Brazos Bend State Park - Houston, Texas

Address:21901 FM 762
Needville, Texas

Brazos Bend State Park spans 5,000 acres and was originally used for pecan harvesting and cattle grazing until it was opened to the public in 1984. Today, visitors can enjoy hiking, biking, and fishing in the Park's six lakes and take in the beauty of the Brazos River floodplains and coastal prairies. Free interpretive programs and hikes are offered here every weekend to visitors and the Nature Center offers incredible hand-on displays such as the alligator discovery area. Nature lovers will also enjoy the observation tower, where countless bird and reptile species can be seen and photographed. Those who want to stay the night will enjoy campsites complete with water and electricity and three separate picnic areas, so come on down to Brazos Bend!

Brazos Bend State Park, approximately 28 miles southwest of Houston, covers roughly 5000 acres, with an eastern boundary of 3.2 miles fronting on the Brazos River on the southeast border of Fort Bend County. This was the area of Texas' first Anglo colonization. It was purchased by the state in 1976-1977 and was opened to the public in 1984. Archeological materials show that prehistoric people visited this area, possibly as early as 300 B.C.; in early historical times, the Capoque band of the Karankawa Indians roamed between the mouth of the Brazos River and Galveston Bay and may have traveled inland as far as Brazos Bend. In the early 19th century, this area of Texas was the site of Stephen F. Austin's first colonial land grant from Mexico, and present park land was included in a grant to Abner Harris and a partner named William Barrett in 1827. Most of riverfront was sold shortly after the Texas Revolution, and records show that in 1845, part of the park and 2,400 feet of river frontage were in the hands of cotton brokers who lived in Brazoria. At the time, the Brazos River was one of the principal routes of commerce, and it may be that the brokerage firm used the area for one of its riverboat landings. In recent times, the land on which the park is located was used for cattle grazing, pecan harvesting, and as a private hunting preserve.