While vacationing in Rockport, Texas, we visited the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and Mustang Island State Park. They were both about a 30-minute scenic drive from our spot at Bay View RV Park. We took many pictures, shot a few videos, and got sweaty in the hot and humid southern Texas weather.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
After stopping in the Visitor Center to pay our entrance fee and pick up a map, we started our tour. The ranger marked several trails and places of interest on our map, as well as noting trails that were currently closed or not recommended.
This sign was on the Heron Flats Trail. The ranger told us this trail was blocked because a female alligator was spotted in that area.
We saw the ‘Do Not Feed’ sign in several places during our visit. However, we didn’t see an alligator every place we saw the sign.
One of our favorite places was the Jones Lake Observation Deck. We hung out there awhile, watching the deer, herons, egrets, and ducks. If it hadn’t been so hot, we would have stayed longer!
A little farther south of Jones Lake are the Observation Towers. The towers offer views of San Antonio Bay and Mustang Lake.
Mustang Island State Park
Our dogs stayed home in our RV when we visited the wildlife refuge and other places during our week in Rockport. On our last day, we put them in the Subaru, and they rode with us to Mustang Island State Park. They were excited!
The best route from Rockport to Mustang Island is on the ferry. We were impressed with the efficiency and speed of the staff as they directed cars onto the ship. It was a short ride across the Corpus Christi Channel to Port Aransas.
We took our time driving south to the state park. There are many tourist attractions along the way; however, with the dogs anxious to get out, we didn’t make any stops.
After paying the $10.00 entrance fee, we drove along the beach, looking for a place to stop.
It was a bit overcast and windy, and the dogs loved it.
The beach along Mustang Island is beautiful. We drove south, stopping often and walking around.
We left the state park and continued south along Hwy 361 to JP Luby Beach and the North Packery Channel Jetty. Sadie didn’t care for our walk along the jetty and was anxious to return to the car.
For more videos of our time in Rockport, check out our YouTube Channel
We enjoyed our time in Rockport and were not ready to leave. However, we needed to be in Springfield, Missouri, for Andy’s next job in less than a week.
We shared our Rockport to Springfield adventure in our post, Our New Home on the Road. It was an interesting trip.
Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas. Visit his portfolio here.
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Great post 😁
Thanks!