Best Equestrian Camping near Bay City, TX

A minimum of water and electric at every site (which we don’t need) The feel is more community park with camping. There is a 12 mile equestrian trail which bikes are allowed to ride on. Other flat trails are around the park and water. It is completely full this Saturday and there are lots of families, music and fires burning. I do not consider this to be a serene wilderness/wildlife area but a Camping area full of activities. Looks like a great place for a family reunion or wedding. Complete with frisbee golf, boating, swimming, dog park, playground and more. The grounds are very well kept.

The best part of this park is the observatory, which has special events and regular weekend hours pretty much all year. It’s absolutely worth staying up late for this! Hikes and wildlife are good too, lots of easy trails along water for the kids, cool ponds, great little observation tour to climb. There are standard RV/tent sites, screened shelters (for sleeping), and rustic cabins, horse sites, and youth group sites. The sites are pretty spread out and maybe half of them are very shady. Awesome little park outside Houston.

Brazos Bend is alligator headquarters! This is my son's favorite park, right up next to Dinosaur Valley State Park. So first i'll tell you that the facilities are nice and pretty new it looked like. There are tent, group, equestrian, and RV sites, plus cabins and screened shelters. They have a few hike and bike trails, but nothing very challenging or long, but everything else they have is what makes it the bomb!

There are six lakes, a creek, and the Brazos river in the park, so if you go during summer take bug spray, or bugs will eat you alive. Also tons of spiders...so yeah. You can fish at some of the lakes, and most of the lakes have a viewing pier where you can bird watch and look for big alligators.

OK, the Nature center is the coolest thing ever!!! They have snakes, spiders, and lots of fun stuff for kids. My son got to touch a king snake and a baby alligator, which was so cool. They also have lots of planned activities going on, so make sure you check the calendar or ask a park ranger if they have an event going on. We got so lucky that they had a group of alligator hatchlings that they brought out for all the kids to see and did a whole informative, interactive discussion. They brought out like 60 baby alligators in tubs and showed the kids how they feed them and how they would release them back into the wild. It was the most amazing thing! They made sure every kid got to touch one, and there were a lot of kids.

So yeah alligators are awesome, but on top of all of that, there is an observatory in the park. If you go on the weekends they have tours and shows at the observatory. There is an extra fee, but it is well worth it.

Bring a hat, sunscreen, good shoes, and bug spray is a must!

Campground Review

It's incredible that I was born and raised in Houston and have lived here the past four years but haven't made it out to Brazos Bend State Park until now! A quick, 45 minute drive southwest will get you out of the concrete jungle that is the sprawling Space City metropolis and into one of the lushest, greenest parts of Texas. Brazos Bend is a "Nature Lover's Paradise" - there is abundant wildlife. There is great fishing, ample bird watching, and lots and lots of alligators (!). Lots of trails for walking, running, biking, and horseback riding. The George Observatory is a pretty amazing feature of this park (but only open Saturdays).

We arrived at Brazos Bend on a Friday afternoon and were able to walk-in no problem. Walk-in rate is $12/day + the daily park entrance fee ($5 for adults, free for kids). I have a Texas State Parks Pass so we didn't have to pay the entrance fees (saved us $40 for two nights of camping!). Additionally there were several other great options including: Full-Site RV hook-up ($25/night), Standard Camping ($20/night, incl. water & electricity), and 14 Cabins ($80-200/night but have everything you could ever need or want).

We did a lot of nature walks, game playing, and swimming during our two days at Brazos Bend State Park. Summer is probably not the best time to visit any park in Texas - its hot and muggy and the mosquitos are out in full force. Bring your DEET. Seriously. Despite that though, we were very pleasantly surprised by the amenities (swimming pool, screened in picnic tables, fire pits, and tent pads!)

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this past weekend at Brazos Bend I tested out the Kameng Mid eVent Waterproof Hiking Boot by Mishmi Takin.

These boots have got it all.

First, these boots are hella comfortable! I was blown away how comfortable they were right out of the box. Over the years, I've owned many pairs of hiking boots and they all required a significant break-in period. Not these!

Second, they're waterproof AND breathable. Not water resistant, like actually water proof.

Third, the look great. All 3 color schemes are fantastic I had a tough time choosing between green, grey and orange.

Fourth, so lightweight. These only weigh 1.5lbs so even though they are boots, they won't weigh you down.

5/5 Would Recommend.

We recently decided we wanted to spend more time outside and over the last year started accumulating camping supplies. When it was finally time to put them to use we chose Brazos Bend because it wasn't to far from the city and had a lot of hiking trails. This park is amazing! We saw around 15 alligators while hiking, and these are animals in the wild in their habitat (not like the gator farms where some dude is sticking his head in ones mouth). The have a nature center where park rangers give you info about the animals in the park and let you see snakes and baby alligators up close. The campsites have a fire pit, table and grill and for the most part lots of shade trees. All the hiking trails were accessible right from our site. Since we only camped overnight we didn't use any of the facilities but heard they were very clean. We ended up buying the texas state park pass and cannot wait to come back!

