Field Trips
Brazos Bend State Park is located 43 miles southwest of downtown Houston. It’s a perfect outdoor classroom!
Diverse ecosystems include bottomland hardwood forests, tall grass coastal prairies, and wetlands (swamps, marshes, lakes and, of course, the Brazos River). It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife, including over 300 species of birds, 21 species of reptiles and 23 species of mammals.
- Planning Your Field Trip
- Making a Reservation
- Day of Field Trip
- Field Trip Activities
- Can’t Come to Us?
- Stay Connected!
Planning Your Field Trip
Scheduling
Brazos Bend offers guided field trips Mondays through Fridays throughout the year.
We do not offer ranger-led field trips during spring break or holidays.
Self-guided field trips are available any time.
Directions
Costs
We waive entry fees for teachers, students and chaperones on a ranger-led or self-guided field trip. Additional family members will pay the regular park entry fee of $7 per adult (13 years of age and older).
Chaperones
We require one chaperone per six students and one teacher with each group. Chaperones must remain with students during the entire program.
Cancellations
Please notify the park of cancellations at least 24 hours in advance.
Field trips are subject to cancellation due to inclement weather. We will notify you of cancellations as soon as possible.
Making a Reservation
Email the park to make a reservation.
Please provide multiple preferred dates for your field trip, planned time of arrival, number of students, grade level, and number of classes.
Day of Field Trip
Please allow enough travel time. We understand that extenuating circumstances may force a group to arrive late.
If you depart later than planned, please call the Park Headquarters (979) 553-5101, x0.
We enlist volunteers to assist with programs for most groups. Their time, as well as ours, is important. We will wait up to 30 minutes. If you arrive after this grace period, you may still tour the park, but you will not have a guide.
Field Trip Activities
Ranger-led program
40 Acre Lake Trail Hike
Learn about various ecosystems and the wildlife that live at Brazos Bend. On this 1.2-mile trail, you will walk through bottomland hardwood forests and a tallgrass coastal prairie. After that, you will explore the difference between swamp, marsh and lake. As students walk through these ecotones, they will learn how wildlife uses these ecosystems as their habitats and how they interact not just with their environment, but with each other, as well.
- Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, collegiate
- Subject Area: Science
- Topic: Organisms and environments
- TEKS: K.12(B), 1.13(A), 2.12(A), 3.13(A), 5.12(A), 5.13(A), 6.12(A), 7.12(B), 8.12(C)
Self-Guided Programs
Email the park to schedule a self-guided field trip.
Gift Shop
Stop by the Nature Center and visit the gift shop! Buy anything from snacks and drinks to your very own Brazos Bend souvenir! All the proceeds help Brazos Bend State Park.
We also have a gift shop at park Headquarters with souvenirs, snacks, drinks, shirts, etc. All proceeds benefit Texas State Parks.
Can’t Come to Us?
TPWDiscover is Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's free, TEKS-aligned distance learning program about the wild things and wild places of Texas. We offer on-demand resources for students in early childhood through 12th grade as well as educator training.
- Explore our Educational Resources page for a downloadable, searchable spreadsheet that is updated monthly.
- Visit our YouTube channel to enjoy a collection of free, TEKS-aligned videos from across the state.
- Create a free account with Connect2Texas to register for virtual, educational programs. To view upcoming events, click the "Events” tab on the Connect2Texas website and search for "Texas Parks and Wildlife Department." You can also request a recording of a virtual program to watch at your convenience.
- Submit a program request that can be tailored to your needs.
