Brazos Bend State Park

White ibises nest at Brazos Bend.

Wading birds are common at Brazos Bend.

An alligator basks at Brazos Bend State Park.

Brazos Bend State Park covers nearly 4,975 acres in the region of the first Anglo colonization in Texas, harking back to the land that Mexico granted to Stephen Austin in the early 1800s.

Much of the park is in the Brazos River floodplain, but the terrain also includes upland coastal prairie. Big Creek introduces bayous, sloughs and oxbow lakes as it cuts across the park. Mossy live oaks and bottomland hardwoods are common.

More than 300 species of birds have been sighted in the park, including neotropical masked ducks rare in the United States. Spring is prime birdwatching season.

Among other wildlife are 21 species of amphibians and reptiles — including alligators and venomous snakes — and 23 kinds of mammals including feral hogs.

Thirty-four miles of trails for mountain bikes. Also among the trails is the Creekfield Lake Nature Trail, an interactive, barrier-free half-mile completed in 1995.

Anglers, who come for bass, catfish, perch and crappie, find four of six lakes are great for fishing. Three of the fishing lakes have piers. Beware of alligators.

Campers find 91 sites with water and electricity, of which 14 have screened shelters for sleeping or sitting. There is also a dining hall, dump station, nature center, and Texas State Park Store.

Year-round weekend nature programs at Brazos Bend include nighttime "owl prowls" held from fall until spring. On Saturday nights the George Observatory, operated by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, is open for stargazing.

Brazos Bend was named one of the nation's 10 best state parks by National Geographic Traveler in 1994.