This State park is located on South International Blvd. (S. Farm to Market 1015) in Weslaco and…read morenorth of Progreso, TX. It boasts some hiking trails, small lakes, and wetlands where many water birds come as well as the regular South Texas avian residents and migratory birds. Many bird watching enthusiasts love this park. From the parking lot, follow the signs and make your way to the Visitors Center where you can pay the modest entry fee. The Visitors Center has a small gift shop, and there is a large covered porch overlooking one of the wetland areas where you can watch for birds. There are also restrooms available. The park is well maintained, and looks like it recently went through some improvements with new boardwalks. I did not have time to walk all the trails, so I did not get to see the alligators at Alligator Lake. However, I did see ibis, whistling ducks, red winged blackbird, hummingbirds, and some others I could not identify. Some have reported sightings of cranes, herons, spoonbills, and much more. I'd like to return when I have opportunity to see what else I can see. There were family groups walking, enjoying the park, and quite a few Winter Texans equipped with binoculars. There is usually someone, a more experienced bird watcher willing to share their tips. Besides the fauna, I enjoyed seeing some of the native flora such as the Palo Verde which was in full bloom the day I went. Espero Llano Grande State Park is a great place for family outings, bird watchers, or hiking enthusiasts. I recommend it.

My girl and I attended the First Day Hike to start off our 2019 outdoors and boy did we have a…read moregreat time. Ranger Javier was in charge of our 2hour/2mile hike and he was a super friendly and easy person to like. He had tons of knowledge and allowed our group to enjoy our stops even though we kept a pretty good pace from location to location. The entire park is pretty darn awesome. The land it sits on has been painstakingly converted into the marshlands that originally encompassed this area before irrigation amd development changed how the Rio Grande flowed. Apparently, this area is a bird lovers dream and many hard to find species call this area home. We were lucky to spot some very cool and beautiful birdies as well as one very illusive crocodile that Javier quickly spotted in crocodile pond. The entry fee is only $5 and there is an information area at the ticket office. They are getting very good about having events such as the first day of the year hike and you can even sign up for a Texas Parks newsletter that tells you of upcoming events. You can bring leashed doggies as well as your bike to use on the bike trails! All in all, a great RGV Texas State Park to bring your whole family. Try a guided tour and you will see even more than you expect!

The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is located in Los Fresnos,…read moreTX. My daughters and I drove around this refuge back on May 28, 2025. It was raining off and on, so hiking was a no-go since we had no rain gear. This amazing section of diverse landscape is comprised of 110,000 acres. "The refuge is home to an incredible biodiversity with more than 450 plant varieties, 417 species of birds documented, 130 types of butterflies, 45 mammal species, 44 reptile and amphibian varieties and approximately 40 fish species." Because it is a "national" refuge (part of the title was left out of the Yelp business page), fishing is allowed and there are public hunts offered here as part of conservation. This includes for alligator (hook & line only), archery deer, exotics (e.g. nilgai antelope), and white-tailed deer. Feral hog hunting is unlimited. Of high importance to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is refuge management of "the two remaining breeding populations of ocelots." We never saw any, but just watch NBC's "The Americas." They have footage of those beautiful little endangered cats. Annual passes were $9 while day passes were $2.50. Works Cited https://www.fws.gov/refuge/laguna-atascosa

Can I give it 10 stars? The wildlife, birds, calm atmosphere, all add up to a wonderful experience.read more

Great park! Just exploring around McAllen and this is a stop you should definitely make while…read moreyou're out here. There are boat rentals that you can get to go out on the lake and gigantic swan boats too. Get here early so it's not as hot out and the experience will be even better! I was here on a Saturday morning at 8am and it was already busy with families, running clubs and fisherman by the lake.

It's great on the weekends Great place to barbecue with the…read morefamily and go fishing & activities! This is not a bot btw this place is actually good to go fishing and to have parties

Absolutely a must see when you're in the RGV. This is one of the most beautiful parks I've ever…read morebeen in! I was initially drawn to check out the cool suspension bridge amongst the trees (costa rica vibes) and there was even more the park offered! We were greeted by two very friendly and knowledgeable workers at the visitors center, they were able to show us some recommended routes and things to look out for. The visitor center itself was so enjoyable to look around since it was like a mini museum with a bunch of history and information about the nature and wildlife. We took the Chachalaca Trail to the Tower Trail as recommended to get to the suspension bridge. Along the way you pass by a beautiful lake with many bird species and find a bunch of Spanish moss trees. When you get to the suspension bridge you take a tall spiral staircase and it's literally the coolest thing walking on the bridge. It was wobbly but very sturdy even when my friends were jumping on it! There was a lookout tower next to the bridge you take a separate staircase for and see a gorgeous overlook above all the trees. We later took the Pintail Lakes Trail to see the Rio Grande River outlook where you see the river and Mexico on the other side! After that we went up towards all the Pintail Lakes and took in all the gorgeous flora, birds, and scenery. The coolest thing we saw was a hawk carrying a snake!! We finished walking through it all in about 2ish hours. Can't recommend this place enough!

