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San Angelo State Park

Type: Trail

Length: 50.00 Miles

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: $4.00

Rating:

(4.29)381

Difficulty: 1star

(1.03)

Solitude:

(4.64)

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

Recent snows have melted and partially filled a previously dried up pond called "Frog Pond" that had a large population of .... FROGS! (Photo by MikeHikes)

A cold, foggy and frosty morning for a hike. (Photo by MikeHikes)

A very small piece of the Playground Trail. Not all rock and not all dirt, just a long scenic trail. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I hope the buck gets to grow his antlers before he's shot. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Took no photos on this hike but here's one from an earlier hike at the park. (Photo by MikeHikes)

What seemed to be an unusually large number of male Cardinals were spotted today. Mostly near the North Scenic Loop area although some were seen in other locations. Beautiful birds! (Photo by MikeHikes)

This is one of the American Goldfinches I saw this morning. They usually pass through the park and continue further South. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Perhaps they're common but I see them rarely so it was an occasion when I spotted this guy. He made many trips up and down the stretch of river but I never saw him with a fish. (Photo by MikeHikes)

A common winter visitor, there were two groups of four Meadowlarks spotted near Cougar Overlook - the first time I've seen them this year. (Photo by MikeHikes)

One of the few birds that came out today. Using a PS sky replacement layer seemed to give him a "heroic" pose. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Organized hunt last week left these two without a buck. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Most of the Monarch Butterflies have already headed South but there are a few stragglers still around. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Only showing last 12 photos. View All Photos

Log Entries

South Shore Playground parking area to Burkett Park and back
By MikeHikes on 1/15/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 50 minutes

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

Return - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Horny Toad > Talley Valley > Chaparral > Playground parking area 3.5 miles

Temp started at 31, ended at 50. Sunny, no clouds with NW wind increasing from 5mph to 15mph.

Temperatures gradually warmed above freezing which caused the change in trail conditions so the trails were frozen when I started and muddy when I finished the hike. I spotted a number of whitetail deer and a lone javalina. Also seen were a couple of red tailed hawks as well as numerous smaller birds. Nobody else was on the trail so it was a solitary, pleasant, and peaceful hike.

NOTES

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

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

North Shore Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook and Back
By MikeHikes on 1/9/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 10.20 Miles Duration: 5 hours

Out - Bell's Trailhead > Dinosaur Trail > DInosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail > Upper Big Hill > Badlands > River Bend Trail > service road to Cougar Overlook > Cougar Overlook 6.0 miles

Return - Cougar Overlook > Javalina > River Bend (N) > service road to Lower Ghost Camp > Lower Ghost Camp Trail > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp Trail > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 4.2 miles

Temp started at 29, ended at 41. Foggy, frosty and overcast majority of the time but gradually cleared a little. Little to no wind.

A cold, frosty and damp hike for the most part. The trails were covered in frost but otherwise easy to see and traverse. A few deer were out but very skittish and ran as soon as they saw me. Not many birds out except for Loggerhead Shrikes - I saw six at various places on the hike.

A cold, grey day but it was nice to hike in the relative quiet.

NOTES -

Water, shade, info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Bell's Trailhead.

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

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

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

Park Mid-Section Burkett Park to 5 Points Junction Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 1/5/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.90 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 40 minutes

Out - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Potts Creek > Playground > Bell's Point > Playground > Flintstone > 5 Points Junction 5.0 miles

Return - 5 Points Junction > Turkey Creek > Potts Creek > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.9 miles

Temp started at 32 and ended at 50. Sunny with little to no wind.

Uneventful hike along frosty and damp trails. After the scheduled weekend hunt, the animals were pretty scare. I saw a lone doe as I drove in then spotted a small herd of five deer about two hours later - when the herd saw me from a distance, they went running! Later, a lone javalina burst from the brush about 20 yards in front of me and quickly disappeared. I saw a few birds here and there but it was just the usual suspects.

The trails were easy to see and traverse so although there wasn't much wildlife about, it was still a good way to stretch the legs for my first hike of 2021!

Total miles hiked (prior to this hike) - 3038.1.

Total hikes logged (prior to this hike) - 380

Average distance (prior to this hike) - 8.0 miles

NOTES

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

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

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

South Shore Roadrunner Loop and Playground to Isabel Harte and Back
By MikeHikes on 12/18/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Roadrunner Loop > Playground parking area 3.2 miles

Leg 2 - Playground parking area > Horny Toad > Nature Trail > park road to Isabel Harte > Chaparral > Playground parking area 4.3 miles

Temps started at 44, ended at 50. Overcast then partly sunny. Winds from SW increased from 5mph to 15-20mph at the end of the hike.

Easy hike along dry trails. Wind kept almost all the animals in their shelters except for one pair of deer (photo attached), Scheduled hunt coming up in a few weeks - best of luck to the deer. Some birds were out so I saw Meadowlarks, Black Throated Sparrows, White Crowned Sparrows and others. No exciting events just a nice hike on a windy day.

NOTES

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

Water, shade, and toilets available at campsites along the Roadrunner Loop.

