The Four C Trail follows tramway grades, with a break at Big Slough

Walk the Four C Trail and parts of the tread are older than the hiking route. The 20-mile trail runs from Ratcliff Lake to Neches Bluff. Its name comes from the Central Coal and Coke Company, and some sections follow tramway grades that once moved East Texas timber toward the company's sawmill.

Ratcliff Lake served as the mill's log pond. Logging ended in the early 1920s, and forest grew over the worked ground. About one trail mile crosses privately owned timberland. White rectangular tags normally mark the route, and no water is available along it. A hiker moves through returned forest, old industrial ground, and one surviving private-land crossing.

The trail still carried a general open label, but a July 2025 alert remained active when checked July 29, 2026. Flood damage made the Wilderness section at Big Slough impassable, with downed trees and washed-out markers. Five unsafe bridges lie between about mile 1.7 and mile 4; a sixth is near mile 15. Avoid Big Slough. An open label and 20 safely connected miles are not the same fact.