Brazos Bend State Park
February, 2016
Brazos Bend is a magnificent Texas state park along the lower Brazos River just southwest of Houston. Brazos Bend State Park has numerous RV and tent campsites, 40 miles of hike-and-bike trails, excellent birding, superb fishing (although I didn't get a chance to wet my line), several large day-use areas, and even an observatory for studying the night sky.
Congregations of American Alligators have made the many ponds and lakes of Brazos Bend State Park their home. Watch your pets!
The weather in February can make camping unbearable even if you have an RV; in 2016, the strong El Nino kept the colder weather to the north and provided a beautiful weekend for our late-winter southeast Texas RV camping adventure.
We arrived at Brazos Bend State Park on Thursday afternoon, secured our travel trailer in campsite #218, and began planning activities for our three-night stay. The temperature was 68 degrees with a light north breeze. It was a little cool, but nothing a long-sleeved T-shirt couldn't fix.
Friday morning, after a sunny outdoor breakfast, we drove to the park headquarters to talk to the rangers about which trails would be best to hike, given that we only had two full days to explore the park's many attractions. The rangers suggested the 40 Acre Lake and Elm Lake trails. The total mileage was about 4 1/2 miles, counting the Spillway Trail (twice).
We parked at 40 Acre Lake, less than a half mile from the park's headquarters, and began hiking the 40 Acre Lake Loop Trail (1.2 mi) toward the Hoot's Hollow Trail spur (.46 mi).
The short hike on the picturesque Hoot's Hollow Trail was well worth the extra half mile. The slow, shady trail seemed to tunnel through the surrounding thick woods - woods that provide a perfect recharging spot for migrating birds and a permanent home for local wildlife.
After Hoot's, we continued hiking on the north side of 40 Acre Lake Trail to the top of the Observation Tower to take in the magnificent view.
Birding was superb along all trails, especially the .6-mile Spillway Trail that connects the Elm Lake Trail to the 40 Acre Lake Trail.
The collage below is a small sample of the many birds and critters we observed while hiking along the Spillway Trail and around Elm Lake (center).
Around noon, we found a shady park bench near the shores of Elm Lake and ate a picnic lunch. While we were resting, we made a list of the birds we had seen since we began our hike:
- Purple Gallinule
- White Ibis
- Great Blue Heron
- Green Heron
- Great Egret
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck
- American Tree Sparrow
- Black-headed Vulture
- Lesser Goldfinch
- Double-crested Cormorant
- American Crow
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Song Sparrow
- Owl (unidentified)
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- American Robin
- Black-crested Titmouse
- Carolina Chickadee
- Eastern Phoebe
- American Coot
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Turkey Vulture
- Northern Cardinal
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Little Egret
- Inca Dove
- Red-winged Blackbird
- American Goldfinch
- Gray-cheeked Thrush
The American alligators were not scarce in Brazos Bend State Park. We saw countless gators swimming in the small lakes and lying in the sun along the shores. American Alligators can grow up to 14 feet long and are known to move swiftly in short distances. They feed on nearly anything: fish, snakes, lizards, turtles, water birds, and small mammals.
After a day of hiking, we returned to our campsite in the Red Buckeye Camping area and relaxed underneath the trees.
On Saturday, we woke early and hiked the 1.4-mile Red Buckeye Trail and the 1.74-mile White Oak Trail. Both trails have sections that run along the banks of the Brazos River. The river was at normal levels, but it was evident that the water had recently been much higher.
We were lucky to have visited Brazos Bend State Park in February when the weather was dry. In late May 2016, record rainfall forced the Brazos River to flood well out of its banks and caused extensive damage to communities along the river, including Brazos Bend State Park.
After hiking the White Oak and Red Buckeye trails, we hiked the 1.9-mile Hale Lake Loop trail and the Hale Lake fishing pier (above - lower right).
George Observatory
Saturday, after sundown, we paid a visit to the George Observatory to get a chance to view the night sky through at least one of their three telescopes (14", 18" and 36"). At the time of our visit, the planet Jupiter was visible. We saw Jupiter's cloud bands and several of Jupiter's moons. Later in the evening, we saw the Orion Nebula on one of several smaller privately owned telescopes provided by local astronomers.
I have always enjoyed the vast open spaces of the Brazos River valley. Its fertile lands benefit Texas farmers and ranchers up and down the Brazos River. Brazos Bend State Park provides a phenomenal place for visitors to enjoy its natural beauty while hiking, biking, birding, fishing, camping, and stargazing. Our trip was as relaxing as it was educational. We are already planning our next trip.
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