Have you ever been to a bona-fide birding center? Neither had we before Resaca de la Palma State Park. Over an extended weekend mid-June 2018, we headed to the border of Mexico to visit the three Texas State Parks nestled in the Lower Rio Grande Valley that are part of the World Birding Center network.
From the moment we entered the park, we were greeted by bird song, a sound that became our soundtrack throughout our entire visit at RDLPSP along with what I think may have been locusts?
At the HQ, Ranger Kelly helped us plan the best hike for our visit, one that included her favorite spot in the park. We were excited to get started on the “main path” – which is actually a road for the park’s tram. You see, RDLPSP is fancy – they offer tram rides to drop your party off at the various trailheads stemming from the main road. Since we enjoy hiking and fancy ourselves sturdy people able to look the Texas summer heat in the face, we set out on foot with a plan to be picked up by the tram if the heat (or mosquitos) overwhelmed us on our visit. That was another way Ranger Kelly did us a solid. She forewarned us that the mosquitos were out in force that day and we should make sure that we not only sprayed ourselves before heading out, but that we took the spray with us “just in case we needed it” (along with more water than we thought we’d drink). Those of us with lady bits took her at her word and I’ll just say we weren’t itching for the next week like the other half of us.
For the most part, our walk through the park was uneventful. We saw some pretty scenery, heard some pretty birds, and enjoyed organic conversation about nothing in particular while the mosquitos feasted on the {unsprayed} menfolk and left us {sprayed} ladies alone. We passed trail after well-marked trail, mostly on the left side of the tram road, until we came to a big turn in the road where the Hunter’s Lane trail began. It was a short walk around a half mile until we came across this:
By this time, it was early afternoon, super hot and we were enjoying the shade, the view, our waters, and that bench all in equal proportions. And it was also about this time that we decided a tram ride would rock our heat exhausted worlds, so we headed back to the tram road to call for a ride. And when I say we headed back, I mean we walked kind of slowly, trying to conserve our energy because we were beat down by the heat. Defeated. In need of a hero.
Like a modern-day knight on his trusty steed, James rolled to a quiet stop in his electric tram not ten minutes later, smiled at us, and inquired in what I may have interpreted in my heat exhausted state as something akin to the Lone Ranger’s voice, “Did someone call for a ride?” Oh, James! I think we all developed a mild crush on James that hot summer day when he rode into our lives in his electric white tram.
James gave us the best darn half-tour of the park as he drove us the rest of the loop to the HQ one could have ever imagined. He was dreamy! James was enthusiastic about his job, and his contagious love of his park permeated the blessed tram. James, we’ll always have Resaca, man.
Why We Love Resaca de la Palma State Park
- Main Loop. I’m a sucker for a good loop and prefer it much more than a “there and back again” trail. The fact that all of the trailheads are off of a loop is magnificent to me. Just walking the Main Loop provides marvelous opportunity for some great encounters with some beautiful birds. Everything else is icing on the cake.
- Hunter’s Lane. This is the only icing on the cake we had on our visit, but we recommend it as enthusiastically as Ranger Kelly. It’s peaceful, quiet (except for the birds and locusts), beautiful, somewhat shaded, wide, and completely pleasant.
- Park Staff. I know we’ve said this before, but we sincerely didn’t come across even one person that seemed half-hearted at their job at RDLPSP. And they helped us devise a perfect plan for the amount of time we had for our visit. And it’s free with admission!
- That Tram. First of all, hello, it’s a free service! Take them up on it. They will drop you off at trailheads or pick you up. Either way, plan to join James for a ride on his Tram. It’s cool in more ways than one on a hot summer day.
Must Do’s
- Hunter’s Lane Bench. Go back and look at the photos. You can easily see why that is Ranger Kelly’s favorite spot in the park. And now it’s ours, too. Thanks, Ranger Kelly, for the heads up. We loved it.
- Tram Ride. If you’re a beast, go ahead and walk on the Tram Road and all the trails. Prove whatever you’ve got to prove, if you must, but having already gone that route, we recommend the Tram. Save your energy for the trails. Don’t waste it on the Tram Road. Let James chauffeur you to your adventure at RDLPSP in style.
- Explore. There are a whopping 13 self-guided trails within the park. In addition, the park lists 4 suggested hikes ranging from 2 hours (2 mi.) to all day (11+ mi.) on their Trails Map. Or you can do what we did and ask Ranger Kelly to help you plan your own adventure. Make sure to take a trail map with you – just in case you decide a Tram Ride is for you, after all. You know, because of the heat. James’ number is listed on the Trail Map.
We’d love to hear about your experiences at Resaca de la Palma State Park! Please share your thoughts on this border birding haven in the comments.