Back in June we headed to Houston to see an Astros game and check out a couple of Houston area parks. Truly one of the highlights was the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site and Monument. This should be on every Texan’s bucket list. (summary of battle)
The elevator ride to the top is $4 and is probably a “do it once just to say you did it” kind of thing. The views are nice though.
August 13, 2013 – All water in the park is currently off Monday through Thursday. Restrooms, showers and all potable water sources are currently closed during this time due to the drought related water shortage. Weekday camping is only available in the Turkey Sink, water and electric, campground and portable toilets are available to park visitors.
Full water service will be available for weekend Camping (Friday through Sunday) in the Turkey Sink, water and electric , campground and Cedar Sage, water only, campground. Wagon Ford campground will remain closed and the day use area restroom will remain out of service, however portable toilets area available to park visitors in the day use area. Call the park for the most up to date information.
Might be a good time to visit the park to see it in the summer without tubers and campers. (silver lining right?)
This past Saturday I made it out to Pedernales Falls SP again. This time I brought the fishing gear with me and headed to the Pedernales Falls overlook area.
The spot I chose was just North of this spot though I won’t give away the exact spot. Where’s the fun in that?
Here’s the first giant I caught. No laughs. I was in it for the sport and not to find dinner.
And the biggest catch of the day…
It was a lot of fun until the families with untrained children showed up and thought it was a good idea to throws rocks into the water. I wish I had the camera out to get a shot of the fish throwing up the peace sign and disappearing never to be seen again.
By the way, “Harassment of Hunters, Trappers, or Anglers (Sportsmen’s Rights Act) is punishable by a fine of $200 to $2000 and/or 180 days in jail.”
Until that point it was a wonderful day out on the river. There were some bigger fish in this spot, but they weren’t interested in the bait I tried. Maybe next time.
*No fish were harmed in the production of this blog post.
After the storms on Monday, I headed out the Perd to see if the rains had any impact on the water level. While out there I remembered that there’s plenty about this park that I haven’t experienced yet. One of those things is the bird blind at the park.
My expectations were really low because I thought “low budget and state park must mean bench and tree = bird blind.” Boy was I wrong.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, put it at the top of your list for your next visit to the park.
From the park store, head towards the main falls. Keep an eye out on the left side of the road for the parking area for the blind. It is well-marked and should be easily found.
To get the most out of your visit and to be respectful of others at the blind:
There are two large bird blinds once you enter. The first one on the right, pictured below, has a few hummingbird feeders.
I saw several different species in just a short time in this blind.
There is another blind in this area that has a special visitor right now.
I was lucky to get there around feeding time. The volunteer, Mr. Strickland, said that the baby fox, pictured below, shows up every day around 5pm and stays about an hour.
According to Mr. Strickland, there is a mother and a couple of other young foxes. However he had not seen them in a few days and the worry is that something might have happened to them. Hopefully this little guy is not on his own so young.
The park is in the middle of a large project at the blind/surrounding area. They are building a large star gazing area. Mr. Strickland said that there would be a telescope and accompanying facility. I look forward to visiting this facility when it opens.
I made it out to Pedernales on Monday after the heavy rains. Got some great pictures with the old camera I dug out of the closet. Easy to say that this park is my favorite so far. Every time I visit I see something I haven’t seen before.
I found another great video on one of the parks I’ve visited a few times now. Watch the video and check out my posts on McKinney Falls State Park.
Great short video on Sheldon Lake State Park and Environmental Learning Center.
Park #17 on our Texas State Parks adventures was Sheldon Lake State Park. This park is just East of Houston about 20 minutes from downtown.
We almost missed the turnoff to get into the park because the entrance was blocked by a passing train.
The park office was closed because they don’t want to be open on the weekends when people may visit. Just kidding of course, but it did seem odd. There was no entrance fee so that was nice.
There were plenty of picture opportunities at this park. The front of the park has several ponds with lilies and other blooming flowers around.
Each pond had it’s own personality. Some looked calm.
And others looked like “several things in there could kill me.”
We saw some wildlife along the trail.
And were warned of some others.
Between the smaller ponds at the front and Sheldon Lake is a great observation tower. The elevator is powered by solar panels. (Elevator currently undergoing maintenance. Call ahead to check availability).
Be careful at the Bent Pine Tree. While standing and reading the sign we noticed our feet were quickly covered in ants. They weren’t fire ants, but still annoying.
Overall a nice park with much to offer for visitors of all ages.
I found this great video of Colorado Bend State Park from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department YouTube channel and wanted to add it to the blog for that park. Enjoy!
Park #15 was Blanco State Park. Somehow I forgot to post about it, but this post will be just like the park itself. Short and sweet.
Blanco State Park is just off Highway 281 South of Johnson City, TX. You can see almost the entire park from the entrance road. There were several people fishing along the banks of the river. There were also many families enjoying the swimming area kept separate from the fishing area by the orange buoys seen in the image below. This would a good park to visit for a picnic lunch on a day outing. There are also some overnight cabins.
Exploring Texas State Parks 