Before we stopped at the Brazos park we went from Pottsville Arkansas to the beaches in Texas .Started out in Houston and seen the San Jacinto Monument , The Washburn Tunnel, Aquaworld in down town Houston. Went over some Big bridges . Than we went to the beach in Galveston and spend the night in the back of my explorer what a night great view and the breeze was nice . The next day moved on to travel down the coast to the Port Aransas and crossed on the ferry heading to Mustang Island beach. Than passing Corpus Christi down to Padre Island . Can't remember the name of the beach we spend the night on . The next morning we headed out away from the coast and back towards home . This it where we stopped at the Brazos park and sleep in one of the screened rooms . The park was beautiful and the moss on the trees make you think you have gone back in time . But a last we have to go home!

The park is a close drive from Houston. Kids and adults alike enjoyed the walks, alligator viewing and riding bikes. Did i mention alligators? They are everywhere. There is also a nice observatory that we plan on visiting next time. This is the go to park for a group of dads and there children each fall.

Come here to see gators. I saw 19 in one weekend! No, they do not try to camp with you. That's in another section, so don't worry about that. The lakes used to be rice fields. The hiking is very flat. Actually is a little hard on the feet after a few miles. Humidity can be bad. Check out the observation tower and the nature store where you can pet a baby gator. Maybe go to a star party on a Saturday night.

Brazos Bend is know as the Alligator Park…and for good reason! Of you go on a moderate temperature day (this is the key. If it is too hot or cold you won't see Gators) you can see literally dozens of massive alligators. We are talking 6 feet long and right on the pathway. It's a fun adventure! There is a small nature centre where you can pet baby Gators and learn about them. Lots of pretty trails and look outs.

We love Brazos bend. Any time we have family come into town we make sure to take them to see our gator neighbors. if you don't like spiders this may not be a spot for you!

This is a great park and there are a lot of awesoms trails. The best part is the gators that come out to sun bath. You can be sure to see them on every visit to Brazos!

Great park for wildlife viewing and walking trails. There is always something interesting going on in the swamp! Very hot in the summer! Wonderful for day use and camping.

This is a simple state park with lots of information on wildlife, and, if you're lucky, you'll spot alligators. No need to strap on the hiking backpack or anything like that because all the trails are flat. I didn't spot any alligators, but I did come across a huge feral hog. After a few seconds of a standstill, he ran away and I continued on the trail.

If alligators are what you want to see, you will find them here. We stayed in the primative campground in a tent and had no problems with alligators coming in the campsite. They are in the lake and swamp area and may be sunning on the hiking trails. They won't bother you if you walk around them. The picnic sites and pavilions are nice.

Quite, very patrolled by its staff driving by every hour, great hiking trails, well maintained and close to Houston

Very nice park close to my home in Houston. Have not camped yet but it is on my radar. Enjoyed the center where they bring out the snakes and baby gators. Nice for bicycles and fishing. Will return soon

Great state park with ample campsites. Watch for alligators when you fish! They have a nice visitor information area where you can learn about the park and maybe hold a baby alligator. They also have a star gazing show at the Observatory. Book ahead because they fill fast.

If you go in the summer you need to watch out for mosquitoes. The observatory is amazing on clear nights.🏕🚀

Went again, and we saw gators at the nature center. Cool

Best day park around. Easy parking, easy hiking & beautiful nature. Gators, gators, gators!!!

This is a great family-friendly park, as it has many activities for nature education, an observatory, and endless trails. (Dont hike alone! Alligators arent shy and they think they own the trails!) The drive in to the main area is great. Drive slow so you can enjoy the views! Also, take your binoculars and scope the horizons!

We reserved our reservations a head of time, showed up, and the staff was very helpful and went easy. They keep the park and restrooms clean clean. We got to hike the 40 Acre Trail (about an hour hike) and the whole family loved it. Definitely will be back soon in the future for the other trails and activities.

I've been going to Brazos Bend since I was a kid. It's always fun to hike or bike around the trails and see all types of birds, alligators, and other wildlife. For us it is close by which is another added bonus.

I was visiting Houston with my husband (who is from there) and decided to make a quick escape from the city to nature.  We camped just one night, so despite the short visit, we really had a great time.  Our site was very spacious, and it was pretty quiet there.  There were large trees giving us plenty of shade.  I love the Spanish moss that hangs from the trees.

We also took a hike in the park around the lame, and saw a few alligators.  Such a fun hike, highly recommended!

If you want to see alligators in their natural habitat this is the park for you.  There wer so many. We even came across one on the trail eating a snake. The best part though is the observatory. There’s always plenty of stargazers up there that love to share their equipment, you can also pay for the big telescopes. We visited before Covid, so not sure how things are now. The shelter sites are nicer than most. The bathrooms were average.

This is the best place to escape from the big city and enjoy nature! There is so much to do. The hiking and bike paths are aplenty. We loved seeing the gators, especially when the babies were hatching (spot dozens of babies in the photos). The observatory is also incredible. There are so many friendly astronomy enthusiasts who are willing to share a peek through their telescope (pre-covid) and share their knowledge. Be sure to help keep light pollution down in that area so everyone can enjoy the stars (no flashlights or phones out). This is such a great park to enjoy and spend a weekend away from the city without traveling too far.

 We loved this place! Our campsite was on Burr Oak loop. Very spacious. Quite a walk to the bathroom though. Very clean bathrooms. 

The trails are awesome! So glad we had our bikes, it allowed us to cover a lot of ground. We did see over 10 alligators. Some on the side of the trail, some in the water....I lost count of how many we saw. Great for hikes. Awesome for bikes.