North Shore Bell's Trailhead to River Bend Campground Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 12/12/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.30 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Route - Bell's Trailhead > Shady Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Badlands > park road to River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp Trail > South Slick Rock > North Slick Rock > Upper Big Hill > Dinosaur Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Bell's Trailhead 6.3 miles

Temp started at 44, ended at 55. Partly cloudy, then mostly sunny with intermittent winds at about 10 mph.

Easy hike along familiar, dry trails. Large numbers of people were camping as well as being on the trails. Consequently, no animals and only a few birds were spotted while hiking.

Good that people are using the park but too many of them are leaving trash; by the end of my hike, I had picked up a fairly large bag of items found on or near, the trails. If you bring it in, pack it out!

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk and a bicycle repair station at or near, Bell's Trailhead.

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

Water, shade and info kiosk available at Dinosaur Tracks Viewin Area on Dinosaur Trail.

North Shore Bell's Trailhead to River Bend Campground and back
By MikeHikes on 12/7/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 4.70 Miles Duration: N/A

Out - Bell's Trailhead > Shady Trail > Rock Creek Trail > service road > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Badlands > park road (NE) > River Bend Campground 3.0 miles

Return - River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Bell's Trailhead 1.7 miles

Temp started at 32, ended around 50. Sunny with light wind.

Easy hike combined with a photo hunt. Wanted to see the Bobcats and/or Kingfisher again so took our time looking for both. The bobcats were not found although we saw deer and lots of birds. The Kingfisher was spotted on the return leg but no real photos were taken due to distance. Although we didn't photograph what we wanted to, a hike is always a good thing.

NOTES

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

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

South Shore Playground Parking Area to Burkett Park Loop
By MikeHikes on 12/4/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.40 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Out - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett park 3.4 miles

Return - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Tasajilla Flats > Horny Toad > Playground parking area 4.0 miles

Temps started at 22, ended at 43. Sunny, light wind, COLD for the first two hours then gradually "warmed up" to 43.

First seriously cold weather hike of the season. I had to wear wind pants, field jacket, gloves and balaclava. Surprisingly, there were quite a few deer out and birds, including raptors, made an appearance as they hunted for food or just to stay warm. Near Burkett park, I saw some American Goldfinches in their winter plumage. Frost was on much of the vegetation and the water troughs were frozen, but I found no slick spots on the trails. Even though it was cold, it was a very good hike!

NOTES

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

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

North Shore Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook and back
By MikeHikes on 11/23/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 10.10 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 50 minutes

Out - Bell's Trailhead > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail > Upper Big Hill > Badlands > River Bend > service road (NNE) > Cougar Overlook 6.3 miles

Return - Cougar Overlook > Javalina Trail > River Bend > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 3.7 miles

Temp started at 45, ended at 64. Overcast until the last 2 miles then partly cloudy. Cool, southerly wind at 10 mph.

A great hike today! I saw two Bobcats on the North Concho River at Shady Trail, quite a few deer as well as numerous birds including a Belted Kingfisher (photo attached) that I'd spotted on my last hike. The Bobcats were on the opposite shore from me and were just starting to get a drink when there was a loud SNAP!; they both ran up the embankment like bullets and were gone. The noise was created by the longhorns who came down to get their morning drink as well.

The Kingfisher was near the River Bend Campground and seems to have staked that part of the river as his territory. I saw him a few weeks back but couldn't get a photo. This time I was better prepared and got a few good pictures. He was very spooky and wouldn't let me get close so what I got was the best I could get.

Trails were dry and easy to traverse. There were quite a few equestrians camped at the north shore campground but I didn't see anyone else on the trails.

NOTES

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

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

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

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

Park Mid-section Burkett Park to Cougar Overlook
By MikeHikes on 11/19/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.80 Miles Duration: 4 hours

Out -- Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Potts Creek > Turkey Creek > 5 Points Junction > River Bend > service road (NNE) > Cougar Overlook 5.7 miles

Return - Cougar Overlook > Flintstone > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Burkett Trail > Burkett park 3.1 miles

Temp started at 60, ended at 70. Overcast with fairly consistent, 15-20 mph South wind.

Peaceful hike along easy to see, dry trails. Only animals spotted were a javalina and a whitetail deer. Some birds were out and stayed pretty low to the ground. One notable bird sighting was a group of Meadowlarks - the first sighting of this bird at the park this Fall. I passed two other hikers during the four hours I was out on the trails so it was not crowded; all in all, the hike was a very quiet and peaceful walk in Nature.

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.

South Shore Playground Parking Area to Burkett Park Loop
By MikeHikes on 11/8/2020
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours

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

Return - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Tasajilla Flats > Horny Toad > Playground parking area 4.0 miles

Temp started at 60, ended at 65. Overcast with steadily rising wind from the South.

Uneventful hike along dry and mostly groomed trails. A few places on different trails need to have some vegetation cut but the trail is easily visible. I saw six deer at the beginning of the hike and no other animals. The few birds that were out, stayed very low to the ground except for the Mockingbirds. Being Sunday, there were quite a few people using the trails and perhaps thats why the animals and birds stayed hidden for the majority of the time I hiked.

NOTES

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

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

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