A national park with many opportunities to see wildlife up close. There is a well shaded picnic area with outhouse-style bathrooms and a great view of the ocean. The visitors center had knowledgeable and friendly staff. The gift shop was small but stocked with items showcasing the wildlife of the area. The viewing stands and observation tower were well built and made for a great view above the terrain to see nesting roseate spoonbills, herons, cranes, etc. We saw numerous alligators and deer also. Bring binoculars and/or a camera lens that will allow for seeing the animals in the distance. Clean bathrooms—and water bottle filling station—inside and outside the visitor center.

You can easily spent a day here, we took most of the walking trails and viewing towers. This place is known for Whooping Cranes migrating from Canada. Take the walking trails through alligator swamp, you will see plenty of them, if you are taking unpaved trail, better watch out for alligator. Keep your eyes open..

Amazing little known park (outside of the birding community) that has something for everyone. Trails, wildlife, fishing and of course birding. We didn’t get to see any alligators but we did see turkeys, tons of deer and wild hogs. We will be going back to do the trails when it’s not raining. Definitely check out the visitor center. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful. We can’t wait for the exhibits to be displayed.

We stopped by the refuge on our way back home from Rockport, intending a couple of hours but ended up staying most of the day. Beautiful place. We went in the first week of March so the weather was cool, no mosquitos and hardly anyone there. Perfect! We took several hiking trails, as well as walking along the boardwalk and observation deck area. The boardwalk continues into a long and a short hiking trail too. There's restrooms at the picnic and observation tower areas, but just toilets only, no running water. If you're in a regular vehicle just take a jug of water to wash your hands. We saw gators, cranes, egrets, pelicans, deer, pigs and a lot of other wildlife. Visited their 400 year old oak that looks amazing. They also have a 9 mile auto tour loop that gives a great perspective of how these shallow marshlands protect the inland areas. The auto tour sign has a vehicle size limit of 25 ft long x 7 ft wide x 8 ft tall but there were no clearance issues with our 9 ft tall van. What they're essentially telling you is not to drive your 35 ft bus through there. Lots of fishing if that's what you like, but for us rv travelers its a wonderful stop. We ended having a late meal in their picnic area before hitting the road. Quiet and serene sitting under the oaks looking out at the bay. They're also finishing a visitor center that looks pretty nice, with gift shop etc. Highly recommended if you're anywhere in the area.

Good place! no food, not a single trash can! Trails riddled with mosquitoes; sprays didn’t help! The auto loop is genuinely avoidable! The board walk is nice. There is a metal staircase that takes you above tree tops to enjoy a superb view! But would I drive 75 miles from Corpus Christi to visit this place ? 100% NO! But we still did because we had nothing else to do!

Absolutely beautiful place and great fishing. We saw 3 whooping cranes, and there are only 600 left on earth!

Ample amount of wildlife, much variety. Lots of trails, depending on what you're looking for. Take your time, observe, don't miss out on spotting a memory. This is my 3rd visit in 5yrs. & I still obtain new photos & memories.

The park was not what I expected for the drive we made. But it was just fine. We had our trailer connected and were unable to complete the driving loop due to height and width restrictions on the auto loop. Wish we would have known that prior to visiting. So that was disappointing being we paid (not expensive) and couldn't even do the loop we intended to do. Also, the road going into the trail we wanted to hike was horrible. Pot holes everywhere.

Has some good walking trails and bird watching spots. You will spot lots of pelicans and whooping cranes. There is also an auto loop trail where you could spot some javelins and deers.

Went to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge yesterday August 14, 2022). Stopped at the brand new Visitor Center & the employees were quite helpful on the best places to spot the wildlife. The weather cooperated & the rain mostly stopped while we were there. Did the auto loop & walked a bunch of the paths. Saw tons of wildlife! (Most at Jones Lake) 2 BIG alligators. Several doe, fawns & 1 buck that was 6-8 points! Several breed of birds, including gorgeous Rosette Spoonbills! A small herd or family group of Javelina (7 that we could count) A stunning Live Oak Tree that the sign said was at least 500 YEARS OLD! An armadillo walking on the roadside. And even a few frogs crossing the road! (one appeared to be trailing a LOT of water as s/he was leaping) The pics are mostly maxed out on magnification, so not great. But good enough! ;)

Enjoyed a good mid-December experience at Aransas NWR. More birds & wildlife than expected, though maybe that's just me. Spotted many types of birds including Great Blue Herons, Whooping Cranes Great Egrets, Dunlins, and Turkey Vultures, as well as several deer and even a Javelina that dashed across the Auto Tour road. Love the new Visitor Center too!

