Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

Mesquite Trail   

1. Open Season: Open-year round  
2. Length: 1.5 miles 
3. Surface: Dirt  
4. Difficulty: Normal   
5. Information: This 1.5 mile loop is a relaxing walk through a mesquite and thorn scrub forest. It features a cemetery that dates back to the 1800’s at the turn around point.  

Visitor Center Trail System  

• Open Season: Open-year round   
• Length: 0.9 miles 
• Surface: Paved  
• Difficulty: Easy  
• Information: Walk around the Visitors Center’s Trails where we have 3 bird feeding/water areas. All trails are ADA accessible with plenty of areas to sit and enjoy the birds. 

Lakeside Drive  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 1.5 miles 
• Surface: Caliche  
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: Take this trail on foot, bike, or vehicle. Lakeside Drive is the only trail that you can drive on Laguna. This trail will take you to our 3,500 acre freshwater lake that can have more than 20 species of waterfowl during migration. 

Steve Thompson Wildlife Drive  

• Open Season: Open year-round  
• Length: 14.2 miles 
• Surface: Caliche(1)/paved(13.2) 
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: This is one of the most beautiful loops we have to offer. This 14.2 mile loop is sure not to disappoint. There are two entry points: one across from the visitors center, and one just off of FM106. 

Gator Pond trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round   
• Length: 3.3 miles (not a loop) 
• Surface: Paved(.3)/Dirt(3) 
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: This trail follows the shore line of the Laguna Atascosa (lake) with a gator observation deck after the first .3 miles when accessing from Osprey Overlook.  

County Trail/Rd 

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 5.75 miles (not a loop) 
• Surface: Caliche  
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: This trail is the primary route to access most of the northern hiking and biking trails. It is adjacent to the neighboring Bueno Vista Ranch and passes through thorn scrub, savanna prairie, and former agricultural lands that are being restored. 

Luttes Camp Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 3 miles 
• Surface: Caliche/dirt  
• Difficulty: Difficult (accessible from additional trails) 
• Information: This trail connects to the County Trail/Rd and West Lake Trail. 

Prairie Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round   
• Length: 4.1 miles 
• Surface: Caliche/dirt  
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: Prairie Trail parking lot is located off FM 106 just west of San Roman. This 4.1 mile loop is a hike or bike through some of the best terrain of South Texas. After your relaxing time on our trail, enjoy a picnic under the shade of the gazebo.  

Lower West Lake Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 6 miles 
• Surface: Dirt  
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: The lower end of West lake Trail is one of the most scenic trails on the refuge. It takes you through coastal prairie, the western shoreline of Laguna Atascosa Lake, two brushy lomas and numerous freshwater wetlands during wet years. This is a great place to view water birds and raptors. 

Upper West Lake Trail   

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 6.3 miles 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: The upper end of the West Lake Trail follows the northern Coyo Atascosa. 

Kidney Pond Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 2.5 miles 
• Surface: Dirt  
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: This trail passes a small pond that generally has alligators in it. Please use caution in this area! This pond has been known to hold a lot of young alligators. This means that adult mother alligators may be nearby too!  

Island Fields Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 2 miles 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: This is a great entry point to a system of short trails that take you through some of South Texas best hunting land the refuge has to offer. This trail is located just south of the Visitors Center. 

Giant Palm Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 0.3 miles 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: This trail connects Island Fields Trails to Kidney Pond Trail. This trail is known for its many beautiful mature palm trees.  

Mud Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 0.5 miles 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Easy  
• Information: This trail connects Gator Pond and Scum Pond for the perfect 3 mile hike or bike ending close to the Osprey parking lot. 

Scum Pond Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 1.9 miles 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Easy  
• Information: Scum Pond is a great trail that connects to Mud Trail to make a perfect 3 mile hike or bike.  

Southern Boundary Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round 
• Length: 0.8 miles 
• Surface: Dirt  
• Difficulty: Normal  
• Information: Come and see some of the biggest bucks in South Texas! The refuge provides a safe haven to the north with agriculture fields to the south. Here, you may see deer, pigs, and many other mammals using the trail as a crossing point. This is a great, quiet place to sit and wait to capture some beautiful wildlife photos. Bug spray is highly recommended when using this trail. 

Eva Thompson Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 1.2 miles 
• Surface: Dirt  
• Difficulty: Normal   
• Information: Eva Thompson Trail is a dead end trail right off of Camp Luttes Trail. This trail runs along the north end of the Laguna Atascosa. 

Horse Island Trail   

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 3.7 miles (not a loop) 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: The end of Horse Island Trail is the most Northeastern point on our refuge south of Arroyo Colorado. Take a trip down this trail to see some beautiful views. 

North Point Trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 3.5 miles (not a loop) 
• Surface: Dirt   
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: The end of North Point Trail is the most Northern point on our refuge south of Arroyo Colorado. The views here make the hike worth it! 

Moranco Blanco trail  

• Open Season: Open-year round  
• Length: 1.5 miles 
• Surface: Dirt  
• Difficulty: Difficult  
• Information: This hiking trail is located about halfway along Steve Thompson Wildlife Drive. This is a wonderful spot for birdwatching or a bike ride.