Warning: Your browser appears to have Javascript disabled. In order to use some features of Hiking Trailhead successfully, such as this one, you'll need to enable Javascript.

San Angelo State Park

Name: San Angelo State Park
Rating: 4.16

Type: Trail

Length: 50.00 Miles

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: $4.00

Rating:

(4.16)636

Difficulty: halfstar

(0.88)

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

Log Your Hike

Map

Larger Map

Download

Photos

This buck and the three does in his harem started running as soon as they saw my car. The does were quicker and no photo was taken. This photo was snapped through the car windshield which explains the "hazy" look. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Temps were pleasant and the air was damp. A nice photo of the rising Sun with some clouds. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I had planned to hike the park's North Shore but with rain predicted, decided to stay at the South Shore. This photo shows the rain in the distance but none fell on me while hiking. Yes, it was pretty dark when I took the photo. (Photo by MikeHikes)

This armadillo was spotted at Cougar Overlook. In the past, I would see a few armadillos each year but this is the first one I've seen in maybe 5 years. I don't know why they have become as rare as they are especially this guy who was very large. (Photo by MikeHikes)

A bird greets the rising sun. It was a very nice day! (Photo by MikeHikes)

First Kingbird of the season singing for a mate. Beautiful birds and very adept at catching bugs. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Numerous Lace Cactus have blooms that add splashes of purple and pink to the brown and green ground. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Scattered Bee Bushes along Tasajilla Flats are showing a few flowers. The scent of vanilla was faint but pleasant! (Photo by MikeHikes)

Mesquites are showing their lime green fronds. (Photo by MikeHikes)

This Roadrunner was making a lot of noise as I approached. I assume he was greeting me rather than telling me to leave. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Always a pleasant reminder that Spring is in the air! The yellow flowers and distinct scent are indicators that Spring will soon be here. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Nothing much to see this morning except for this view from Burkett Trail looking North (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 5/30/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail (S) > Lower Big Hill > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > South Slick Rock Trail > River Bend Campground 4.1 miles

Leg 2 - River Bend ampground > Camp entrance road (W) > Badlands Trail (N) > service road (NE) > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Bell's Trailhead 2.9 miles

Temps started at 70, ended at 80. Mostly hazy and overcast with a few breaks in the clouds. Humid with slight SE breeze 0-5mph.

It has been a few months since I hiked the North Shore and it will be a few more months before I return. In the fairly recent past, there have been rains that flooded parts of the North Shore section of the park; consequently, some of the trails had been closed. With the announcement a few days ago that two of the main trails had been re-opened, I decided to hike them. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!

The majority of the trails listed in Leg 1, to include Shady Trail (a popular trail) were overgrown with vegetation and in some cases, the growth was waist high or higher. It is the growing season and with the abundant rains, the native grasses and weeds have flourished. Unfortunately the park personnel have not had the time to maintain the trails so they are in a somewhat safe to trod condition. By that I mean you have to tread carefully and always be concious of rattlesnakes on or near the trails. Yes, rattlesnakes will lay in the grass alongside a trail or in the middle of the trail so I am always watching where I place my feet. Additionally, I want to avoid stepping on other reptiles such as lizards and horned toads.

The trails on Leg 2 were in better condition but there were still numerous places where the vegetation needs to be clipped. 'Nuff said on that subject.

Animals spotted were Axis deer - a buck and three does right as I was driving into the park (photo attached). Other deer as well as some birds and a few lizards were also seen. Majority of the wildflowers in bloom were Mexican hats with a few buffalo gourd plants showing their colors. The cactus blossoms were few and far between which was understandable since I was there in the morning and the blossoms that were on the cactus were still closed. There were exceptions and they were colorful!

Overall, it was good to go to the North Shore to see how the trails looked but it was unfortunate the vast majority of trails I hiked, needed some serious maintenance. At this point in time, I would NOT recommend hiking or biking the trails mentioned at the North Shore.

NOTES -

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

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

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

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to Cougar Overlook and Back
By MikeHikes on 5/25/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 45 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett Park > Burkett Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > park service road (NE) > Cougar Overlook 4.5 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > short road to Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.5 miles

Temp started at 62, ended at 74. Overcast and hazy w/slight 5-8mph East breeze.

Easy hike along damp to wet to muddy trails. Because of the recent rains, the "normal" trails were too muddy so I decided to hike along more established, harder packed trails, i.e., the Trailhead to Trailhead trail which is mostly ob older park roads that are no lonegr used. Some portions are old asphalt, others, rock a few dirt but in all cases, the trail was much easier to traverse than the other named trails.

Animals spotted were deer, cottontail rabbits and a Jack Rabbit. Birds were out mostly dove and quail although I saw a Killdeer at two locations making sure I saw him as he ran along the ground squawking and drawing me away from his nest. Another bird of interest were two turkeys near the old cattle pens. Turkey are park residents but you normally don't see them so this was nice.

NOTES -

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park. SPECIAL NOTE - a new water and bottle filling station has been installed but the water to it, has not yet been turned on. The horse trough is also dry but water is available at the older, water spigot.

