Trails
Trail Map and Guide
A trail map and guide is available online or hard copies can be obtained at the refuge.
Auto Tour Loop
Length: 16 miles
The paved tour loop provides a leisurely ride through Texas savannah, what Texas must have looked like a hundred years ago. The scenic ride becomes a one-way at the Observation Tower. Along the way you might get to see deer, hawks, javelina, bobcat, and an occasional rattlesnake crossing the road.
Rail trail leads to a freshwater marsh and includes all 6 species of rails—black, yellow, king, sora, clapper, and Virginia. There are two entrances with an excellent alligator viewing area in between.
Waterbirds, from rails to bitterns, lurk in the reeds lining Tomas Slough. This grassy trail parallels the long, narrow wetland that is home to alligators as well.
Waterbirds, from rails to bitterns, lurk in the reeds lining Tomas Slough. This grassy trail parallels the long, narrow wetland that is home to alligators as well.
Trail Length (mi)
0.50
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Estimated Time
10 minutes
Route Type
Point to point
Trail Activities
Rail Trail
Freshwater sloughs, shell ridges, oak forests, and tidal flats make this trail quite diverse. You’ll find two observation platforms equipped with spotting scopes. If you’re lucky, you might see a whooping crane family feeding in the marshy salt flats. Watch, too, for herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, pelicans, and other wildlife.
* Please note that this trail will not make a loop.
* Please note that this trail will not make a loop.
Trail Length (mi)
1.22
Trail Activities
Heron Flats Trail
Listen to a spring songbird serenade as you wander this short woodland loop.
Trail Length (mi)
0.14
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Route Type
Loop
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Songbird Loop Trail
Open all year, the fishing pier offers excellent opportunities to catch red fish and sea trout. It is also a fun place to watch for dolphins in the bay and sting rays swimming below. Here is where you might also see brown pelicans, terns, and water birds that change with the tide.
Trail Length (mi)
0.02
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Fishing Pier Trail
Walk this short trail towards San Antonio Bay and experience the mystery of a 500- year old oak tree. What might you find hiding in its branches, or seeking its shade? The oak is covered in mustang grapevine.
Trail Length (mi)
0.06
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Oak Sanctuary Trail
Hike a winding trail through an oak/ red bay forest. One of the few hills on the refuge offers an excellent vista.
Trail Length (mi)
0.65
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Estimated Time
20 minutes
Route Type
Loop
Trail Activities
Dagger Point Trail
A very short, paved walkway leads to a platform overlooking the lake, another potential alligator hangout. The water in this lake comes entirely from rainfall.
Trail Length (mi)
0.02
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Jones Lake Trail
Encounter some of the refuge’s largest live oak trees along this woodland loop.
Trail Length (mi)
0.42
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Route Type
Loop
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Big Tree Trail
In addition to crane watching, the two observation towers (20’ and 40’) offer a panoramic view of San Antonio Bay and Mustang Lake. Both towers are fully accessible with gently sloping ramps.
Trail Length (mi)
0.15
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Wheelchair friendly
Tower Boardwalk
Follow the boardwalk across the tidal flat to the Big Tree Observation Deck. Look for animal tracks in the mud.
Trail Length (mi)
0.19
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Trail Activities
Suitability
Kid friendly
Wheelchair friendly