57-Acre Park, Galveston

57-Acre Park, Galveston

Kemah, Texas 77565

Tips for Birding

In spring and fall, the partial trail is bird rich with a large variety of birds.  The bushes in the eastern half are bird rich in the fall/winter.

Birds of Interest

When the pond is full, there are always a wide variety of water fowl and shore birds.  In the spring and fall, during migration, this park serves as a great inshore migrant trap with all the usual migrants of the area. There are birds of prey of many varieties year round. There are always mockingbirds, cardinals, blue jays and woodpeckers of several species.

About this Location

This is a rectangular, large park with an outside "levy" that runs the entire perimeter.  Trails are gravel. There is a trail that runs down the middle of the park and a single trail that runs from the southwest quarter north most of the way through to the north end of the park. It's a relatively new park that was created with dredging "waste" from the bay. Because of that there are no old growth hardwoods like live oaks in the park. That would be the only real knock to the park. It has quite a lot of diversity. The eastern half of the park is filled with Yaupon Holly bushes and other bird friendly bushes and trees. The city keeps the area mowed between the large bushes, so unless we've had a lot of rain, you can leave the levy trail and walk amongst the bushes. It's very bird rich during the fall/winter. The western half of the park has a "U" shaped pond that, during wetter season, attracts a large number of water fowl of all types. It's difficult to access the "pond" directly, but you can see into it from the levy from several locations.

Notable Trails

The mowed areas around the Yaupon Hollys is bird rich in the fall/winter.  The partial trail accessed from the southwest end is always bird rich, especially in the spring and fall.  

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

Content from Brian Anderson

Last updated December 6, 2023