South Shore - Playground to Burkett Park Loop + Roadrunner Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 9/27/2023
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 10.10 Miles
Duration: 5 hours
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 > Winding Snake > Chaparral > Playground parking area 2.9 miles
Leg 3 - Playground parking area > Roadrunner Loop > Playground parking area 3.3 miles
Temp started at 68, ended at 89. Light, 1-5mph SW breeze. Sunny w/a few clouds.
Easy hike along dry to morning dew damp trails that were easy to see and traverse. Some vegetation growing on the trails but only in spots and not insurmountable.
Not much to see today except for a few Scissortails and some micro-birds that were so fast and low in the brush I couldn't identify them. A few lizards and a few deer were the only other creatures out and about. One good thing was seeing and smelling the bee bush small white flowers blooming after the recent rainfall. The vanilla scent of the tiny flowers is always very pleasant to enjoy while hiking!
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.
Water and shade available at campsites parallel to Roadrunner Loop and there are three areas with water, info kiosk and toilets along Roadrunner Loop.
North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook Big Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 9/20/2023
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 9.50 Miles
Duration: 5 hours
Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail (S) > Upper Big Hill > Badlands > River Bend Trail > service road (ENE) > Cougar Overlook 6.3 miles
Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Lower Ghost Camp Trail > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp Trail (N) > South Slick Rock > North Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 3.2 miles
Temps stared at 72, ended at 92. Sunny with steady 10-15mph SSW breeze.
Easy hike along dry to muddy in spots trails that were relatively easy to traverse. Vegetation has grown and in a few places, the vegetation is fairly high.
There were rains last week and it shows (photo attached)! The North Concho River has more water in it but it is NOT flowing so there are still dry patches between watering holes. The water near Shady Trail is definitely up from a few weeks ago and I watched a beaver glide along as well as numerous large fish and turtles. Other areas along the trails that had been dry now have watering holes and ponds. Unfortunately, they will probably dry up sooner than later as there is no rain predicted for the near future. Of note was the appearane of a VERY large feral hog soon after I started hiking on Dinosaur Trail. He saw me at a distance and took off running across the open field so although there was no danger to me, it was disheartening to see the hog in the first place.
NOTES -
Info kiosk and a bicycle repair station are available at Bell's Trailhead. Water and shade available in the nearby campground.
Water, shade and an info kiosk are 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 are available at the River Bend Campground.
South Shore - Burkett Park to Armadillo Ridge and Isabel Harte Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 9/11/2023
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 6.30 Miles
Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Leg 1 - Burkett park > Burkett Trail > Potts Creek > service road (S) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 2.9 miles
Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Winding Snake> Isabel Harte park road (W) > Lanky Lackey > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 3.4 miles
Temp started at 67, lightrain to downpour before lifitng, cloudy and temp rose to 80 at end.
A rain shorted hike along muddy then drier trails. At first, it was a sporadic, light drizzle but then on Armadillo Ridge, the rain became a steady downpour so I had to return to Burkett Park. Once I arrived at the park, the rains had stopped but the clouds remained. I decided to continue South and when I arrived at the Isabel Harte area, the clouds looked threatening again so I headed back to Burkett. Made it back safely and as I was driving out of the park, saw a small group of turkeys and a pair of Roadrunners. At the park exit, I spotted another Roadrunner! No photos taken on the hike.
NOTES -
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park.
North Shore - Short Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 9/4/2023
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 7.10 Miles
Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > DInosaur Trail (S) > Upper Big Hill > Badlands > River Bend > service road 4.5 miles
Leg 2 - service road (NE) > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp (N) > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Shady Trail > Bell's Trailhead 2.6 miles
Temp started at 77, ended at 95. Sunny with steady 5-10mph SSW breeze.
Trails were dry, easy to see and traverse but there were a few areas on Dinosaur Trail that could use some grooming due to high vegetation.
I stopped at Shady Trail's watering hole before hiking and saw a porcupine (photo attached), a raccoon and a beaver. Also saw a gar which was the first time I saw one in this area. Rain has not fallen in a long time and I hope we get some to replenish the watering hole otherwise there will be a serious dying off of fish and turtles.
A few of the cattle tanks and horse troughs are still around so when I see one that needs water, I fill it if the water is still on. The drought continues!
NOTES -
Water and shade available at nearby campsites by Bell's Trailhead.
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 availabe at the River Bend Campground.
South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Loop + Roadrunner
San Angelo State Park
- 8/28/2023
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 10.50 Miles
Duration: 5 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 3.4 miles
Leg 3 - Playground parking area > Roadrunner Loop > Playground parking area 3.3 miles
Temp started at 76, ended at 94. Sunny with light SE breeze at 1-5mph. Slightly humid.
Trails were slightly damp at first then dry, easy to see and traverse. All trails have been recently groomed. Lots of white tail deer were out with fawns. A few birds were spotted including a Loggerhead Shrike, Kingbirds and various Sparrows. Reptiles included a very small ring-collared snake that was maybe 5-6 inches in length (photo attached) as well as numerous lizards. I had the park to myself and only saw a single car parked next to mine. Not much to say other than it was a very relaxing 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 available at Burkett Park.
Water and shade available at various campsites parallel to Roadrunner Loop and there are three toilet and info kiosk areas along the route.