A great first stop in Texas – Galveston Island State Park

Posted in Birds, Lighthouse, Parks, State Parks, States, Texas, WildlifeTagged , , , , , ,

As we continued west through Louisiana on I-10 we passed by many crawfish farms. After a stop at the Texas welcome center we were loaded up with maps and brochures. We also got directions to Galveston which included the instructions “follow the road to the ferry”. Ferry? We didn’t know we would be taking a ferry! What a great surprise!

As we approached the ferry dock Henry noticed a lighthouse through the fog on my side of the road.  I was able to get a couple of pictures before we got in line for the ferry. The three mile crossing is on a free ferry operated by the Texas Highway Department.

After departing the ferry in Galveston we had about a 12 mile drive to the state park. As soon as we finished setting up camp we took a walk on the beach. The beach was practically empty. The sound of waves crashing on the beach was like music to my ears.

Point Bolivar Lighthouse, FL
Riding the Ferry from Point Bolivar, TX to Galveston
On the ferry to Galveston
Path to the beach
Path to the beach at Galveston Island State Park
Blondie chilling after a day of traveling
Blondie was fascinated by the jellyfish

The next day we took a drive to the wildlife viewing area in the park with hopes of spotting some Roseate Spoonbills. The hiking trails were muddy and flooded in places so we passed on doing any hiking.  We enjoyed the views from an overlook and walked down a relatively dry trail to the kayak launching area. From the parking lot we stopped to watch some Egrets in a pond when I saw a splash of pink. A flock of Roseate Spoonbills entertained us before suddenly taking off.

The marsh reminds me of home
Roseate Spoonbills
Roseate Spoonbill at Galveston Island State Park
Roseate Spoonbills
Spoonbill and Egret

Our campsite was in the beach campground at Galveston Island State Park. Our site was a paved back-in with a covered shelter, picnic table, fire ring, and water and electric hookups. The beach was just a short walk from the campsite. We enjoyed the park and wish we could have stayed longer.

24 thoughts on “A great first stop in Texas – Galveston Island State Park”

  1. OMG…. that photo with all the spoonbills in flight is great. How lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Sounds like you’re off to a good start in Galveston. I never had much luck being able to hike at that state park without muck boots.

    Like

    1. Ingrid, thank you! They took off so suddenly I wasn’t really ready so I was really happy some of the pictures turned out. It definitely wasn’t a good day for hiking. We trod through the mud to the overlook and decided that was enough mud walking for one day.

      Like

  3. You might already have plans to visit High Island, but if you don’t PLEASE go look at the website for the Houston Aubudon Society – look for the link to High Island – spring migration. It is a wonderful time to visit. Last year we saw 100’s of nesting Spoonbills, Egrets, Herons, Cormorants and many small birds. If you can’t find the site let me know. Birdinghighisland.com houstonaububon.org

    Like

    1. Sheila, thank you so much for the information but we are already south of there and won’t be back that way. We enjoyed driving across High Island on our way to the ferry dock. Wow, I hate that we missed the nesting birds. Maybe next year….

      Like

Comments are closed.