the highway 87
Everyone flexing on what used to be a roadside building
Doug finding his Baja carnage from the night before
John and I working the pole together
Doug (Doug), Jeff (SVO), Rob (GoFast), Dillon, John (up top)(Johnstone)
Doug didn't see this one coming LMAO!
Here's John the Klingon, he rode the 20 miles like this.
Ride'm Coyboy
One of two bouy anchors that were washed ashore, the other was way bigger
Navajo Sun rise (Thanx Johnstone)
We weren't able to get to the Fort Travis the first night as we were late, but we did make it back on our way out
In order to deviate from paying $15 to park, we got some icecream from Joe's
Lori (Stang Girl), Brandy (Baby Girl), Jason (Zavaral), John (Johnstone)
Although I suggested the idea for this trip and put together the maps and such, I really want to thank everyone who came out to participate in the festivities and express thier enthusiasm about this trip, you truley are the one who made it worth it.
Including the ones who called me on the phone and were not able to make it.
This was an awsome trip, it was great to come back to places I have been and seen the changes that have occured over the years.
It was also a pleasure as always to meet new forum members and see others that I haven't seen in a while.
Doug/Danny I'm glad you made it home safely, with T-case problems, and despite having to leave early cause of drama caused by Ms. K.
It was great you could attend will do it again before you get shipped out.
Dispite someone who could say the "F" word more times in five min than most of us say in a life time, it was still fantasic.
To watch Rob's son go wheeling for the first time and see that smile on his face was priceless, THANX DILLON!
We had more food than you could shake a stick at, from sandwhiches, deer meat/sasage, sasages, T-bone steak, baked potatoes, chips, beer, coffee, hot coco, soda pop, and whatever else you could think of.
To camp out is always the best, the entertainment as always was top notch!
To Mr. Brooks at Ft. Travis, thank you for taking the time to give us some great history, and for your hard work and trying to make a great place even better.
And thanks to the people of the Elissa for keeping more 18th century history alive.
And thank you Rick for the Explorerforum!
To you all, thanx for making this weekend a great one for us!