Shade, info kiosk and a bicycle reapir station are available at Cougar Overlook. SPECIAL NOTE - as of this writing (5/25/26) the air hose at the bicycle repair station is missing a piece on the air hose head which means you cannot use it to inflate tires. Notification of the issue has been made to the park.

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park - Long Loop
By MikeHikes on 5/15/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.30 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > 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

Temps started at 70, ended at 80. Mostly cloudy with brief sun, steady 10-20mph SW breeze.

Easy hike along dry and familiar trails. At some point in the recent past, park personnel had cut some of the vegetation back from the trails so there were a lot of cut grasses on and near the trails. Two armadillos were spotted at the cabins as well as a lone Jack Rabbit. Further down the trail, a skunk rounded a corner and didn't notice me until I made some noise at which point his tail went up and I backed off until he was safely past.

Birds were out singing and quite a few lizards were out as well. Cactus blooms were mainly yellow in color with a few red and yellow cactus blooms visible. Mexican hats in both red and yellow were also blooming. The bee bush is almost gone but the very faint scent of vanilla was still detected.

All in all a quiet, peaceful hike!

NOTES -

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

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

SPECIAL NOTE - the new water bottle and water fountain kiosks have been installed but there is no water flowing from them at this time.

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to Cougar Overlook Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 4/24/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.90 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 20 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Turkey Creek > 5 Points Junction 4.2 miles

Leg 2 - 5 Points Junction > River Bend > park service road (NE) > Cougar Overlook > Flintstone > 5 Points Junction 2.8 miles

Leg 3 - 5 Points Junction > Flintstone (S) > park service road (NE) > park service road (SW) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 1.9 miles

Temps started at 69, ended at 76. Sunny, slightly humid with steady SW winds at 10-15mph.

Trails were dry to damp from the humidity and spotty rains over the past few days. Because of the much needed rain, the warm temps and the time of year, the vegetation has really gone through a growth spurt and many parts of the numerous trails I was on today are in need of a trim. The grasses and growth are easy to walk through BUT there is the ever present and very real danger of stepping on or near a rattlesnake. The only snake I saw today was a ring collared snake about 8 - 12 inches long that was lying motionless next to the trail. When I went to get a photo, it flipped it's red tipped tail at me and slithered off.

Wild flowers are becoming a more common sight with yellow and white being the predominant colors with splashes of blue and purple from "wine cups". The numerous bee bushes were flowering as well and the pleasant scent of vanilla was always present on today's hike. Animals spotted were deer and cottontail rabbits as well as an armadillo (photo attached) which was very large! I haven't seen an armadillo in a few years so seeing this one was nice!

A brief explanation about the attached photo - I do not believe it is ethical to antagonize, provoke or interrupt any animals, birds or insects while trying to get a photograph. This armadillo had climbed up the slope after I departed Cougar Overlook and I only saw him by chance. Rather than interrupt or deter him from his intended path, I chose to simply record what I saw and not interrupt him as he nonchalantly wandered into the brush.

NOTES -

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

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

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

SPECIAL NOTE - With the submission of this report, I am now Number 1 in TOTAL DISTANCE with 5144.80 miles on the Texas Hiking website !

South Shore - Playground parking area to Armadillo Ridge - Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 4/17/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 10.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 2.9 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Potts Creek > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.7 miles

Leg 3 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Horny Toad > Playground Parking Area 3.4 miles

Temps started at 70, ended at 77. Overcast then mostly cloudy. Steady 10-15mph Southerly wind. Light humidity.

Another round of spotty rains since my last hike made the trails dry or muddy and everything in between. One negative side effect of the rains has been the washing away of the topsoil on the trails which exposes the numerous rocks on the trail. NOT good for my feet! The positive benefits were numerous including another round of blooms on the bee bush resulting in a very noticeable scent of vanilla everywhere I went. A lot of cactus have buds which will soon open as cactus flowers. Lots of birds singing for mates, more wild flowers are in bloom and lizards were everywhere.

NOTES -

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

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

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park - Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 4/13/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.70 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 3.0 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Tasajilla FLats > Playground parking area 3.7 miles

Temps started at 70, ended at 77. Overcast then partly cloudy and humid with steady 5-10mph SW breeze.

Shortened hike along wet to muddy trails. I planned to do a longer hike but with the trail being as muddy and slippery as it was, decided to forego a longer hike and settled for a shorter one. Deer, cottontail rabbits, a Roadrunner as well as the return of The King (photo attached) were spotted. Other birds were out singing for mates but overall it was a case of "I hear the birds but they are staying too low to photograph." One exception - after flushing out numerous coveys of quail while hiking, I finally spotted one quail running along the ground. Also, at Isabel Harte Day Use Area, there appear to be a pair or even two pairs of Killdeer that are now park residents. I'd like to see some hatchlings but I'll have to wait a bit to do so.

