North Shore - Bell's Trailhead to River Bend Campground Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 5/30/2026
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 7.00 Miles
Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Leg 1 - Bell's Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Dinosaur Trail > Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area > Dinosaur Trail (S) > Lower Big Hill > North Scenic Loop > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > South Slick Rock Trail > River Bend Campground 4.1 miles
Leg 2 - River Bend ampground > Camp entrance road (W) > Badlands Trail (N) > service road (NE) > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > Bell's Trailhead 2.9 miles
Temps started at 70, ended at 80. Mostly hazy and overcast with a few breaks in the clouds. Humid with slight SE breeze 0-5mph.
It has been a few months since I hiked the North Shore and it will be a few more months before I return. In the fairly recent past, there have been rains that flooded parts of the North Shore section of the park; consequently, some of the trails had been closed. With the announcement a few days ago that two of the main trails had been re-opened, I decided to hike them. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!
The majority of the trails listed in Leg 1, to include Shady Trail (a popular trail) were overgrown with vegetation and in some cases, the growth was waist high or higher. It is the growing season and with the abundant rains, the native grasses and weeds have flourished. Unfortunately the park personnel have not had the time to maintain the trails so they are in a somewhat safe to trod condition. By that I mean you have to tread carefully and always be concious of rattlesnakes on or near the trails. Yes, rattlesnakes will lay in the grass alongside a trail or in the middle of the trail so I am always watching where I place my feet. Additionally, I like to avoid stepping on other reptiles such as lizards and horned toads.
The trails on Leg 2 were in better condition but there were still numerous places where the vegetation needs to be clipped. 'Nuff said on that subject.
Animals spotted were Axis deer - a buck and three does right as I was driving into the park (photo attached). Other deer as well as some birds and a few lizards were also seen. Majority of the wildflowers in bloom were Mexican hats with a few buffalo gourd plants showing their colors. The cactus blossoms were few and far between which was understandable since I was there in the morning and the blossoms that were on the cactus were still closed. There were exceptions and they were colorful!
Overall, it was good to go to the North Shore to see how the trails looked but it was unfortunate the vast majority of trails I hiked, needed some serious maintenance. At this point in time, I would NOT recommend hiking or biking the trails mentioned at the North Shore.
NOTES -
Water, shade, info kiosk and a bicycle repair station are available at Bell's Trailhead.
Water, shade, and an info kiosk are available at the Dinosaur Tracks Viewing Area.
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets are available at the River Bend Campground.
Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to Cougar Overlook and Back
San Angelo State Park
- 5/25/2026
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 8.00 Miles
Duration: 3 hours, 45 minutes
Leg 1 - Burkett Park > Burkett Trail > Trailhead to Trailhead (N) > park service road (NE) > Cougar Overlook 4.5 miles
Leg 2 - Cougar Overlook > short road to Trailhead > Trailhead to Trailhead (S) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.5 miles
Temp started at 62, ended at 74. Overcast and hazy w/slight 5-8mph East breeze.
Easy hike along damp to wet to muddy trails. Because of the recent rains, the "normal" trails were too muddy so I decided to hike along more established, harder packed trails, i.e., the Trailhead to Trailhead trail which is mostly ob older park roads that are no lonegr used. Some portions are old asphalt, others, rock a few dirt but in all cases, the trail was much easier to traverse than the other named trails.
Animals spotted were deer, cottontail rabbits and a Jack Rabbit. Birds were out mostly dove and quail although I saw a Killdeer at two locations making sure I saw him as he ran along the ground squawking and drawing me away from his nest. Another bird of interest were two turkeys near the old cattle pens. Turkey are park residents but you normally don't see them so this was nice.
NOTES -
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park. SPECIAL NOTE - a new water and bottle filling station has been installed but the water to it, has not yet been turned on. The horse trough is also dry but water is available at the older, water spigot.
Shade, info kiosk and a bicycle reapir station are available at Cougar Overlook. SPECIAL NOTE - as of this writing (5/25/26) the air hose at the bicycle repair station is missing a piece on the air hose head which means you cannot use it to inflate tires. Notification of the issue has been made to the park.
South Shore - Playground parking area to Burkett Park - Long Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 5/15/2026
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 7.30 Miles
Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Tasajilla Flats > Nature Trail > Lanky Lackey > WS to LL Connector > Burkett Park 3.8 miles
Leg 2 - Burkett Park > Winding Snake > Chaparral > Red Dam Loop > Chaparral > Playground parking area 3.5 miles
Temps started at 70, ended at 80. Mostly cloudy with brief sun, steady 10-20mph SW breeze.
