Sawmill Trail, TX

Brazos Bend State Park
Brazos Bend State Park is just southwest of the Houston Metro region with over 5000 acres of Bottomland and Upland Coastal Prairie. The wetlands and forests are home to birds, deer, wild boar, and alligators. There are over 300 species of birds, 21 species of reptiles, and 23 species of mammals. The various species of oak and pecan trees make up some of the largest trees in the forested areas. This park has some impressive large oak trees. Brazos Bend Park has accommodations for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and camping. The main watercourse in the park is Big Creek, with its many side creeks and lakes that eventually drain into the Brazos River on the park's eastside. There are over a dozen trails, most of which are in the 1 to 2-mile range and easily connected to make longer day hikes. This is a great place to view the many species of birds and unexpected encounters with alligators. See park literature for more details.


Sawmill Trail
The Sawmill Trail follows along the northern boundary of the park. This trail runs parallel to Sawmill Road which is just outside the park on the other side of the fence. This is not one of the more interesting trails in the park but it did serve the purpose of completing a loop hike. The trees along this trail are younger and the woods almost looked manicured as if this was once ranch land that then became part of the park and is just now recovering. The Sawmill Trail is a straight 1.9 miles with this forest to the south and the fence and dirt road to the north and ranch land beyond that. This trail is not without merit though; I took plenty of photos of the manicured forest with the grass forest floor because the lighting intrigued me. The Sawmill Road Trail ends where the trail heads southwest and becomes the Bayou Trail. Access to this trail is from the park road at the Hale Lake camping area and using either the Big Creek Bridge Trail or the White Oak Trail.

2020-12-06 markthurman53