Estero Llano Grande State Park (Blog Hike #1107)

Trails: Wader's, Spoonbill, Alligator Lake, Llano Grande Trails et. al.
Hike Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park
Geographic Location: south of Weslaco, TX (26.12711, -97.95808)
Length: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A loop with many water vistas and bird-viewing opportunities.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/estero-llano-grande
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming December 4, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: In extreme south Texas, take I-2 to FM 1015 (exit 160).  Exit and go south on FM 1015.  Drive FM 1015 south 2.2 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, and park in the only lot.

The hike: For my introduction to the World Birding Center and the lower Rio Grande valley's collection of Texas state parks, see my hike at nearby Resaca de la Palma State Park.  At only 230 acres, Estero Llano Grande State Park is the smallest of the lower Rio Grande valley's 3 state parks, but it is actually my favorite of the 3 because it has the most water and therefore the most wildlife.  The park was formed by assembling multiple pieces of land including some old farm land and an old trailer park; it opened in 2006.

            Like all of the lower Rio Grande valley's parks, bird watching takes center stage at Estero Llano Grande State Park.  The park has only a group lodge for lodging, and it offers only a Visitor Center and some picnic shelters for facilities.  For hikers and birders, the park offers 6 trails, but all 6 of the park's trails measure less than 1.5 miles long.  Because this park packs a large number of short trails into a small area, any route through the trail system will pass through many trail intersections with many route decisions to be made; picking up a trail map at the Visitor Center is advised.  This hike forms a grand loop around the park's central area while passing all of the park's best bird-watching spots, thus featuring the best this park has to offer.

Heading east from the Visitor Center

            After walking in the entrance trail from the parking lot to the Visitor Center, continue east to begin the Wader's Trail, which passes through a narrow strip of shrubby land with Ibis Pond on the right and a dry drainage canal on the left.  At 0.2 miles, turn right to head south on the Spoonbill Trail as it crosses Ibis Pond on a boardwalk.  Immediately the birding and wildlife show begins.  I did not see any spoonbills or ibis in this pond on the warm but windy early February day when I came here, but I did see some ducks and cormorants.

Boardwalk at Ibis Pond

            At the next 4 intersections, turn left, right, left, and left again to begin heading north on the east arm of the Wader's Trail.  Dowitcher Pond sits to your left now, and those long-billed wading birds would be common sights in this pond.  While I did not see any dowitchers here, I did see a large number of egrets.  At 0.7 miles, turn right twice to cross a drainage canal that was dry on my visit, following signs for Alligator Lake.

Egret

            0.85 miles into the hike, turn left to hike the short spur trail to the main overlook at Alligator Lake.  I saw several young alligators here in addition to many egrets.  A small picnic shelter stands in this area, and its shade will be welcome on a warm sunny south Texas day.

Small alligator in Alligator Lake

            Retrace your steps out the spur trail, then turn left to continue south.  Just shy of 1.2 miles, you climb the levee to reach the Llano Grande Hiking Trail, a two-track gravel linear trail that runs along the top of the levee.  Turn right to head southwest on the Llano Grande Hiking Trail, which is the most exposed trail in this park.  The levee's elevation gives nice views across Llano Grande Lake to the south, but you will need binoculars to see wildlife in the water: it is a decent distance away.

Hiking atop the levee

            After hiking less than 1000 feet on the Llano Grande Hiking Trail, turn right to descend from the levee, then turn left at the next 2 intersections to head around the south side of Ibis Pond on the Wader's Trail.  Turn left twice more to arrive at the Scissortail Loop, the Becard Trail, and my favorite bird blind in this park.  This blind overlooks an area of dense shrubs, and I saw many birds here including a bronzed cowbird and several redwinged blackbirds.  This blind is a popular spot, but the popularity is warranted.  Sit here awhile and see what birds you can see.

Hiking through the old trailer park

Hiking the Green Jay Nature Trail

            Continue west on the Becard Trail, then turn right to head north on the Tyrannulet Trail.  All of the trails in this part of the park are laid out in a grid formation and are paved with asphalt: this is the old trailer park I mentioned in the introduction.  Exit the old trailer park area to the north by passing the park's butterfly garden, then turn left to hike one last short loop: the Green Jay Nature Trail.  This narrow trail passes through dense woodlands, and I saw many more common songbirds here even though I did not see the regionally famous bird for which this trail is named.  After finishing the Green Jay Trail, head back out the entrance trail to the parking lot to finish the hike.

