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San Angelo State Park

Name: San Angelo State Park
Rating: 4.26

Type: Trail

Length: 50.00 Miles

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: $4.00

Rating:

(4.26)421

Difficulty: 1star

(1.00)

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

Far off in the distance with the sun back lighting the bird, using my 100-400 lens, this was the best photo I got of a Yellow Shafted Flicker. Don't recall seeing one here before today. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Not many flowers are still in bloom except for this patch of Sunflowers by the dried up Frog Pond. A migrating Monarch did not bother to stop and check them out. (Photo by MikeHikes)

The Preying Mantis asked as I took his picture then guided him off the trail and toward some tall grasses. (Photo by MikeHikes)

This spider was waiting for another insect to investigate the prickly pear apple. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Not a Monarch but a Queen. Underside looks nearly identical to the Monarch but the topside is different. Seeing more of these now at the park. (Photo by MikeHikes)

An Early Scout for the Annual Monarch Migration

The park usually has a large number of Monarchs come through on their way to Mexico. I hope this solitary scout is not a bad sign. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I can only assume they escaped from one of the nearby game ranches. No buck was seen with them. (Photo by MikeHikes)

The juvenile Mockingbird was not concerned about the Hummingbird and never left his perch. When I walked closer, he decided to leave and the Hummingbird disappeared as well. (Photo by MikeHikes)

HURRAY! The bee bush has finally bloomed!

Recent heavy rains caused the bee bush to bloom! Normally they bloom three or even four times in a year but this is the first bloom this year (late August). (Photo by MikeHikes)

A grey fox was watching the sunrise as I drove in. When he noticed my car, he went deep into the brush. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I've seen the larger, dark cicadas at the park in the recent past, this smaller and "golden" colored cicada was the first one I've seen - I'll look for them again in 17 years ..... if I remember. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Look closely at the muddy area. This is the third time I've spotted a feral hog at the river's edge. I've never seen them in the park but I've seen the damage they do to the fauna. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Only showing last 12 photos. View All Photos

Log Entries

South Shore - Isabel Harte Loop
By MikeHikes on 10/10/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 4.20 Miles Duration: N/A

Route - Isabel Harte Day Multi Use Area > Chaparral (S) > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Talley Valley (N) > Horny Toad > Nature Trail > park road to Isabel Harte > Chaparral 4.2 miles

Temp started at 65, ended at 75. Sunny and breezy.

Hike along familiar trails. Nice breeze made the hike that much more enjoyable. The only real place where the trail needs "grooming" was on Red Dam Loop. Some of the vegetation has growwn but not to an abnormal degree. Otherwise, all the trails were very nice.

NOTES

Dry toilets and water available at Isabel Harte in one place. Shade available at numerous campsites.

South Shore - Isabel Harte Figure 8 Loop
By MikeHikes on 10/6/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Leg 1 - Isabel Harte Day Use Area > Chaparral (S) > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Talley Valley (N) > Horny Toad > Nature Trail > park road to Isabel Harte > Chaparral 3.9 miles

Leg 2 - Isabel Harte > Winding Snake > Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > park road to Isabel Harte > Isabel Harte 3.1 miles

Temp started at 60, ended at 76. Sunny with a steady light, SW breeze.

Pleasant hike along mostly groomed trails - portions of Red Dam loop were overgrown but still passable. There was minimal bird and animal activity with the exception of seeing about 10 Scissortail Flycatchers at Isabel Harte. There were a few Monarch butterflies spotted as well as the numerous grasshoppers.

Nothing much else to say except it was as always, a good hike.

NOTES

Water and dry toilets available at Isabel Harte. Shade available at numerous sites.

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

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/29/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 9.60 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 45 minutes

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail > Upper Big Hill > Dinosaur Trail (S) > Badlands > River Bend > service road (WNW) > Cougar Overlook 6.1 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > Javalina > 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 3.5 miles

Temp started at 68, ended at 78. Overcast and humid for Leg 1, then mostly sunny. Light breeze.

An easy hike this morning. Not much activity besides a few deer for the first leg of the hike then when the Sun came out and the temperature rose, numerous grasshoppers were out as well as a few birds. Of note, I saw a Plains Leopard Frog for the first time along Dinosaur Trail, a little far from the creek but healthy. Also worth noting - the Monarch have arrived! The park is on their flyway and this morning I saw quite a few of them near the pecan trees on Shady Trail and the North Scenic Loop.

NOTES

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

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

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

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

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to Armadillo Ridge Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/26/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 3.50 Miles Duration: 2 hours

Leg 1 - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster Trail > West Potts Creek > East Potts Creek Trail

Leg 2 - East Potts Creek Trail > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park

East, fitness hike along dry and easy to traverse trails. A few portions of Roller Coaster wer a little more difficult due to loose stones and dirt on the downslopes. No animal, bird or reptile activity seen. I saw some spiders (photo attached) and lots of grasshoppers.

A short but pleasant hike.

NOTES

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

Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to 5 Points Junction Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/23/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.70 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

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

Leg 2 - 5 Points Junction > Flintstone (S) > Playground Trail > Bell's Point > Playground Trail > Potts Creek > Burkett Trail > Burkett park 3.5miles

Temp started at 46, ended at 76. Sunny with light breeze.

