Brazos Bend State Park Campground

This park is really back in there as from the office to the sites it's a good distance which is nice. Level sites and more than enough room between sites. If you like hiking, you can get it done here, just watch out for the gators.....

We stayed in spot 112 in February 2024.  

• Sites are very nice, wide, and (mostly) level.  
• Campground is kept clean.  
• Bathroom is a bit outdated, but still clean.
• Trails are very nice and appear top be kept up regularly.  Just watch out for the alligators.
• Don't forget to reserve a spot at the observatory on Saturday nights...

We had fun here with our 3 year old granddaughter. Campsite was nice & large, well spaced out. Bathrooms are clean, and the trails are awesome. Saw about 20 alligators on Elm Lake

First. Data. Download enough to watch FIFA final. Upload not the greatest. Visible, Verizon 5G, T-Mobile 5G. All great down but low upload speeds. Too many trees for Starlink

Awesome friendly gate house staff. Big park with camping loop. Will be back

First. Data. Download enough to watch FIFA final. Upload not the greatest. Visible, Verizon 5G, T-Mobile 5G. All great down but low upload speeds. Too many trees for Starlink

Awesome friendly gate house staff. Big park with camping loop. Will be back

This would be a 5 star if there was sewer hookup 

PROS 

No fee to make my own on-line reservations

Park security gate closed overnight hours 

Good space between sites 

Grass mowed in each site 

Extra wide campground roadway 

Quiet during our weeknight stay 

Wooden and metal picnic table on concrete slab 

Pedestal BBQ grill 

Metal firering (no cooking grate) 

Clean, climate controlled toilet/shower facility. 

Ample supply of TP, and hand soap but hand dryer didn’t work and no paper towels. Campfire wood for sale via honor system in the campground 

Regular ranger patrol through campground

Lots of dumpsters throughout the campground

.85 miles round trip from site 114 to closest toilet/shower facility 

2 bars T-MOBILE 

CONS 

No discount for a one night stay 

Aggressive raccoons 

Site 114 not level 

No lantern pole in campsite 

Site picnic table is anchored to concrete slab and not moveable 

No WiFi

The birds singing in the meadow wake you gently in the morning. There's numerous trails to hike or bike. the observatory and nature centers a bonus to this well appointed state campground.

Might as well make this a national park. Was amazing. Campground has huge level pads with big campsites. Well groomed and very clean. So many walking and biking trails. We saw around 30 alligators, 100s of birds and 2 beavers (I think). Was humid and around 85 degrees most of the time.

Came here as a kid in 5th grade and fell in love! It hasn’t changed a bit! So much to see, the observatory it’s incredible! Alligators for miles! Photographers paradise!

Just purchased my 1st RV. This was a "test run" with my dogs and cat. It's a huge park. Well maintained. Traveled alone and felt 100% safe. Lots of trails close to the campsite (burr oak). Only reason I have it 4 stars is my AT&T service was virtually non existent.

Amazing spot for camping and hiking! Bathrooms were okay, overall everything was clean. They have numerous trails to enjoy. We saw bunch of gators, various birds, raccoons and other animals. Highly recommended!

Overnight stay. Heavily wooded area. Lots of wildlife (deer hanging out in neighboring campsite). Grass was overgrown on site. Firewood we bought wouldn’t burn. Very buggy (swarming at your face). Had to drive to the shower house. There seemed to be a lot to see at this park and I’m sure it is lovely in the fall and winter. I would come back again in better weather.

Lots to do, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing. Great campground.

I like state parks and this is a good example why. The sites are well spaced, well maintained and relatively inexpensive. About $20. You can reserve online and the web site has photos of the site so you know it works for you.

Site have electric and water and the dump station is at the entrance of the campground. Easy to hit on your way out.

There are plenty of hiking trails and they have alligators.

If you're looking for a good campground close to Houston, this is your place.

 We loved this place! Our campsite was on Burr Oak loop. Very spacious. Quite a walk to the bathroom though. Very clean bathrooms. 

The trails are awesome! So glad we had our bikes, it allowed us to cover a lot of ground. We did see over 10 alligators. Some on the side of the trail, some in the water....I lost count of how many we saw. Great for hikes. Awesome for bikes.

This is the best place to escape from the big city and enjoy nature! There is so much to do. The hiking and bike paths are aplenty. We loved seeing the gators, especially when the babies were hatching (spot dozens of babies in the photos). The observatory is also incredible. There are so many friendly astronomy enthusiasts who are willing to share a peek through their telescope (pre-covid) and share their knowledge. Be sure to help keep light pollution down in that area so everyone can enjoy the stars (no flashlights or phones out). This is such a great park to enjoy and spend a weekend away from the city without traveling too far.

