Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 60 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, protects more than 114,000 acres of low coastal land, a barrier island and more than 402 species of birds.

Grasslands, live oak and redbay thickets cover most of the uplands, creating an island habitat surrounded by thousands of acres of agricultural lands to the north and west and saltwater bays to the south and east.

The refuge is bordered by tidal marshes and the uplands are broken by long, narrow swales that are often flooded.

The refuge also contains some of the last remaining native coastal savannah prairie left in Texas.

The refuge complex includes Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuge, a 38 mile-long Gulf Coast barrier island jointly managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas State Parks and Wildlife Department.

Aransas is home to the endangered whooping cranes, abundant waterfowl, shorebirds and neotropical birds and javelinas.

Most of the 80,000 annual visitors come to view the abundant bird species for which the refuge is known. The best viewing times for migratory birds, including the whooping crane, are October through April.

For information about access to Matagorda Island, contact Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 979-244-7697 or 979-244-6804.

There are wheelchair-accessible trails.