My wife and I visited this past Saturday 10/1/2022. We enjoyed the serenity, the wild life and it was a much needed venture away from the city. The park ranger who assisted us in the welcome center was very kind and the staff operating the store were top notch. I recommend a visit and don't forget to pack a picnic and enjoy the view with your meal. Must visit now!!!

Super fun outing for the family. I’d expect to spend 1-2 hours, depending on how long you take at each viewing place. Definitely pack bug spray because the mosquitos are plenty. We went mid-April and saw 1 large gator and 3 babies!!

I came out to ANWR early on a Saturday. I visited a few spots during my visit. My favorite was probably the Wildlife Tower and its surrounding area. There is a lot to explore here though! If you are driving early in the morning, keep a close eye out for deer, I saw a lot of them on/near the road.

An absolutely amazing hidden gem! I have been a couple times now and it is always so much. If you are looking for a place to see tons of wildlife and beautiful views, this is an amazing place to go. From bird watching, to alligators hidden at every turn, to deer, boars and even bobcats.

Nice spot. Impossible to get close to the whooping cranes (unless they come to you) but you can catch an ok view with binoculars or a 600mm lens. Was told you sometimes need the knee high boots it’s so swampy on the coastal trails but this trip was nice and dry in February.

The refugee has Many trails and viewing points. We saw cranes, egrets, pelicans, seagulls and herons. Lot’s to see- You can spend the whole day there.

Large Wildlife Refuge with abundant wildlife and different environments. Caution must be taken for the copious amounts of mosquitoes in the one way drive around the backside of the park.

We came her specifically in the hopes of seeing whooping cranes. We took the Heron trail walk and saw 6 out in the marsh and from the trail they weren't too far away. By the time we went to the end of the trail and came back to where we saw them on the way out, they had flown quite a bit away and were difficult to see. We took the railtrail, songbird loop, went up on the overlooks and drove the auto loop. All and all, it was a lovely day, not too many people there and quite a few other bird sightings within the Reserve. The burrowing owl was spotted along the road en route to Aransas so keep your eyes open.

Great wildlife preserve. Definitely not a park but has restrooms and picnic area. Lots of trails and observation areas to observe wildlife. Binoculars are definitely helpful.

Nice little refuge. We only saw one alligator and 57 trillion mosquitoes. We went in the wrong time of the day. I'm sure there is lots of activity early morning. BRING MOSQUITO REPELLENT.

Great place to fish. Good trails. Fun tower to climb with a great view of the wetlands.

Beautiful park. Lots of wildlife. Great staff answering our questions and guiding us to where the birds were. Very nice facilities.

Nice area.But the HUGE potholes on the side roads need to be FILLED IN. Nice birding, seen an alligator and wild hogs.

This was a wonderful place to go for the day and hike some trails with my 6-year-old daughter and wife. Saw a lot of alligators and some very huge ones on the heron flats trail. Went on a few other trails including the observation tower, which is really cool. Above the tree canopy where you can feel the full force of the wind. You really could spend all day there enjoying the trails and hiking. Lots of birds, Saw javelina right away as we entered the park. Can't wait to go back.

Really great place. Beautiful scenery. The perfect stop after a long drive for us.

Went to see the Whooping Cranes that are just arriving in the area for winter. Stopped at the Visitor Center first to get a map and ask about sightings. There is a fee unless you have a park pass. Volunteers were very friendly and helpful. Nothing to see in the center as the Refuge sustained damage during Hurricane Harvey, so they haven’t started putting in displays. There is a small gift shop and restrooms. We stopped at Heron Lake and saw Sandhill Cranes, Spoonbills and herons. Mosquitoes were terrible so use repellent. The tall lookout tower is great, we saw 3 Whooping Cranes. The auto loop drive was not worth it, didn’t see much. There is a nice picnic area and fishing pier. For the long drive out there, there wasn’t much. Next month there will bird walks and more cranes.

Beautiful place to see all kinds of birds and in the winter, if you're lucky, you might see some whooping cranes!

The trails were overgrown so I hiked the road and saw 1 baby boar. Deer at the exit overall ot could have been better.