Trails: Willows Trail and Shoveler Pond Loop
Hike Location: Anahuac National
Wildlife Refuge
Geographic Location: southwest of Winnie ,
TX (29.61330, -94.53395)
Length: 4.4 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: December 2017
Overview: A double loop mostly on asphalt road offering
excellent waterfowl viewing.
Refuge Information: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/anahuac/
Directions to the trailhead: From Beaumont
and points east, take I-10 to SR 124 (exit 829). Exit and go south on SR 124. Drive SR 124 south 10.5 miles to Farm-to-Market
Road 1985.
Turn right on FM 1985. Drive FM
1985 west 10.5 miles to the signed refuge entrance on the left. (Alternatively, from Houston and points west,
reach the refuge entrance by taking exit 812 from I-10 and following SR 61 and
SR 562 to FM 1985; the entrance will be on the right if coming from this
direction.) Enter the refuge, and drive
the refuge entrance road 3.2 miles to the Visitor Information Station where
this hike begins.
The hike: Consisting of 34,000 acres along the
Intercoastal Waterway, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is one of a string of
national wildlife refuges that protects the bayous, coastal marshes, and
coastal prairies along the Gulf of Mexico ’s northwestern
coast. This chain of refuges provides an
important resting area for migrating birds before or after they make the
600-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico . The top birding season is October through
March, when 27 species of ducks are commonly seen here. As many as 80,000 snow geese have been seen
in Anahuac ’s marshes.
Like many
national wildlife refuges, Anahuac is a bigger birding
destination than hiking destination, and most of the hiking trails offer only
short excursions into the refuge’s wetlands.
On point, two short hiking trails depart the Visitor Information Station
area: the poorly maintained 0.5 mile one-way Hackberry Trail (not described in
this blog) and the 0.6 mile Willows Trail.
For hikers wanting more distance, the refuge’s roads are also open to
hikers. This hike combines the short
Willows Trail with the 2.5 mile Shoveler’s Pond Auto-Tour Loop to form a 4.4
mile double loop through some of the refuge’s most scenic areas.
 |
| Concrete path exiting butterfly garden |
From the
Visitor Information Station, head north around a picnic pavilion and follow the
concrete path first north and then west.
The concrete path heads through the refuge’s butterfly garden, an area
featuring plants that attract butterflies.
Unfortunately, I came at the wrong time of year to see butterflies, but
I did see several dragonflies on my hike.
Continuing
west, the concrete turns to wooden boardwalk as you enter an area known as the
Willows. Although they look
insignificant, this cluster of low willow trees provides important resting
habitat for migrating birds. I saw very
few birds here on my visit in mid-December, but I have read that this area
teems with neo-tropical birds during the spring migration in March and April.
 |
| Boardwalk at the Willows |
At 0.3
miles, you reach the west end of the boardwalk and an intersection with the
asphalt auto road at a parking area. If
you only wanted to hike the Willows Trail, you could take the other boardwalk
that goes right to form a very short 0.6 mile loop. To head into the marsh area, angle softly
right to begin walking along the auto road.
Although the auto road sees little traffic, it is open to private
passenger vehicles. As with any road
walk, you should move to the shoulder of the road if a vehicle approaches.
 |
| Turkey vultures along the road |
 |
| Cormorant on road sign |
The asphalt
road heads due west with Shoveler Pond on the left and a water-filled ditch on
the right. Some road pull-outs feature
wooden “guard rails” that also make nice benches. Though expansive, Shoveler Pond features more
grassy areas than open waters, so most waterfowl will swim for the grass as you
approach. Thus, the only waterfowl you
will get to see are the ones you either sneak up on or sit and wait to come out
of the grass. The most numerous birds I
saw were coots, but I also saw several mallards, ibis, egrets, herons, and
cormorants.
 |
| Heron in Shoveler Pond |
 |
| Ibis in Shoveler Pond |
At 1.4
miles, you reach the northwest corner of Shoveler Pond where the normally dead
straight auto road makes a 90-degree left turn.
I saw a couple of adult alligators and some baby alligators on the left
near this turn. Now heading south, views
west across the marshes to the right extend all of the way to Galveston
Bay
 |
| Alligators beside Shoveler Pond |
Just shy of
2 miles, the boardwalk that is the main hiking feature of the auto tour road
exits left. This 750-foot wooden boardwalk
winds over the grassy water to reach an elevated platform that offers a nice
survey of Shoveler Pond. In addition to
the waterfowl I saw elsewhere around the pond, I saw some turtles and a
colorful frog while walking this boardwalk.
 |
| View from boardwalk overlook |
Back on the
auto road, soon you round the southwest corner where a greater than 90-degree
left curve puts you on a north of east heading.
More of the same scenery, additional waterfowl, and another left curve
bring you to the close of the loop at 3.6 miles. Retrace your steps to the first parking area
(going this direction) for the Willows, then angle left to leave the pavement
and begin the dirt/grass Willows Trail.
 |
| Willows Trail |
Though only
a couple of feet higher in elevation than the Shoveler Pond and marsh area, the
extra elevation keeps this area dry enough for the willow trees to grow. Where the boardwalk spur comes in from the
right, angle left to maintain an eastward course on dirt/grass trail. After negotiating a couple of potentially wet
areas, you come out at the refuge entrance road, where a right turn and short
road walk bring you back to the Visitor Information Station to complete your
hike.
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