brazos bend state park

I wish we had time for more than just a day trip to Brazos Bend State Park. It is amazing! We started off by walking the trail around 40 Acre Lake and saw 9 Alligators, numerous species of birds, and even some fish jump. Two alligators were laying almost on the trail and we were careful not to disturb them, and being that close was simply amazing. We drove to the Nature Center and the Park Rangers were great! They had some baby alligators that they brought out for us to see up close. The nature center had numerous live snakes that are present in the park. It is such a great educational tool for children and adults alike. We will be going back sometime to hike the numerous trails and catalog some of the wildlife we saw (which included deer on the way out).

We enjoyed a great cool early spring day out. One hour south of Houston. Perhaps there are 15 good level kilometers of level walking trails. Turtles, and birds abound. We were amazed by the varietu of herons, egrets, ducks, geese and ibis. There arehawks and eagles and many others. Iy was not the best day for alligators but we saw several. There are I gather snakes and bobcats and others but not for us. A gtest day out.l

This is such a beautiful place with a lot of scenic walking and bike trails throughout the park. I have seen all kinds of wildlife while on the trails, as well as in the open areas of the park. Springtime is a great time to visit because of the newly hatched baby alligators along the trails. This is a great place to go for a day trip or weekend getaway - either alone or with your family. I buy a pass every year and go every single chance I get.

Cold front is moving through Texas as we tour the Texas coast. My husband wants to see alligators but we only have a couple of days left before heading home. I was not sure the weather was warm enough for alligators. I researched online and found this state park. We arrived at 4 pm and decided to walk the 1.2 mile trail around the very first feature, the "40-acre lake". The far edge looked sunny and we thought some alligators might sun themselves. Bingo, we saw our first one there on the sunny bank. Then we took the spillway walk and saw several more! Within the fist hour of arriving, I counted 5 alligators, everyone a photo op. This does not include the herons, ibis (white, gray, brown), the coots... In the surrounding marshes. The birdiest single park I have ever seen! Everything is spacious, spic and span, well maintained, a must-return place to explore. We talked to a man from Houston who says the weekends are crowded in spring and fall, but the hot and humid summers are practically deserted. Superlative!

I chose to do something different for Valentine's Day so I read the reviews and thought it be interesting to hike, horse back ride, and maybe camp out. As luck would have it, we got off to a late start and didn't get to horse back ride but I really enjoyed the scenery, the gators were out, and the weather was gorgeous. We utilize the campsite and firepit to have campsite hot dogs and smores. It wasn't well lit but the flashlights helped. The highlight was the observatory... the larger scopes had a long line but the volunteer and astronomy enthusiastic(s) were eager to show off their smaller yet very powerful scopes, cool pointing green lasers and had some really awesome views and information to share. Overall it was a great experience. Can't wait to go back and do an overnight stay.

We drive about an hour to get to this park and it is well worth it. Pack a picnic and enjoy the day there! Last time we went we drove to the second parking area and walked around the little lake area--we counted 22 alligators!! Our family loves this park.

Arguably this is one of Texas' most interesting state parks. Come prepared to hike or bike around several of the wetlands that abound with wildlife. Bring you camera since the species present are very accustomed to visitors and allow up close and personal encounters that are astonishing. It is on our must visit list every time we go to Texas.

Brazos Bend State Park is a jewel. It is well maintained. Went here for an afternoon trip last Sunday. Since it was a beautiful day, there were many folks lined up to get in. But once in the park you can hike or bike or just relax. There are many hike and bike trails and the park is dog friendly. Just keep Fluffy on a short leash. There are alligators!!! We saw several. The George Observatory is a must see on nights when they have star gazing nights (check their website for dates and times). This is a beautiful Texas State Park for camping. They have many campsites and individual and group shelters which can be rented for a nominal fee with power and water. Nice place to go and camp or just visit for an afternoon.

We enjoyed walking around the two lakes. There is lots of wild life to view and take pictures of. There were not too many gators to see when we were there as it was very cold for Texas in January. Despite that I still got some great pictures. It is a big area with places to picnic.

We took a ride over to Brazos Bend on Jan. 25, 2015 . We had an awsome time. There were so many alligators we could not count. So many people were out and about. The park was clean. The people visiting the park were nice. Beautiful sites, our first time going And we will be going back soon.

