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San Angelo State Park

Type: Trail

Length: 50.00 Miles

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: $4.00

Rating:

(4.23)475

Difficulty: halfstar

(0.95)

Solitude:

(4.63)

ADA Accessible: N/A

Bikes Allowed: Yes

Dogs Allowed: N/A

Interpretive Guide: N/A

City: San Angelo

County: Tom Green

More Information: More Info

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Photos

Don't know why but this fence post caught my eye. (Photo by MikeHikes)

This juvenile Mockingbird landed on a branch about 10 feet in front of me and checked me out. After I took his photo, his curiosity was satisfied and he departed. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I don't know what these are but they looked nice with the morning Sun back lighting them to show the petal's veins. (Photo by MikeHikes)

A very tiny ring collared snake was on the trail and was very actively attempting to get away from us. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Perched near the watering hole, the owls looked for prey. They were unsuccessful in their quest, at least while I was there. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Not much to photograph this morning except for the colorful West Texas sunrise. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I saw these birds in the past but this is the first one I've seen in quite awhile. It appears to be a juvenile due to size and a few pin feathers that were visible. (Photo by MikeHikes)

At the entrance of Burkett Park, this Jack Rabbit stood still long enough for me to get this photo. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Haven't seen one this close for quite some time. Beautiful bird! (Photo by MikeHikes)

In a couple of million years, this mesquite resin will turn into amber and be worth a few dollars. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Although not in the photo there were three hens and three young turkeys near the pond. I haven't seen as many turkeys as I normally do, probably due to the drought and relentless heat. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I watched this young beaver forage back and forth in the water before he decided it was time for a meal. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Only showing last 12 photos. View All Photos

Log Entries

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to River Bend Campground Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/25/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 5.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur > Upper Big Hill > service road (S) > Badlands > park road (NE) 2.7 miles

Leg 2 - park road (NE) > River Bend Campground > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 2.8 miles

Temp started at 77, ended at 89. Sunny with light SW breeze.

A short hike that started later in the day than usual. No animals spotted and only a few birds were seen. Really nothing much went on.

NOTES

Info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Bell's Trailhead. Water and shade available in the nearby campground.

Water, shade, info kiosk available at the Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area.

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at River Bend Campground.

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to Cougar Overlook Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 9/22/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 10.60 Miles Duration: 5 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Rollercoaster > West Potts Creek > Turkey Creek > 5 Points Junction > River Bend Trail > service road (NE) > Cougar Overlook 5.6 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > Flintstone Trail > 5 Points Junction > Flintstone (S) > Playground > Bell's Point > Playground (S) > Potts Creek > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 5.0 miles

Temp started at 66, ended at 82. Sunny, no clouds with a light 5mph SSW breeze.

All trails were dry, easy to see and traverse. LOTS and LOTS of spider silk all over the trails! I saw a dozen deer while driving in, a single cottontail rabbit, a javelina on Rollercoaster Trail and a Loggerhead Shrike on West Potts Creek trail. Otherwise there were very few birds out with the exception of a young Mockingbird (photo attached) who landed on a branch near me and allowed me to take his photograph before he departed.

Some purple thistle is coming out and I noticed a large number of grasshoppers were jumping around. Otherwise, it was a quiet and peaceful hike.

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park.

Water, shade and info kiosk available at 5 Points Junction.

Shade, info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Cougar Overlook.

Water, shade and info kiosk available at Bell's Point.

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/18/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.30 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Horny Toad Trailhead > Tasajilla Flats > Nature Trail > Lanky Lackey > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 3.8 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Winding Snake > Chaparral > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Playground parking area 3.5 miles

Temp started at 72, eneded at 83. Light SSW breeze at first then steadily increased to 10-15mph wind. Sunny w/few clouds.

Easy hike along familiar trails. I saw deer and a few cottontails then on Tasajilla Flats Trail, I saw a tortoise cross the trail and go into some brush. Bee Bush at various locations were still in bloom and gave off a nice scent. On Lanky Lackey where it crosses the now dried creek running from Javelina Pond, a very young feral piglet ran in front of me as it scampered to it's mother who I did NOT see but heard grunting. Not waiting to meet her, I back tracked a little and waited until the noise stopped then I quickly crossed the area - I have no desire to meet ANY animal mother guarding her young, especially a wild hog!

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair station are available at Playground parking area.

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets are available at Burkett Park.

South Shore - Roadrunner Loop + Chaparral Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/11/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 4.80 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Roadrunner Loop > Playground parking area 3.0 miles

Leg 2 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Red Dam Loop (partial) > Chaparral > Playground parking area 1.8 miles

Temp started at 68, ended at 73. Cloud overcast, 10mph NNE breeze, cool.

Easy hike along dry, easy to see and traverse trails. After the rains last week, there were a few bee bushes blooming. Some birds were out but not many and only a few deer were seen before the hike. Near the end of the hike, we saw a very small Ring Collared Snake that was maybe 4-6 inches long and very active in his efforts to get away from us (photo attached).

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair station available at Playground parking area.

Water and shade available at campsites along Roddrunner Loop. Two other toilets with info kiosks available by Roadrunner Loop as well.

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook loop
By MikeHikes on 8/28/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.80 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur (S) > Upper Big Hill > Badlands > River Bend > Javelina > Cougar Overlook 5.7 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Ghost Camp > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead > Bell's Trailhead 3.1 miles

Temp started at 77, ended at 85. Overcast then sunny with 5-10mph SW breeze. Slightly humid.

