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San Angelo State Park

Name: San Angelo State Park
Rating: 4.23

Type: Trail

Length: 50.00 Miles

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: $4.00

Rating:

(4.23)482

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

Some of the mesquite tree leaves are turning yellow but it was a surprise to see this tree and some other vegetation with yellow leaves. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Haven't spotted any Kingfishers in quite awhile so seeing him was a pleasant surprise. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Meadowlarks are Winter Visitors at the park and I like seeing the colorful birds. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I didn't notice the missing leg until I looked at the photo. Nonetheless, he seemed to be moving pretty well using the other five legs. (Photo by MikeHikes)

I expected to see clusters of Monarchs but only saw these two. SAD! (Photo by MikeHikes)

One of the numerous Monarchs passing through the park as they migrate South for the Winter. (Photo by MikeHikes)

Not the sharpest photo but the best I could get while looking up as these two Red Tail Hawks dueled above me. One flew off, the victor stayed in place. (Photo by MikeHikes)

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)

Only showing last 12 photos. View All Photos

Log Entries

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park Big Loop
By MikeHikes on 11/10/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.50 Miles Duration: 4 hours

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 3.4 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Tasajilla Flats > Playground parking area 4.1 miles

Temp started at 70, ended at 75. Overcast then partly cloudy with a steady SSW breeze at 10mph.

An easy hike along dry easy to see and traverse trails.

The Mid and Northern sections of the park were closed for hunting. A few birds were spotted including a Loggerhead Shrike and a pair of adult turkeys near the end of the hike. Two does were the only animals we saw. All in all a quiet peaceful hike!

NOTES -

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

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

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to River Bend Campground Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 11/2/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 3.70 Miles Duration: 2 hours

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Shady Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > North Scenic Loop > trailhead to Trailhead > South Slick Rock > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground 1.7 miles

Leg 2 - River Bend Campground > South Slick Rock > North Slick Rock > Upper Big Hill > Rocky Creek > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 2.0 miles

Temp started at 70, ended at 75. Sunny and light constant SW breeze.

Easy hike with friends. We saw a Belted Kingfisher (photo attached) at the watering hole on Shady Trail. A few deer survived last week's hunt and were seen as we drove in. A couple of hawks were out but otherwise not many birds and no other animals were present. The wind brought in pollen and/or dust which fired up my allergies - not good but nonetheless, any hike is a good one.

NOTES

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

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

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 10/26/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 6.50 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 45 minutes

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

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Winding Snake > Chaparral > Playground parking area 2.7 miles

Temp started at 42, ended around 65. Sunny and cold at first then warmed up.

A leisurely hike along dry and familiar trails. Not much went on but I did see Meadowlarks (photo attached) and Scissortail Flycatchers which were nice. Otherwise, the trails were dry, easy to see and traverse. An uneventful but enjoyable hike.

NOTES

Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair staiton 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 Loop
By MikeHikes on 10/21/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours

Leg 1 - Burkett park > Burkett Trail > Potts Creek > Playground > Bell's Point > Playground (N) > Flintstone > 5 Points Junction 3.6 miles

Leg 2 - 5 Points Junction > Turkey Creek > Potts Creek (SW) > West Potts Creek > Roller Coaster > WS to LL Connector > Burkett park 4.4 miles

Temp started at 52, ended at 76. Sunny with slight SW breeze.

Easy hike along easy to traverse trails. Not much activity today - two white tail deer and a few birds were spotted. One of the birds was a yellow shafted flicker so that was nice. I saw a Walking Stick on the trail and only saw it because it moved across a rock (photo attached). Otherwise, it was a quiet, peaceful and very ordinary hike in the park.

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.

North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook Short Loop
By MikeHikes on 10/13/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.30 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Shady Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > South Slick Rock > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Cougar Overlook 3.2 miles

Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > Javelina Trail > service road (NE then at the bend W) > River Bend (N) > Badlands > Upper Big Hill > service road (NW) > Rocky Creek Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Bell's Trailhead 4.1 miles

Temp started at 54, ended at 74. Sunny with a light breeze.

A cool start on morning dew damp trails. The North Concho River is practically dry along Shady Trail but there are a few water holes left. I went to the largest and waited to see what showed up - nothing. Next, I looked for migrating Monarch butterflies which in past years had been somewhat numerous. I saw a grand total of two Monarchs resting in the pecan trees (photo attached). Continued to hike to Cougar Overlook on now dry trails. Although the trails were in good condition, there was nothng to see and what I did see with regard to water was poor. Numerous areas that had always contained some water were now bone dry. The last couple of years starting with the exceptionally brutal Winter storm in Feb 2021 and the on-going drought, has really hit the park hard in all aspects - vegetation, insects, reptiles, birds and animals. Rain is predicted in a few days which is good but it will take vast amounts of rain and time to bring this area back to what it was.

NOTES -

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

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

Info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Cougar Overlook.

South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park Loop
By MikeHikes on 10/9/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 7.40 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett park 3.4 miles

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Tasajilla Flats > Playground parking area 4.0 miles

Temps started at 58, ended at 82. Partly cloudy, then sunny with a light 5mph SW breeze.

A nice hike along recently groomed trails. The Monarch butterflies are definitely migrating (photo attached) through the area. Although I didn't see cluster of them, I saw numerous individual Monarchs flying around the park feeding off Gayfeather flowers and pollen or ?? on the mesquite trees. I also saw a small group of six turkeys - three hens and each of them had a youngster/juvenile with them. I gave them space and watched as they hunted for food on the ground. There were a larger than usual (for me) number of people on the trails but everyone acted appropriately so all was well.

NOTES

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

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

South Shore - Playground parking area to Armadillo Ridge Figure 8
By MikeHikes on 9/29/2022
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 10.70 Miles Duration: 5 hours, 15 minutes

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

Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Burkett Trail > Potts Creek Trail > West Potts Creek Trail > Rollercoaster Trail > 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 60, ended at 82. Sunny w/constant light, WSW breeze.

A very nice hike along trails that are dry, easy to see and traverse. A good portion of the hike was on rocky trails or on trails that had dry, loose soil. Animals spotted were numerous deer, two sets of javelinas, a group of turkeys and numerous birds, including raptors. Fall is officially here because some of the mesquite tree leaves have turned yellow, purple thistle is blooming as well as Gayfeather flowers. Additionally, I saw some transient Scissortail Flycatchers looking for food as they stop over briefly before continuing their flight to Southern Mexico and Central America for the winter.

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 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. All trails were dry, easy to see and traverse. There were no animals spotted and very few birds were out. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it as a quiet, pleasant hike on a sunny day with a light breeze to help keep me cool.

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.

Only showing last 10 log entries. View All Log Entries