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| Just your average beautiful SFA campsite in the morning! |
This park is set in a large elm grove nestled in to the oaks, sycamores, cottonwoods and willows on the banks of the Brazos River. We visited this park last in March 2016. I am not certain but it seemed the droughts damaged most of the elm trees. Maybe the elms were dormant, it was early March. I intended to return and check the trees but the Brazos flood later in Spring 2016 changed my plans; the park has been closed and will remain so at least until January 1, 2017.
Dottie was 36 weeks pregnant on this last trip in March. We spent two nights in a tent there. The weather was typical of Texas late winter/early spring, pleasant and mild. Lows were in the low to mid fifties, highs about twenty degrees more. We relaxed and read books and cooked in a Dutch oven and on the park grill. I took the kids (then 6 and 4 years old) on a hike down the Barred Owl Trail. The kids used a park map and guided us along the trails. There were several trail intersections and it was fun to watch them look at the map and the trails and make choices. I let them make "mistakes." Once we back tracked and re-evaluated the map and terrain. They did great. We stopped a moment at the Scenic Overlook and enjoyed the elevated view of the Brazos. Along the way we stopped to watch some leaf cutter ants, examine some odd fungi and we even saw some rabbits and squirrels. They enjoyed playing on a gentle slope of the riverbank, caught a small anole lizard and watched turtles swim against the current. An ultralight airplane flew between the river banks. Depending on the wind direction you could hear the highway. It's not bad.
It's not uncommon to see deer in the park in the mornings, especially if you camp midweek. Pileated woodpeckers are park residents. Large Turk's Cap flower bushes draw in hummingbirds. Just after dusk you can hear distant coyotes yipping and howling. Hooting owls call out as the night deepens.
We tent camp, and I guess that's why we notice the park's natural tenants. The night sounds are part of tent camping's best experiences. Dew-drops on the tent with the cawing crows are gentle wake up calls. The camp sites had at the time of our visit (perhaps has changed post-flood) thick Bermuda grass mats, making for reasonably comfortable sleeping. Our experience at SFASP has been that there are few, maybe no mosquitoes. It may be due to the manicured park grounds. The mature elms are left standing with the brush cleared out from beneath them. Grass is allowed to grow high in areas between sites. As it was maintained, it was easy to look across the campground and see your kids in the distance. Sound carries under the elm canopy, fostering a comforting sense of community.
Overall the park has a sense of beauty and calmness that takes a while to recognize. I have been to Stephen F. Austin three times now. There is nothing offensive about the park. I think we are overstimulated in that we fail to notice things that are not extreme. Like many Texas parks there are no stunning mountain views or otherwise calendar-class plates. The charm of SFASP is the tranquil calm and beauty of the place. The hiking trails are not too tough, the environment is not extreme. This park is not a draw for sport fishermen nor is it a bucket list destination for local residents or out-of-town travelers. It takes a while to get to know the place; it may take two to three visits to appreciate the ambiance. This is even though it's a small park. It's not the vastness or intricacies that demand you to become familiar or comfortable; it's the quiet subtleness. The time and effort to acquaint yourself with the park are worthwhile. I think this park is one of the more popular of the Texas State Parks, for good reasons. Reservations usually need to be made months in advance. If you are an individual who is comfortable and at ease with yourself, then Stephen F. Austin is a good place to enjoy an adventure in the gentle and sublime.
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| Leaf Cutter Ants |
It's not uncommon to see deer in the park in the mornings, especially if you camp midweek. Pileated woodpeckers are park residents. Large Turk's Cap flower bushes draw in hummingbirds. Just after dusk you can hear distant coyotes yipping and howling. Hooting owls call out as the night deepens.
We tent camp, and I guess that's why we notice the park's natural tenants. The night sounds are part of tent camping's best experiences. Dew-drops on the tent with the cawing crows are gentle wake up calls. The camp sites had at the time of our visit (perhaps has changed post-flood) thick Bermuda grass mats, making for reasonably comfortable sleeping. Our experience at SFASP has been that there are few, maybe no mosquitoes. It may be due to the manicured park grounds. The mature elms are left standing with the brush cleared out from beneath them. Grass is allowed to grow high in areas between sites. As it was maintained, it was easy to look across the campground and see your kids in the distance. Sound carries under the elm canopy, fostering a comforting sense of community.
Overall the park has a sense of beauty and calmness that takes a while to recognize. I have been to Stephen F. Austin three times now. There is nothing offensive about the park. I think we are overstimulated in that we fail to notice things that are not extreme. Like many Texas parks there are no stunning mountain views or otherwise calendar-class plates. The charm of SFASP is the tranquil calm and beauty of the place. The hiking trails are not too tough, the environment is not extreme. This park is not a draw for sport fishermen nor is it a bucket list destination for local residents or out-of-town travelers. It takes a while to get to know the place; it may take two to three visits to appreciate the ambiance. This is even though it's a small park. It's not the vastness or intricacies that demand you to become familiar or comfortable; it's the quiet subtleness. The time and effort to acquaint yourself with the park are worthwhile. I think this park is one of the more popular of the Texas State Parks, for good reasons. Reservations usually need to be made months in advance. If you are an individual who is comfortable and at ease with yourself, then Stephen F. Austin is a good place to enjoy an adventure in the gentle and sublime.
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| River's edge adventures |
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