Welcome Y'all!
Martin Dies Jr. State Park in Jasper, TX has a unique place in my memory. Though it's not as famous as Brazos Bend State Park for Alligators, they do have Gators in the area. The very time I visited here was almost 6 years ago and one the name was weird and two the idea of canoeing and possibility of an alligator encounter was freaking me out. This time around I knew that the park was named after Dies whose early childhood was in Jasper, TX and who later served as the Secretary of State of Texas. Moving on to the Alligator part, since the last time around, I have had wildlife encounters during hikes and was prepared mentally at the least.
I'll start off by emphasizing that the trails here are almost flat and easy to hike be it for a senior, a kiddo or your fur babies. I did an overnight at one of the Cabins by Walnut Ridge Unit and the area was well kept. Unlike my previous cabin stays, this particular cabin did not have access to lake right by us but it was across by the shelters. If you want a nice lake view and access to it through out your stay, then choose a screened shelter.
Hiking
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Island and Wildlife Trails: Island Trail is only 0.8 miles that runs parallel to the lake and offers beautiful views. There are view points with benches to rest and soak up the beauty. There were several bird habitats throughout this trail. From woodpeckers, cardinals to song birds they were nesting here and was it was melodious to hear their songs. If birds excite your kiddos and they want to learn more, if you are dipping your feet into photography this would be one the trails that you definitely want to checkout!
The other side of the trail does leads to wildlife trail that is 1.4miles long loop. This does take you through the overlook bridge.
Slough Trail and Sandy Creek Trails: Slough Trail 2.2 miles loop has sixteen bridges with beautiful views throughout the hike. You can choose to paddle under observation bridges to get a glimpse of gators and turtles or hike through this trail to walk the bridges to experience the dense trees. It's your take to experience either the flora or fauna!
Sandy Creek trail on the other hand is a shorter hike of 0.9 miles and offers a bridge through swamp deck and a sunset view. Since it was a foggy day and a AM hike, we didn't have an exciting experience here. Several plastic and non-degradables were found throughout this trail in the shoreline and was not sure if this was washed away during a recent storm or...? Either ways, "leave no trace" is our responsibility more than a nicety and let's continue to talk along these lines to preserve the little bit of nature that we have access to.
Paddling
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We canoed here both times and the rentals are offered in the headquarters. Canoeing under the bridge and in between trees was fun. It was a super foggy day and we got lucky and spotted turtles and egrets but no gators yet :( What I learnt later on is that gators are sensitive to temperature changes and are more sluggish during this season.
Alternatively, you could also rent a bike from the headquarters to enjoy the trails as they are pretty flat. Since the trails are easy to navigate through, you could get the most out of the park in a day but planning an entire weekend would allow for more intentional listening to nature sounds, bird watching and oh boy! the night sky here is beautiful.
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Cheers,
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