A cold start along recently groomed trails. The cold weather kept almost all the animals, birds and insects in their burrows and nests. I saw a doe and two fawns at the park entrance and one lone doe during the hike, very few birds and no insects until late in the hike when the sun warmed the air and the grasshoppers appeared in abundant numbers.

The trails were dry and easy to traverse. For the most part, the trails were groomed the only exceptions being in hard to get to portions on the Roller Coaster and Playground Trails.

NOTES

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

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

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

South Shore - Playground parking area to Isabel Harte + Roadrunner Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/15/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.70 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

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

Leg 2 - Playground parking area > Horny Toad > Tasajilla Flats > Nature Trail > park road to Isabel Harte 2.6 miles

Leg 3 - park road to Isabel Harte > Chaparral > Playground parking area 2.0 miles

Temp started at 65, ended at 80. Overcast for Legs 1 & 2 , then mostly sunny. Light breeze most of the time.

All trails listed have been recently trimmed and are easy to traverse. There was very little wildlife activity although I did see a pair of Scissortail Flycatchers which was good. I also saw a ring-collared snake early in the hike but otherwise the only other thing of interest was a Monarch Butterfly (photo attached). They are due to arrive in a few more weeks as they migrate South so I was surprised to see only one today.

When I arrived, there were 6-8 cars and trucks already parked (0810). I saw five different people on the trails at various times so the solitude was not as good as usual. BUT, when I finished my hike, everyone had gone! Guess they got there, did their thing and departed quickly.

An unremarkable hike but as always, any hike is a good one.

NOTES

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

Water available at one spot and shade available at campsites at Isabel Harte.

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/8/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 9.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 40 minutes

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Shady Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > South Slick Rock > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp > service road (W) > River Bend Connector > Javelina > Cougar Overlook 3.2 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > service road (SW) > River Bend (N) > Badlands > service road (NW) > Upper Big Hill > DInosaur > DInosaur Viewing Area > Dinosaur > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Bell's Trailhead 5.8 miles

Temp started at 70, ended at 86. Sunny, little to no breeze.

Easy hike along trails that are becoming overgrown with vegetation from the recent rains. I saw a group of four Axis deer which are not native to the park (photo attached). Surprisingly, there is still a low stream of water moving into the river near the River Bend campground boatramp. More purple thistle is coming up and there were a few spots of beebush sltill in bloom. Otherwise, there was hardly any animal or bird activity seen.

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 and dry toilets availabl at River Bend Campground.

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

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

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 9/1/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.10 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 3.1 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Horny Toad > Playground parking area 3.0 miles

Temp started at 74, ended at 85. Sunny with fairly steady 5-10mph southerly breeze, humid.

Trails were dry but the humidity in the air and in the vegetation caused my shoes to get wet with morning dew. Haze from the humidity was visible but the breeze kept me somewhat comfortable. The trails are becoming overgrown with all the recent rains but still easy to see and traverse. No wildlife and very few birds except for the juvenile Mockingbird and female (?) Hummingbird I saw on the Red Dam (photo attached). The Hummer was zooming toward the Mocker but the Mocker was unconcerned and held his perch. There are still lots of grasshoppers that will jump/fly away wuth every step you take. The beebush is still blooming on the Nature Trail which makes hiking it very pleasant! Near the end of the hike on Horny Toad Trail, I noticed a "circle" of about 20 Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures in the air a short distance away but didn't see them land nor did I smell anything dead. Perhaps they were just riding the currents as they looked for a meal.

NOTES

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

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

South Shore - Playground Parking Area to Armadillo Ridge Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 8/26/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 10.70 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Horny Toad > Tasajilla Flats > Nature Trail > Lankey Lackey > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 3.9 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Burkett Trail > Potts CReek > West Potts Creek > Roller Coaster > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 3.9 miles

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

Temp started at 72, ended at 86. Sunny with 1-5mph intermittent SW breeze. Humid

Trails were for the most part dry. Vegetation is growing over parts of the trails and at two points - on the Potts Creek and West Potts creek trails - there is standing stagnant water from last week's rain. There is some visible debris from the flooding of Potts Creek but the trails overall are in good shape. Caution is advised if you ride a bike. When the rain water went down the trails, it took whatever topsoil was covering the rocks and cut deeper, narrower channels in the trails which could cause a tire to unexpectedly get stuck in the rut.

On a positive note - the rains have caused the bee bush to finally blossom for the first time this year (photo attached). The scent of vanilla is prevalent in many places and made the hike that much more enjoyable.

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 Cougar Overlook Loop
By MikeHikes on 8/22/2021
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.40 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Burkett Park > Burkett Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Flintstone (N) > Cougar Overlook 3.2 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > service road (SW) > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.2 miles

Temp started at 75, ended at 86. Sunny, wind became steady at 5-10mph from South.

An easy hike along dry trails. Had a LOT of rain (park had 7 inches in 24 hours) with lots of water in creeks that are normally dry. OC Fisher Reservoir went from 5% to 7% but there was no real damage to the trails I hiked today!

I saw a fox as I was driving in (photo attached), three groups of javelinas, lots of whitetail deer, turkeys and a cottontail rabbit. Not many birds were out but there were quite a few grasshoppers and small lizards.

Overall a good hike.

NOTES

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

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

Only showing last 10 log entries. View All Log Entries