As we anxiously await the re-opening of one of our favorite parks near Houston, Brazos Bend State Park, past photos remind us of the combination of natural beauty and human accessibility which make this park easy to frequent.
The park will open its gates on Monday, May 16 after being closed nearly three weeks due to recent flooding of the Brazos River. Like last year and others before it, the river peaked at over 51 feet — 8 feet above flood stage. This may be the ‘new normal.’
It doesn’t matter what level of hiker you are, and there is something for everyone. With miles of trails around the lakes and prairies, through the wooded tracks and oak canopies, you’ll want to bring your whole family with water and a picnic lunch to maximize the time you spend at the park. The visitors centers are full of engaging information with eager volunteers to help connect children to their world.
Don’t forget to bring your bikes!
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Keeping a Respectful Distance
Water Hyacinth
A Beautiful if not Invasive Aquatic Species
Crossing Paths
Wise Advice
Showy Spring Flowers
Reflective Pose
Great Egret
American Lotus
Fall Color on the Prairie Grasses
Little Blue Heron
A Small, Non-scaly Resident
Herbertia Lahue
A Common Grassland Flower
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Moss-covered Canopy
A Favorite Woodland Bird Habitat
Tri-colored Heron
Related Brazos Bend State Park Posts:
- When It Rains, It Pours, July 2012
- Shy Prairie Chickens and Turtle Pillows, February 2014
- Winter Birding, Photography in Dim Lighting, February 2015
- Gator Growls and Kissing Cardinals, May 2015
- Fall Wildflowers, Too Close Gators, October 2015
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To see more photos of Brazos Bend State Park,
click any photo to be taken to SmugMug, or
click BBSP Birding or BBSP Nature.
DirtNKids Blog 
I need to go out to Brazos Bend have not been in a while. It seems there is always something going on around here.
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Wow! Great photos! The Great Egret surrounded by water hyacinths is quite stunning. And the little rodent is super cute. 🙂
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The egret and the ‘shy’ little blue are my favorites. The hyacinths are just starting to bloom, so the next time we go — provided the flood didn’t wreck things too much — ponds should be bathed in purple. Thanks for coming by, Myriam!
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The wildlife there is incredible 😮
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Ah! Perhaps you’ve been there, then you know first hand the magic of this place. Thanks for coming by, Natasha!
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Beautiful pictures! I’m about done with this rain! ugh….
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Thank you, Courtney. Are you in the Houston area? Since the 2011 drought, I promised I wouldn’t gripe about rain ever again, but I’ve had to check myself a few times the past weeks.
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No… I’m up near Dallas but we have had A LOT of rain also! The drought was bad in 2011-2012 but this is ridiculous!
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Great pictures. I think I would jump out of my skin if one of those alligators crossed in front of me.
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Thank you, fallcorn1936. I think the alligators are quite used to people, but occasionally one of the big ones — 10 feet or more — wind up right on the path. That’s the time to turn around and go back the other way. This guy was just crossing from one body of water to the other so we patiently gave him the time to do so!
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