North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to Cougar Overlook loop

A Pair of Great Horned Owls
Perched near the watering hole, the owls looked for prey. They were unsuccessful in their quest, at least while I was there.
User: MikeHikes - 8/28/2022

Location: San Angelo State Park

Rating: 4point5stars
Difficulty: halfstar  Solitude: 5stars
Miles Hiked: 8.80 Miles  Elapsed Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Comments:

Leg 1 -  Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur (S) > Upper Big Hill > Badlands > River Bend > Javelina > Cougar Overlook     5.7 miles

Leg 2 -  Cougar Overlook > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Ghost Camp > Lower Ghost Camp > River Bend Campground > Lower Ghost Camp > South Slick Rock > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead > Bell's Trailhead    3.1 miles

Temp started at 77, ended at 85.  Overcast then sunny with 5-10mph SW breeze.  Slightly humid.

All trails were dry, easy to see and traverse.  I spent some time on Shady Trail before the hike and saw two raccoons, two Great Horned Owls (photo attached) and a single beaver at the North Concho River pool.  Water is running low so this watering hole is a good place to see what wildlife there is.

The rest of the hike was pretty uneventful - no other animals were spotted except for two deer I saw when I entered the park.  Not many birds were out either.  Besides the watering hole sightings there was nothing else going on.

NOTES

Info kiosk and a bicycle repair station available at Bell's Trailhead.

Water and shade available in the campground by Bell's Trailhead.

Water, shade and an info kiosk available at the Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area.

Shade and an inof kiosk available at Cougar Overlook.

Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at the River Bend Camping Area.



Log Photos
A Pair of Great Horned Owls
Area around San Angelo State Park
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