All trails were dry, easy to see and traverse. I spent some time on Shady Trail before the hike and saw two raccoons, two Great Horned Owls (photo attached) and a single beaver at the North Concho River pool. Water is running low so this watering hole is a good place to see what wildlife there is.

The rest of the hike was pretty uneventful - no other animals were spotted except for two deer I saw when I entered the park. Not many birds were out either. Besides the watering hole sightings there was nothing else going on.

NOTES

Info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Bell's Trailhead.

Water and shade available in the campground by Bell's Trailhead.

Water, shade and an info kiosk available at the Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area.

Shade and an inof kiosk available at Cougar Overlook.

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at the River Bend Camping Area.

South Shore - Playground parking area to Isabel Harte + Roadrunner Loop
By MikeHikes on 8/18/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.20 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Horny Toad Trailhead > Horny Toad > Nature Trail > park road to Isabel Harte 2.0 miles

Leg 2 - park road to Isabel Harte > Chaparral > Playground parking area 2.1 miles

Leg 3 - Playground parking area > Roadrunner Loop > Playground parking area 3.1 miles

Temp started at 77, ended at 83. Sunny with a few clouds, slightly humid and no breeze.

Quiet hike along dry, easy to see and traverse trails. Had to make this a short hike due to appointments. Unfortunately, by hiking familiar trails in a different order, I found a lot of trash along the trails. Most of it was old stuff so I know that it is gone never to return. Not many animals spotted - a cottontail, a javelina and six deer at various places along the hike. Bird activity was nonexistent for reasons unknown.

NOTES -

Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair station available at the Playground parking area.

Water and shade available at Isabel Harte.

Water and shade at various campsites along Roadrunner Loop. Three (3) locations along the trail have toilets and info kiosks as well.

South Shore - Burkett Park to Playground parking area Loop
By MikeHikes on 8/15/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.70 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Tasajilla Flats > Playground parking area 3.6 miles

Leg 2 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 3.4 miles

Leg 3 - Nature Trail .7 miles

Temp started at 74, ended at 83. High hazy overcast day with little to no intermittent breeze. Slightly humid air.

Easy hike along dry, easy to see and traverse trails. I spotted a juvenile Nighthawk near Burkett Park at the beginning of the hike (photo attached). I saw these birds at the park in the past but this was the first one I've seen in a few years. Not many birds were out and I saw very few deer. There wasn't much happening so this was just a lazy hike while I looked at the scenery and cleaned the trails.

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park.

Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair satation available at the Playground parking area.

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to 5 Points Junction Loop
By MikeHikes on 8/9/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.70 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett park > Burkett Trail > Potts Creek > Playground Bypass > Playground > Bell's Point > Playground (N) > Flintstone > 5 Points Junction 3.7 miles

Leg 2 - 5 Point Junction > dirt road (NE) > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.0 miles

Temp started at 80, ended at 95. Very sunny with none to a very slight and infrequent breeze.

Quiet hike along easy to see and traverse trails. I saw six javelinas and a few deer on my way in. At the beginning of the hike, I saw a lone Jack Rabbit (photo attached) and a few Black Buzzards flying around.

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park.

Water, shade and an info kiosk available at Bell's Point.

Water, shade and an info kiosk available at 5 Points Junction.

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Ghost Camp Loop
By MikeHikes on 8/5/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail (S) > Badlands > River Bend Trail > service road 4.4 miles

Leg 2 - service road (ENE) > Lower Ghost Camp Trail > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp Trail > South Slick Rock > North Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 2.6 miles

Temp started at 80, ended at 93. Sunny with haze then the haze burned off. No wind to light Southerly breeze by end of hike.

East hike along dry, easy to see and traverse trails. Numerous deer, including an Axis buck and at least four different fawns, were spotted. The big surprise was seeing a mother raccoon with two juveniles at one place and then seeing three almost baby raccoons at another. This is the first time I saw this many young racoons on a hike.

Numerous birds were spotted and seeing the Yellow Billed Cuckoo (photo attached) at the North Scenic Loop was a real treat. I saw a Horned Lizard on the Dinosaur Trail so I will re-start my Horned Lizard count. All in all a good hike.

NOTES

Water, shade and dry toilets available at the campsites by Bell's Trailhead.

Info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Bell's Trailhead.

Water, shade, and info kiosk available at the Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area.

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at the River Bend Campground.

South Shore - Roadrunner Loop + Playground to Burkett Park Loop
By MikeHikes on 8/2/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 9.70 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 45 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Roadrunner Loop > Playground parking area 3.1 miles

Leg 2 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Talley Valley > Horny Toad > Nature Trail > Lanky Lackey > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 3.7 miles

Leg 3 - Burkett Park > Winding Snake > Chaparral > Playground parking area 2.9 miles

Temp started at 80, ended at 95. Sunny with a constant 10-15mph Southerly breeze.

A hot but enjoyable hike along easy to see and traverse trails. Roadrunner Loop has been groomed fairly recently and is pretty smooth. I saw some mesquite sap oozing from cuts in the trees and it was crystallizing (photo attached). Looks nice and in another 2-10 million years it will be chunks of amber and worth a few bucks but right now, it is just a sticky mess best left alone.

I spotted numerous deer including an 8 point buck, lots of Scissortail Flycatchers including juveniles, a solitary Cottontail and a few other birds. I had the trails to myself and enjoyed a very peaceful stroll feeling the sun and wind on my skin.

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair station are available at the Playground Parking Area.

Water and shade are available at numerous campsites along Roadrunner Loop and there are three areas where toilets and info kiosks are available as well.

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets are available at Burkett Park.

Only showing last 10 log entries. View All Log Entries