I really can't say enough positive things about this park. My wife and I just moved to the city and wanted a taste of outdoor life. We got that and more. Although lots of folks referenced the gators in the park, we weren't holding our breath, knowing that it is still winter and having been to more than one state park that supposedly had alligators without seeing any. Man, were we wrong. We saw 15 or so alligators sunning, a couple of them extremely close. In fact, a park volunteer was set up near a mother gator guarding her young with a spotting scope that he shared so we could get an up-close look. Really, the gators were just part of the show, with water birds and other wildlife everywhere. Definitely bring a camera. A few thoughts, divided by area...The visitors center. I know, these things always have some limitations, being targeted at kids and inexperienced visitors, but this one is really nice with a healthy selection of live indigenous snakes as well as baby alligators. The staff were the best. They engaged us right away, had a baby gator out to look at, and asked if we would like them to get out any of the snakes for a closer look. The ranger on duty noted my camera gear and asked if we would like any advice on locations for hiking and photos. He had answers to all my questions and steered us just right. Definitely stop in and touch base with these folks. The facilities. In this respect the park really stands out. My wife is pregnant and also has high standards for restroom facilities. Luckily, this place goes above and beyond to have clean, permanent, restrooms at various points on the major trails as well as at the buildings. In addition, the major trails around the lakes are well-rocked and wide. Folks ride bikes through here and people seemed to have no problem with strollers either. There are plenty of more rugged trails (some of them closed from high water), so you can pick your speed here, but you can still see tons of stuff from well-developed trails proximate to parking. The wildlife. A+++++. Enough said. We saw 15 or so alligators on a winter day, plus coots, ibis, egrets, herons, an American Bittern, and tons of turtles. I can only imagine more reptiles come out once it warms up, and migratory patterns ensure a changing array of birds all year. We will be back.The people. There is a big distinction here between professionals and sophisticated amateur photographers and "the tourists" but everybody was great. I would put myself in the wannabe category with an expensive DSLR, but still a dabbler. I loved how open everybody was to chat, share tips, point out cool shots and share angles on animals. Just make sure that you respect the situation if somebody is obviously setting up a shot, and don't be afraid to be friendly. We met a great photographer named Dave, and walked with him quite a ways. The less "serious" folks were also great, and bear in mind that people come from around the world to see this park. A couple from Canada flagged us down to come down a side trail to see the biggest alligator of the day crossing a berm, and later I got to show them where an American bittern was hunkered down. If you come out, be friendly and take advantage of these impromptu relationships. Timing. The park definitely starts to fill up more on a nice weekend day as the day goes on. We had the place to ourselves with the photographers and the more committed tourists until 11AM or so, but were amazed how many families with kids were out near the parking area when we headed out about 2. I think a lot of them stay out in the major open areas by the parking and picnic tables, but a fair share made it back on the trails. Everybody was cool and friendly, but calibrate your expectations. If you really want seclusion and quiet, go on a weekday or go early. Overall, such a great experience. We will likely buy a state parks yearly pass for this place alone (we want to see more, but will go back here enough to justify it by itself). We can't wait for alligator breeding season, the roseate spoonbills to hit town, and to do some more serious birding.

This park is a great place for a family campsite,or nice for just a one day getaway. There are many different hiking trails to venture through and lakes to check out. Photographers love this nature filled place. The only thing I get frustrated with sometimes is that the alligators aren't always out to view. BUT when they are...they're everywhere!

Brazos Bend State Park is conveniently close by Houston if you're looking for outdoor activity. We visited during December while the weather was cloudy and raining but it didn't discourage us. There's a minimal entrance fee which is worth paying for what you see. They have miles of trails so you can easily spend 1-2 days(available camp sites). They have bike trails also if you prefer to bike around the park. The amount of breeds of birds we saw were amazing. This was the first time I caught a close look at vultures which are fascinating birds. I'd highly recommend visiting this park!

Lots and lots of alligators to stare and gaze. I am originally fro PA and I don't recollect the entry fee to be pricy ( it is 7$ per adult). Nevertheless this is worth visiting. It's 45 min away form Houston and has a lot of trails. There is an observation tower which is open only on Saturdays. So make sure you time your visit accordingly. Lots of swamps so beware of all the possible bugs and mosquitoes around.

BBSP is not far from Houston, a great place to view wildlife, camp, walk, run, and bike. The park is very well maintained, has plenty of trails, lots of birds, deer, and yes there are gators out even in the winter (note the sun coming out made big differences). The Rangers are friendly, helpful, and make the regular rounds to keep things in order. They have a nice gift store at the ranger station. The programs at the nature center had fun educational discussions and even had live animals for the kids to meet and touch baby gators and snakes. We didn't get to use the observatory due to the clods stayed an extra day, but we had plenty other stuff to do. We plan to go back later next year we enjoyed ourselves so much.