NOTES -

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

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

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to 5 Points Junction and Back
By MikeHikes on 4/8/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.80 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Turkey Creek > 5 Points Junction 4.1 miles

Leg 2 - 5 Points Junction > Flintstone (S) . Playground > Bell's Point > Playground (S) > Potts Creek > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.7 miles

Temp started at 50, ended at 60. Mostly sunny with a steady SW 5-10mph breeze.

Easy hike along dry and easy to traverse trails. Cottontail rabbits, a lone turkey, deer and quite a few birds were out today. After my last hike when I encountered a hidden rattlesnake, I spent a lot of time focused on the area where I'd place my feet - no rattlers were spotted which was very good! Two weeks ago on my last hike, I saw numerous Lace Cactus with small buds. Today the vast majority of those cactus have purple flowers where the buds were (photo attached). Other wildflowers are also starting to appear to include Indian Blankets and purple wine cups. Overall it was just a pleasant hike!

NOTES -

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

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

Water, shade and an info kiosk are available at Bell's Point. IMPORTANT - AS OF 04-08-26 THERE IS NO WATER AT BELL'S POINT.

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park + Roadrunner Loop
By MikeHikes on 3/25/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 9.90 Miles Duration: 5 hours

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Tasajilla Flats > Nature Trail > Lanky Lackey > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 4.0 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Winding Snake > Chaparral >Playground parking area 2.8 miles

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

Temps started at 69, ended at 84. Sunny with a steady Southerly 10 mph breeze. Slight humidity.

Mileage based on prior hike - no pedometer today!

Easy hike along familiar trails. Quite a few deer were out including a younger one or two. Birds were singing for mates and a few high flying pairs of cormoronts and Great Blue Herons were heading North. Not much to see except another sign Spring has arrived - the bee brush(bush) has started to bloom on some of the bushes along Tasajilla Flats and Roadrunner Trails (photo attached). The faint scent of vanilla combined with the scent of the agarita blooms on nearby plants was a pleasure to enjoy.

SPECIAL INFO - today was the first time in a few years I had a rattlesnake encounter. It happened on the last mile of Roadrunner loop near the gatehouse. I was hiking back to Playground when I heard a "buzzing" sound coming from the left. My first thought was to look at the nearby mesquite for a cicada and wondered why it was out so early. The buzzing increased and I quickly realized it was a rattler but I didn't see him. I moved as far to the right as possible and hurriedly walk away until the noise abatted. Curious, I slowly walked back and as I did the ratttling increased so I stopped and finally saw the 3-4 foot long snake - he was coiled into a strike pose about 10 feet away from me hidden in the shaded grass near the left edge of the trail. I backed away again until he stopped rattling and watched as he uncoiled and slowly made his way to the mesquite tree.

I was near the gatehouse and reported it to the rangers. They said mine was the third report this week - and today is Wednesday! ALWAYS watch where you place your feet!!!

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 trailhead. Be advised the water hose needs to be gripped near the base otherwise you will be sprayed as it has a crack in it.

Water and shade are available at various campsites along Roadrunner Loop. There are three areas with water, shade, info kiosks and toilets available at various place along Roadrunner Loop.

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to 5 Points Junction Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 3/20/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.40 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Potts Creek (E) > Playground > Bell's Point > Playground (N) > Flintstone > 5 Points Junction 4.5 miles

Leg 2 - 5 Points Junction > Turkey Creek > Potts Creek (E) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.9 miles

Temps started at 59, ended at 84. Sunny with a steady SSW 10mph breeze.

Easy hike along dry, easy to see and traverse trails. Deer and a few cottontail rabbits were spotted as I drove to Burkett Park but no other animals were seen. A few birds were out but even though they were singing for mates, they weren't readily visible to photograph. Spring started today and the mesquites are showing their lime green fronds (photo attached). A few flowers are out and some of the Lace Cactus have buds that will soon flower. The San Angelo Road Lizards are prepping the trails for an event and there was a lot of tape and signs marking the trails.

NOTES -

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

Water, shade and info kiosk are available at Bell's Point. IMPORTANT - as of this date (03-20-26) there is NO WATER AT BELL'S POINT.

Water, shade, info kiosk and, as of this date, portable toilets are available at 5 Points Junction. The portable toilets ARE TEMPORARY and will be removed soon after the Road Lizards event.

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 3/15/2026
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.60 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking rarea > Chaparral > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 3.2 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Horhy Toad > Talley Valley > Chaparral > Playground parking area 3.4 miles

Temp started at 69, ended at 84. Sunny and clear with very STRONG winds (15-30mph).

Easy to see and traverse trails. Deer, a lone javelina and some birds were out but most stayed in place because of the winds. Right at the beginning of the hike, a loud Roadrunner was either squawking at me or looking for a mate (photo attached). Other birds were singing but the majority stayed low and out of the wind. The mesquites are leafing out with lime green fronds. There will be an unusually cold weather front moving in tonight with temps expected to be 33 degrees - VERY different from the norm and not good for the just budding bushes and leafing trees.

NOTES -

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

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets are available at Burkett Park. IMPORTANT - as of this writing the water at Burkett Park is ON.

Only showing last 10 log entries. View All Log Entries