One Perfect Day at Brazos Bend State Park — Alligators, Trails & Stargazing

Yes! There were so many alligators at this park, there were more than I could count. There would be times I was hiking around Elm Lake and Horseshoe Lake and they would just sneak up on me because they blend so well into the environment. I got the best pictures of these alligators and it was so cool watching them swim around. I would be looking at a Great Egret and not even notice the alligators behind them until staring for a minute or two. Thank God they don't hunt us. I would have been dead 10 times by the end of the day.

This park has many great trails and they are pretty flat and easy to walk. You could definitely stroll through this park. I would make sure to bring sunscreen and plenty of water though as you are still in Texas and it gets humid and hot at Brazos Bend. This does not even compare to the heat and rugged conditions at Big Bend Ranch State Park where there is no shade. There are parts with no shade but you have trees around and shaded areas as well as plenty of restrooms and picnic areas with basic amenities. I would say Brazos Bend is easy but you can make it harder by hiking a lot more. I got a ton of miles in at Brazos Bend and it was super easy to connect trails as the maps were straightforward and the trails usually connected with very little backtracking.

I highly recommend hiking the majority of this park. I started at the 40-Acre Lake Parking Lot and started with the 40-Acre Lake Loop, used the connecting trail to continue on to Elm Lake Loop and completed Horseshoe Lake Loop and Big Creek Loop before making my way back and completing the 40-Acre Lake Loop. If you still have energy, you can complete the Prairie Trail which is just a nice walk but is not too much to see. It's a prairie, you know.

I am here to tell you to skip Yellowstone Landing. This added 4 miles of hiking and it was not worth it. If for some reason you really wanted to see it, I would take a bike. It is a gravel road and not too much to look at. This was the down point of the entire experience, it was a boring trail that just dragged on. I kept pushing because I wanted to see this landing site as it had history of a steamer that would go through this area during the Texas Revolution and in my mind I thought there would be some signs and other exhibits to check out. There was a small sign, but it only repeated what was already on the park map. It was just a spot to access the river and fish. It is 4 miles round trip out of your way and is not worth it. Everything else was completely worth it though and awesome.

I saw plenty of Great Egrets throughout the day. I think the coolest bird I saw there was the Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea). The other bird I somehow found was the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), I have a photo of it but you literally cannot see it because it camouflages so well. I would have said there isn't a bird there if I had not seen it move. This was a crazy find and completely by chance. Brazos Bend is a serious birdwatching spot, the variety around the lakes surprised me. There were also Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis).

This is the most impressive photo I took at Brazos Bend State Park. It takes some time to find the bird in the image. You need to look in the center of the image and slightly up. Its body is brown with white streaks so it really blends into the environment. Once you see it though, you can see the beak at the top and how its body widens out at the base. This is absolutely amazing camouflage and I can not believe I got this shot.

It would be a great place to go camping. Campsites with electricity are $25 a night while walk-in (35–70 yards) primitive sites are around $12. I would pack light if you choose to go to a primitive campsite. Your entrance fee is $7 per person as well, unless you have the Texas State Park Pass.

This is a tricky one as I was not able to make it to the observatory this visit — but it is at the top of my list when I come back. The George Observatory sits inside the park and on Saturday nights you can get some seriously incredible stargazing. You will need to buy your tickets online and they are $13 on top of your entrance fee. Here is what a Saturday night looks like cost wise:

This is something you need to plan out and buy your tickets in advance in case they sell out. This is something I will make sure to do when I revisit Brazos Bend State Park.

Overall, I really loved Brazos Bend State Park. This is my number one state park if you live in southeast Texas, as Big Bend Ranch State Park is an entire trip of its own, and vice versa if you live in West Texas. Both parks are great but different, depending on your mood. For me, Brazos Bend was a super convenient day trip from Houston and was very enjoyable.