Camping Trip to Matagorda Bay Nature Park
April 27th – 30th
Outing Leader/RSVP: CarrieL
What: Camping, Birding, Kayaking, Beach Combing, Fishing, Museums
Where: Matagorda Bay Nature Park in Matagorda (near Bay City, Tx.)
When: Arriving Thurs. April 27 and departing Sun., April 30
Who: TOWN members, husbands/boyfriends
This is a birding outing during Spring migration combined with a camping trip to the beach!
The Matagorda peninsula is known as one of the best birding areas. Matagorda Bay Nature Park is located on the Matagorda peninsula at the mouth of the Colorado River where it meets the Gulf of Mexico. Over 1600 acres were acquired here in 2001 with 2 mi. of river front and 2 mi. of beach front.
We will explore the Nature Park and its science center. If you’d like, we can do some fishing from the piers over the river and on the Gulf. They have a tackle loaner program, but bring what you have and we can give our fishing skills a try (license is required).
Bring your binoculars and bird books. We will tour the Matagorda County Birding and Nature Center in Bay City, and walk the trails there doing some birding. We may also check out the birding at the highly acclaimed Mad Island Marsh Preserve, but only if we have the time and there is interest. In Bay City, we will also take a quick look through the small Matagorda Co. Museum giving us some history and the story of LaSalle’s shipwreck of the LaBelle.
(See History attachment.) There is also another little museum in Palacios (aka the “city by the sea”) with a replica of the LaBelle, if we decide to drive to Palacios.
You also need to bring your kayak because we will kayak up the Colorado and across to an island on the Gulf side with unspoiled beach for shell hunting. So bring bags and containers to hold your treasures too!
And of course, we will have to eat seafood! Recommended seafood places are Poco Playa and Spoonbills, the Blessing Hotel for down-home Southern cooking, (buffet 11-2), and Fat Grass for all foods. I’m sure we can manage one or two of these!
You may reserve on-line at www.lcra.org/reserve or call 855-392-7638. I have reserved a South Loop site #7 on the water. The best sites to reserve if you can get them are South Loop sites #5-14 (water front for $37+$5 daily entry fee) or sites #32-39 (premium sites for $32+$5 daily entry fee). Site costs are pricey, so let’s have tenters and RVers sharing sites to make it most affordable for all. (No limit on tents per site, but limit of 8 people.)
If you’re interested, reserve as soon as possible because sites will go fast during Spring migration.
Looking forward to another adventure!
CarrieL