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park (Blog Hike #1106)

Trails: Mexican Line and American Line Trails
Hike Location: Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Geographic Location: northwest of Brownsville, TX (26.01538, -97.47966)
Length: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: An out-and-back through an 1846 Mexican-American War battlefield.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/paal/index.htm
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming April 9, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: Northwest of Brownsville, take I-169 to Paredes Line Road.  Exit and go north on Paredes Line Rd.  The signed park entrance is on the right in 0.2 miles.  Turn right to enter the park, and park in the parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 is an oft-forgotten page of American history.  The war had its roots in the Texas Revolution of 1835-36, which left 2 disputes between Texas and Mexico unresolved.  First, although the newly-formed Republic of Texas governed more or less autonomously, Mexico never formally recognized Texas' independence from Mexico.  Second, a boundary dispute arose with Texas claiming the Rio Grande as the Texas/Mexico boundary and Mexico claiming the more northerly Neuces River.

            When the United States admitted Texas as its newest state in 1845, those Texas/Mexico disputes became American/Mexico disputes.  The Mexican-American War was fought to settle those disputes.  The war lasted only 2 years, the Americans won a decisive victory, most of the present-day American southwest was ceded to the United States, and the Rio Grande was established as the official border between the United States and Mexico.  The Mexican-American War was also a stepping stone to the American Civil War: slavery was supposed to be illegal in all newly acquired American land, but it was allowed to continue in some of the land acquired via this war.

            One of the first battles in the Mexican-American War was the Battle of Palo Alto, which occurred just north of the Rio Grande near the Gulf coast on May 8, 1846.  American General Zachary Taylor was ordered to march his troops all the way south to the Rio Grande, a move Mexico viewed as an incursion into Mexican territory.  Mexico dispatched General Mariano Arista to engage Taylor, and they first clashed on the prairies known as Palo Alto.

            Due to the flat prairie terrain and the long cordgrass and cactuses that made movement difficult, neither side wanted to risk large losses by charging the other side, so the battle came down to an exchange of cannon fire.  Because the Americans possessed newer and bigger cannons, most of their cannon shots hit their Mexican targets, while most of the shots from Mexico's older and smaller cannons fell short of the American line.  Tired of playing the you-can-hit-me but I-can't-hit-you-game, Arista withdrew his army to nearby Resaca de la Palma at the end of the day.  While the Battle of Palo Alto was only a minor American victory, it set up the Battle of Resaca de la Palma the next day in which Taylor's men stormed the Mexican fort and won decisively.  The Battle of Resaca de la Palma effectively ended all major Mexican military operations north of the Rio Grande.

            Today both battlefields are preserved as Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, which was established in 1978.  An excellent Visitor Center tells the story of the battles, but only the first battlefield has significant hiking trails.  This hike uses every trail at the park, and it is a great way to explore one of the few sites in the United States that preserves Mexican-American War history.

Leaving the Visitor Center

            From the back of the Visitor Center, pick up the concrete trail as it heads northeast past the small picnic area toward the battlefield.  Interpretive signs describe the battle and the people who fought here.  All of this land is pretty flat, but there is no shade almost anywhere on this short hike.  This battlefield sits at the same latitude as south Florida, so this will be a warm and sunny hike on all but the coolest days of the year.

Approaching the battlefield

            At 0.4 miles, you reach a trail intersection with options going straight, left, and right.  The option going left leads to an overflow parking area, but we will go both of the other 2 directions eventually.  For now, turn right to begin the Mexican Line Trail.  True to its name, this concrete trail heads east along the line where Mexican troops were stationed during the battle.

Mexican cannon

Looking north across the battlefield

            As you approach the east end of the Mexican Line Trail, you reach an area with blue Mexican cannons and Mexican flags whipping in the breeze.  If you turn to your left and look north, you will see the battlefield the way the Mexicans saw it.  The American flag in the distance marks the American line; you will be there in a few minutes.  As you look at all of the tall wiry cordgrass and sticky prickly pear cactuses between you and the American flag, you start to see why this battle became a battle of cannon fire as opposed to running and charging: I know I don't want to run through that prairie!

View from battlefield overlook

            When you reach the end of the Mexican Line Trail, backtrack to the previous intersection, then turn right to head for the American Line.  On your way to the American line, you pass through the battlefield overlook pavilion, which is located atop a small knoll.  The overlook provides a nice view of the battlefield, but its roof also provides the only shade available on this hike.  I enjoyed the seating and shade this overlook provided when I hiked here on a warm sunny afternoon in early February.

American cannon

            Continuing north past the overlook, begin the American Line Trail and reach the American line just shy of 1.1 miles.  A simple visual inspection reveals how much newer and bigger these cannons are compared to the ones you saw on the Mexican line, but some interpretive signs give you more details.  The American line is the north end of the trail and of the battlefield.  Retrace your steps past the battlefield overlook and the Mexican Line Trail to return to the Visitor Center and complete the hike.