While staying in a southern Houston suburb, we decided to drive and spend some time in two local state parks: Galveston Island State Park and Brazos Bend State Park. Why? We were on the hunt to find some Texas aligators. (It’s an ongoing joke that no matter WHERE we go, Kasie is on the hunt for ‘gators!). Which one did we like best, and why?

Day Trip to Galveston Island: What We Learned

The beach.  Young love.  Milestone birthday.   The same summer that I stayed with Aunt Sue and Uncle Wayne, I was turning 21.  My then-boyfriend (yes, a boy!) took me to Galveston Island for this momentous occasion. Galveston has thus always held a special place in my memory.   I wanted to reminisce and relive some of Galveston…this time with Kasie. 

Although parts of Galveston seemed familiar, it didn’t live up to my self-made hype.  First, Galveston is really a pretty touristy beach town, and neither Kasie nor I are really “beach people.”  We don’t do well just lying in the sun and reading a book.  We’d rather be out exploring or getting some exercise.  For naps our lounging, we tend to prefer the nice air conditioning of the RV.   Sure, the views of the ocean waters can be fabulous, but on this particular morning, it was foggy and cloud-covered.

Galveston Island State Park

Our main destination was Galveston Island State Park for a little hiking.  We paid the $5/vehicle fee at the self-serve station.  Our main objective that morning was to see some alligators, and we were quite disappointed to see that access to the Alligator Loop trail was closed because of park construction.  

We drove to the railhead for the 0.5-mile Eskimo Curlew Trail to see if we could spot some birds instead.   The trail derives its name from the Eskimo Curlew, which was last seen in Galveston in 1962.   There’s a large bird statue in the park that was installed as part of the Lost Bird Project.  From a distance, I mistook it for an actual bird, and have lots of grainy footage of it😊.    Although mosquitos the size of birds (they were Texas-BIG) had brunch on us, we really didn’t see that many birds.  Overall, Galveston Island State Park was disappointing.

Galveston-Port Bolivar Ferry

After grabbing a quick bite of non-authentic over-priced Mexican food in The Strand, we walked around the downtown shopping and entertainment district.  Then, in the afternoon, we acted like the ultimate tourists and we did the #1 Thing To Do in Galveston on Trip Advisor:  go on the free Galveston-Port Bolivar Ferry. 

The ferry has been operating since 1934 in some capacity. There were two ferries operating that day, and the ferries are the only way that motorists can cross the waterway between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island. We decided to skip the vehicle line, leave the truck in the parking lot, and just ride back-and-forth without a vehicle.  The ferry boats can carry approximately 70 vehicles on the 2.7-mile journey.   The load time is around 10 minutes, and trip itself takes about 20 minutes.  The ferry sounds like a lame cheesy thing to do, but it a very entertaining way to spend an hour.  We climbed to an observation deck level and marveled at mechanics of the loading/unloading of the various vehicles (including a few RVs).   Several pelicans called the pier home, and few pods of dolphins said hello on the trip.   Best of all, the entire thing is FREE!

Our advice: Skip the State Park. Take The Ferry.

Day Trip to Brazos Bend State Park: Gator Hunting!

Brazos Bend State Park is a 4,897-acre state park in Texas, located near Needville in Fort Bend County. The park is located about 45 miles southwest of downtown Houston and was just about 30 minutes from our campground.  A $7/person entrance fee seems a little pricey, but it is totally worth it. Why?

The park known for its diverse array of plants and animals, including a wide variety of birds and alligators.  YES, ‘GATERS!  We were finally saw alligators!  We saw about a dozen of them – either sunning themselves along the banks of the park's lakes and streams or swimming in the water.  Our route included the 1.2-mile 40 Acre Lake Trail to the 0.6-mile Spillway Trail, where we took part of the Elm Lake Trail to the 1.3-mile Horseshoe Loop.  My favorite alligator sighting was the South Side of Elm Lake, where we spotted several algae-covered alligators and turtles.  Along our hike, we spotted herons, egrets, woodpeckers, warblers, and even a few roseate spoonbill birds among the gorgeous Spanish Moss covered trees. We’ve been to several state parks in the United States, and Brazos Bend ranks in the Top 10 for me because of the wildlife.