Beautiful hike and lots of cool wildlife and nature in the area. We saw a lot of very colorful…read morebirds also. The rope bridge was a fun addition as well

Nice state park! Loved seeing all the green jays and chácalas! It's also cool to get the birding…read moreapp and see what bird it identified from the sounds. We liked renting the bikes to ride around the park. But you can't go off on the trails and the bikes are in need of some tlc but still worth it! My kids loved the coloring tables inside the visitor center.

Rio Grande Valley State Park! This place is in sort of…read morethese marshes, low lying fields in the RGV outside of Brownsville. We came in for a hike along their shortest trail, which wound through scrub brush, mesquite trees and the overwhelming sound of cicadas. We saw lots of armadillos on our hike, and several strange, menacing looking birds. The park has a nice ranger station with a gift shop where you can rent binoculars and get patches and other gear that you'll need to camp and hike along the park's many trails. Be sure to reserve ahead of time on the website. The park is quiet, other than the insects. When we went, it has hot as heck, and nobody else was on the trails. They do offer a few bird blinds, or places to relax in some shade and observe the birds. There seemed to be a planetarium or telescope or something, but the armadillos were preventing us from investigating this.

I am absolutely impressed with this park in my hometown Brownsville, Texas! When it comes to the…read morevalley most things are a *shrug* and "ehh". Brownsville can definitely be proud of this park. Especially during the Holidays the Christmas Village was on point. They have everything here: Art Work Play grounds (several) Large Open GREEN space Pavilions Picnic tables with grills Fishing Museum within the park Zoo across the way Plentiful parking (not crowded like Houston) Mommy and kiddos enjoyed. That is a rarity!

Situated right across the Gladys Porter Zoo it is easily one of the most visited parks in…read moreBrownsville. Its hugged by a resaca one can fish out of, not to mention attracts plenty of local birds. The park is filled with plenty of designated grills, picnic areas, play pens, a children's museum, a play theater, a main pool, a small water park for tots, a large pavilion, a civic hall.

We stayed one night on a Southern Texas road trip with another couple who had found and booked the…read moreplace for us. We arrived to one of the most genuinely warm welcomes ive ever experienced at a campground. The staff was excellent, the bathrooms spotless, and the location and price right for our visit to the area.

A very nice park to spend the winter! Came all the way from Oregon! First time in fifteen years!…read more Used to come in early 2000's for 5 years when we were full time! Facilities are well kept and the park is kept clean!

This was a great surprise, congrats to whoever put this fun system together. Every level rider can…read morehave fun here!

My go-to nature trail in Harlingen! Honestly such a hidden gem in the valley and it rivals so many…read moreparks I've been at in bigger cities. The trail goes on and on (I believe recently it was extended all the way to Dixieland Lake) so I've easily walked like 4-5 miles round trip without even going to the end! And the views in each part are beautiful with plenty of cool bridges, some off-beaten paths, and lots of plant life. There are parts with sunflowers too when they're in season and it's gorgeous! I especially find the giant red bridge to be a fun landmark since you can hike to it (there's a trail up the hill next to it, not very hard to climb) and take some cool photos on the abandoned rail road track. Rain or shine this is my favorite way to get a workout in!

All the issues are too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say the rental unit was unlivable…read morewith the tv not mounted, no bedding, and a broken water heater. On top of that there was a sewage leak behind the unit that took over 2 weeks to fix. These were only some of the issues. Then they have tried to keep our deposit saying we had a lease which never happened. Be very careful with this place. Best to look elsewhere

The new management is terrible, the manager himself doesn't know what's on the lease. They don't…read morecare about anyone or anything except money. There was a water issue where a pipe had bursted and the manager negotiated a cheap price for the pipe to get fixed, which took 2 days to fix because it was the cheapest, even tho they knew that there was the option to fix it sooner, they still decided to go for the cheaper option. You'd think that with the amount that we pay as residents they would give you the best quality service and treatment but that isn't the case here. The manager is a liar and a rough draft of what a moron is, I don't recommend this place for crap...