Yesterday was my family's first ever Texas State Park experience. We recently bought a Park Pass and since this weekend was so beautiful we decided to check out Brazos Bend because it is within an hours drive from my home.
We arrived at the park around 10:30 yesterday morning. The weather was a gorgeous 50 degrees and full sunshine. Our first stop was 40 acre lake. We grabbed our binoculars, cameras and kids hiking sticks. Right away we spotted 2 gators sunning themselves and needless to say the kids were thrilled. We walked around the whole lake, stopping at the observation deck. It was really windy up there so we didn't stay there long. We saw quite a few gators on 40 acre lake.
Then we drove to the nature center where we spoke with some really nice rangers. One took a baby gator out of the tank and let us touch it. He told us all about how they take a few eggs each year to raise there in the center for a year and then release back into the wild.
Next we went to the playground and picnic area at Hale Lake. We chose a nice sunny spot to eat and enjoyed a lunch of homemade fried chicken and potato salad and the kids played on the playground for a bit. Then we took off to hike Whiteoak trail. We saw lots of families riding bikes and decided that dh and I have got to get a bike so we can all do the same.
After our hike we drove through the camp ground and marked on the map which sites we like best in case we ever decide to camp there. We also checked out the shelters. Those are pretty neat. Since this was our first time in a Texas State Park I had not seen one before. Now I know what they are like and for the price it seems pretty nice.
We then drove over to Elm Lake and on the way stopped to take a photo of a huge gator sunning himself on the side of the road. That sucker was BIG. We grabbed the kiddos' fishing poles and hiking sticks and took off to fish and hike around New and Old Horseshoe Lakes. The kids didn't catch anything but they had fun trying. My husband has a great eye for gators. He just kept spotting one after another.
The kids had seen a great playground over by the shelters so we took them back over there to play for a while before heading home. It was great except for one group there. There were two men and a pick up truck bed full of kids that pilled out and immediately began cussing loudly as they ran to the slide. I'm talking 9 - 11 year olds yelling cuss words and the "dads" didn't think a thing of it. There were other younger children there to and I couldn't believe it. We just left. We stopped at the State Park store on the way out to appease my 12 year old shopaholic and then headed home.
We hiked a total of 4 miles and saw 19 gators. The kids passed smooth out in the car and we had a nice quiet drive home. So now I can't wait to get out there in nature again. We have rodeo coming up here within the next week and my husband is a volunteer there. It looks like the next day trip will have to wait until the end of March and we plan to go check out Huntsville SP which is even closer to home than Brazos Bend.
nice report MM, any digital pictures? someday tell us how one picks monkey mama out
You may get hooked on Texas State Parks most have features for all, you just have to get there. So lets see Huntsville and then Lake Livingston, then east to Martin Dies Jr. SP or north to Fairfield, then....
Have fun and share those good campsites !
We took lots of pictures but they are still on my camera. If I can figure out how to share them here I will.
As campermon will attest its easy if they are digital, drop me a PM and we can chat via email.
I've been there twice, with bikes. I camped there with my grown son, and we used one of the screened shelters. One thing you see at night or evening that you won't during the day, are the raccoons. They come up to the campsites or shelters begging for food. You're not supposed to feed them, but obviously they have been fed and are conditioned to come up. Also, there are many many deer to be seen.
The gators are the highlight, and very interesting to see as they sun themselves on (yes - ON) the bike path. Keep dogs on a leash.
I no longer live close to it - otherwise, it would be a regular destination.
Okay let me see if this slideshow will work. Hopefully it will. And thanks again Troop198 so much for your help!
Slideshow of pictures, photos, and videos, from webshots
Last edited by MonkeyMamma; March 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 AM.
Great job
Great report for a good park. We are just down the road and visit it often. We really like our park pass and use it as much as possible.
Sandy
- -- --Baytown Bert's Blog-- -- - --The way I see it--: BB Hikes the Brazos Bend SP Trails
I hiked from the initial parking lot to the upper east trails yesterday logging in an estimated 14 miles. Man! I was whooped down when I got back to the car. I'll post photos/videos and my Blog later today or tomorrow.
- -- --Baytown Bert's Blog-- -- - --The way I see it--: Banging my Foots on the Trail
Here is the latest trip report. Read to the bottom for the photo/video links.
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