If you want to see alligators in their natural habitat this is the park for you.  There wer so many. We even came across one on the trail eating a snake. The best part though is the observatory. There’s always plenty of stargazers up there that love to share their equipment, you can also pay for the big telescopes. We visited before Covid, so not sure how things are now. The shelter sites are nicer than most. The bathrooms were average.

I was visiting Houston with my husband (who is from there) and decided to make a quick escape from the city to nature.  We camped just one night, so despite the short visit, we really had a great time.  Our site was very spacious, and it was pretty quiet there.  There were large trees giving us plenty of shade.  I love the Spanish moss that hangs from the trees.

We also took a hike in the park around the lame, and saw a few alligators.  Such a fun hike, highly recommended!

I've been going to Brazos Bend since I was a kid. It's always fun to hike or bike around the trails and see all types of birds, alligators, and other wildlife. For us it is close by which is another added bonus.

We reserved our reservations a head of time, showed up, and the staff was very helpful and went easy. They keep the park and restrooms clean clean. We got to hike the 40 Acre Trail (about an hour hike) and the whole family loved it. Definitely will be back soon in the future for the other trails and activities.

This is a great family-friendly park, as it has many activities for nature education, an observatory, and endless trails. (Dont hike alone! Alligators arent shy and they think they own the trails!) The drive in to the main area is great. Drive slow so you can enjoy the views! Also, take your binoculars and scope the horizons!

Ok, I'll admit it. I visited this park for one reason only… to see alligators.

Brazos Bend State Park does have other attractions like miles of hiking trails, campsites, water fowl and migratory birds, but the real attraction for me was simply to see live alligators in their natural habitat. If you have the same motive, this park will not disappoint. 

This park is located outside of Houston. During much of the year the temperature can be warm to hot and muggy. I think that the best time of the year to visit might be in the winter during November, December or January. At other times of the year you may need to fight off mosquitos as big as alligators.

There are a number of trails to hike, but I chose trails that would provide the greatest opportunity to see alligators. So we hiked along the 40 Acre Lake to Elm Lake Loop. We first saw a number of water fowl - ducks, cranes, egrets. Then right along the trail we saw a fairly large alligator. Now there are signs that warn to stay a safe distance away from the alligators and it is solid advice. But simply staying on the trail allowed me to pass about 30 feet in front of a resting alligator. I'm guessing that if the alligator wanted to get up and chase me it could have. I just calculated that I didn't need to be faster than the alligator, I just needed to be faster than my hiking buddies.

We all survived and it was a pleasant experience.

Best day park around. Easy parking, easy hiking & beautiful nature. Gators, gators, gators!!!

Went again, and we saw gators at the nature center. Cool

If you go in the summer you need to watch out for mosquitoes. The observatory is amazing on clear nights.🏕🚀

Great state park with ample campsites. Watch for alligators when you fish! They have a nice visitor information area where you can learn about the park and maybe hold a baby alligator. They also have a star gazing show at the Observatory. Book ahead because they fill fast.

Very nice park close to my home in Houston. Have not camped yet but it is on my radar. Enjoyed the center where they bring out the snakes and baby gators. Nice for bicycles and fishing. Will return soon

Brazos Bend is alligator headquarters! This is my son's favorite park, right up next to Dinosaur Valley State Park. So first i'll tell you that the facilities are nice and pretty new it looked like. There are tent, group, equestrian, and RV sites, plus cabins and screened shelters. They have a few hike and bike trails, but nothing very challenging or long, but everything else they have is what makes it the bomb!

There are six lakes, a creek, and the Brazos river in the park, so if you go during summer take bug spray, or bugs will eat you alive. Also tons of spiders...so yeah. You can fish at some of the lakes, and most of the lakes have a viewing pier where you can bird watch and look for big alligators.

OK, the Nature center is the coolest thing ever!!! They have snakes, spiders, and lots of fun stuff for kids. My son got to touch a king snake and a baby alligator, which was so cool. They also have lots of planned activities going on, so make sure you check the calendar or ask a park ranger if they have an event going on. We got so lucky that they had a group of alligator hatchlings that they brought out for all the kids to see and did a whole informative, interactive discussion. They brought out like 60 baby alligators in tubs and showed the kids how they feed them and how they would release them back into the wild. It was the most amazing thing! They made sure every kid got to touch one, and there were a lot of kids.

So yeah alligators are awesome, but on top of all of that, there is an observatory in the park. If you go on the weekends they have tours and shows at the observatory. There is an extra fee, but it is well worth it.

Bring a hat, sunscreen, good shoes, and bug spray is a must!

Quite, very patrolled by its staff driving by every hour, great hiking trails, well maintained and close to Houston

If alligators are what you want to see, you will find them here. We stayed in the primative campground in a tent and had no problems with alligators coming in the campsite. They are in the lake and swamp area and may be sunning on the hiking trails. They won't bother you if you walk around them. The picnic sites and pavilions are nice.