While we were in South Texas for the winter, we were based out of Resaca de la Palma State Park outside of Brownsville, TX. Mom got a job there as a work/camping volunteer. In exchange for just 24 hours of her time a week, we got a free spot to park the bus with full hookups!
Resaca de la Palma State Park is a sprawling wildlife refuge surrounding an oxbow lake created by the flooding and the Rio Grande River shifting over time. Unfortunately, due to human controls on the river, the resaca needs to be artificially filled occasionally.
Regrettably, due to climate change and the over-allocation of the water in the Rio Grande, they haven’t been able to fully fill the resaca for quite some time. The resaca was mostly empty for the duration of our stay.
Park Features
Even without the resaca it was named after, this park still boasts a huge variety of wildlife. From armadillos and javelina, a kind of native pig, to birds of every make, model, and color.
At only $4 per adult for admission as of writing, this State park, open from 6 am to 10 pm, still has a lot to offer! The park has 12 miles of trails, most of which are walking and biking only. There is one 3-mile loop that is paved for a free tram tour. This tram loop is the main jumping-off point for many of the larger trails, and some guests utilize the regular tram schedule to get to and from their favorite trailheads.
Mom and I (and the dog) have been enjoying nightly 3-mile walks around the tram loop, kind of like a little “Date night.” Finding ways to be “away” is important when you live in less than 320 square feet!
The weather this winter has been perfect for it too! We had only 2 or 3 nights where it got “Washington cold;” the rest of the time it was lows in the 70s. On the other end, we’ve only had a few days where the highs got much higher than the 90s!
Something a little unexpected
Another feature of the park is it’s home to the Dr. Cristina V. Torres Memorial Astronomical Observatory, and hosts regular “Astronomy in the Park” events. During these, the public can tour the observatory and hear free astronomy and space exploration lectures. People can also see the stars and planets with high-powered telescopes provided by The University of Texas Astronomy department. The Boy has been particularly fascinated with these talks and has snapped up every opportunity to see them.
Even without the observatory, Resaca de la Palma state park is far enough from Matamoros and Brownsville that the light pollution isn’t too bad and mom and I have enjoyed star gazing and constellation spotting on our nightly walks.
While an excellent spot for eco-tourism, the location was a little isolating for the kids. While we were there, the other volunteers were older couples. Since the park doesn’t have any camping for non-staff, our kids didn’t really get to see other kids that much. We did try to make up for it by taking a few “vacation” trips to Lake Casa Blanca State Park and back up to Lake Corpus Christi State Park.
Overall, Resaca de la Palma State Park was a positive experience. A lovely location for birders and a pretty easy gig for the spot. We may even find ourselves coming back in the future!
