Alto

Forest Trail Region
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For centuries, travelers followed El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the Royal Highway, which roughly follows Texas State Highway 21 through Alto. It was blazed by Spaniards in the 1690s with the help of Ais Indian guides who traced their ancestors’ footpaths. Southwest of town, the scenic highway opens onto the spectacular Neches River Valley and the area occupied by Caddo Indians from A.D. 800 to 1300. They have left behind a wealth of artifacts and evidence of their way of life. At the interpretive center of the Texas Historical Commission’s Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, learn how the Caddo worked and lived. A short walking trail leads to ceremonial mounds and a village site.