Easy hike along dry and familiar trails. At some point in the recent past, park personnel had cut some of the vegetation back from the trails so there were a lot of cut grasses on and near the trails. Two armadillos were spotted at the cabins as well as a lone Jack Rabbit. Further down the trail, a skunk rounded a corner and didn't notice me until I made some noise at which point his tail went up and I backed off until he was safely past.
Birds were out singing and quite a few lizards were out as well. Cactus blooms were mainly yellow in color with a few red and yellow cactus blooms visible. Mexican hats in both red and yellow were also blooming. The bee bush is almost gone but the very faint scent of vanilla was still detected.
All in all a quiet, peaceful hike!
NOTES -
Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle reapir station are available at Playground parking area.
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets are avaiable at Burkett Park.
SPECIAL NOTE - the new water bottle and water fountain kiosks have been installed but there is no water flowing from them at this time.
Park Mid-section - Burkett Park to Cougar Overlook Short Loop
San Angelo State Park
- 4/24/2026
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 8.90 Miles
Duration: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Leg 1 - Burkett park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Turkey Creek > 5 Points Junction 4.2 miles
Leg 2 - 5 Points Junction > River Bend > park service road (NE) > Cougar Overlook > Flintstone > 5 Points Junction 2.8 miles
Leg 3 - 5 Points Junction > Flintstone (S) > park service road (NE) > park service road (SW) > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 1.9 miles
Temps started at 69, ended at 76. Sunny, slightly humid with steady SW winds at 10-15mph.
Trails were dry to damp from the humidity and spotty rains over the past few days. Because of the much needed rain, the warm temps and the time of year, the vegetation has really gone through a growth spurt and many parts of the numerous trails I was on today are in need of a trim. The grasses and growth are easy to walk through BUT there is the ever present and very real danger of stepping on or near a rattlesnake. The only snake I saw today was a ring collared snake about 8 - 12 inches long that was lying motionless next to the trail. When I went to get a photo, it flipped it's red tipped tail at me and slithered off.
Wild flowers are becoming a more common sight with yellow and white being the predominant colors with splashes of blue and purple from "wine cups". The numerous bee bushes were flowering as well and the pleasant scent of vanilla was always present on today's hike. Animals spotted were deer and cottontail rabbits as well as an armadillo (photo attached) which was very large! I haven't seen an armadillo in a few years so seeing this one was nice!
A brief explanation about the attached photo - I do not believe it is ethical to antagonize, provoke or interrupt any animals, birds or insects while trying to get a photograph. This armadillo had climbed up the slope after I departed Cougar Overlook and I only saw him by chance. Rather than interrupt or deter him from his intended path, I chose to simply record what I saw and not interrupt him as he nonchalantly wandered into the brush.
NOTES -
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets are available at Burkett Park.
Water, shade and an info kiosk are available at 5 Points Junction.
Shade, info kiosk and a bicycle repair station are available at Cougar Overlook.
SPECIAL NOTE - With the submission of this report, I am now Number 1 in TOTAL DISTANCE with 5144.80 miles on the Texas Hiking website !
South Shore - Playground parking area to Armadillo Ridge - Figure 8
San Angelo State Park
- 4/17/2026
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Rating:
Difficulty:
Solitude:
Distance: 10.00 Miles
Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Leg 1 - Playground parking area > Chaparral > Winding Snake > Burkett Park 2.9 miles
Leg 2 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Roller Coaster > West Potts Creek > Potts Creek > Burkett Trail > Burkett Park 3.7 miles
Leg 3 - Burkett Park > WS to LL Connector > Lanky Lackey > Nature Trail > Horny Toad > Playground Parking Area 3.4 miles
Temps started at 70, ended at 77. Overcast then mostly cloudy. Steady 10-15mph Southerly wind. Light humidity.
Another round of spotty rains since my last hike made the trails dry or muddy and everything in between. One negative side effect of the rains has been the washing away of the topsoil on the trails which exposes the numerous rocks on the trail. NOT good for my feet! The positive benefits were numerous including another round of blooms on the bee bush resulting in a very noticeable scent of vanilla everywhere I went. A lot of cactus have buds which will soon open as cactus flowers. Lots of birds singing for mates, more wild flowers are in bloom and lizards were everywhere.
NOTES -
Water, shade, info kiosk, toilets and a bicycle repair station are available at Playground Parking Area.
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett Park.