Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park — Attraction in Texas

Rough night (and visit)! I've always enjoyed primitive camping at Bentsen SP -- often times on a whim after work. Just drop the envelope in the kiosk if arriving late and all was well. I've always thought that $18 for a tiny campsite is steep but Bentsen is the closest state park to me so it sort of balances out. I've always liked the fact that you must hike in ~1 mile to the campsites. That eliminates a lot of the noisy, rowdy crowd and often times, I/we were the only ones overnight camping.

I'm sorry to say, my last camping excursion at Bentsen was really bad! The website says it's open and we can self-pay as always. In reality, you must arrive before 5pm to reserve and pay for the campsite at the office.

Hiking in to the primitive camping area, I heard gunshots coming from at least three distinct directions until around 9pm. I assume there are gun ranges around the park now but can't be sure. Regardless, that hardly makes for a hike through the park enjoying nature.

I'm glad to see that the park finally put up posts with campsite numbers. Unfortunately, the campsite spaces remain ill-defined. Many campsites got new metal tables but they plopped them right in the clearing where a tent should be set up. There are many dead standing trees within the camping area. I realize they provide habitat for some creatures but they can fall and injure or possibly kill visitors.

There are now a slew of cyclists who use the park. At least three of these cyclists were playing loud music. One of them kept circling the primitive camping/picnic area until 10pm.

After the last obnoxious cyclist finally went away, someone started blasting music from what sounded like outside the park property.

Throughout most of the night, there was a Border Patrol helicopter circling very close to the campground at low altitude. There was also a BP boat of some sort going back and forth. The boat sounded like a Cessna! I suppose that's good for border security but baaaad for campers spending the night in nature.

I came prepared for the onslaught of mosquitoes but got far, far more than that. It's such a shame and I realize that many of these factors are outside the control of the TX Park Service and the staff at Bentsen SP. I really hate to see the relative serenity of the park and this little island of wildlife...

I went in early December after fall migration. I arrived at the park about 30 minutes before closing and with about an hour left of sunlight. The staff was very helpful at front as was the ranger driving around who made it a point to check up on me. The park closes at five and still had about a mile to go as the sun set, I was thrilled to see Green Jay's (beautiful) L, Kiskadees, Black Phoebe's, a female Harris hawk and others. As I continued my journey, it got very quiet since it was after five but you're allowed to stay until ten. Don't worry, it is safe, I saw a couple of constables drive through while I walked through. As I continued on the path, I wondered what kind animal droppings I kept encountering when suddenly I was startled to walk up and seeing hogs at the feeding stations! They were skittish of me but it made my adventure unforgivable and will return in the spring to see the hawk tower (I ran out of light. On my way out I also encountered four guys in late teens with fishing gear going into the park. We exchanged greetings and went on our ways. Thank you for...

Note for tourists: There's no opportunity to see the Rio Grande, even from the Rio Grande trail. Don't let the name fool you. Come prepared with bug spray. To see the Rio Grande in nature, visit the butterfly center instead.

Covid-19 Note: In September the park was closed to all traffic.

This park is full of many different native plants, and underbrush with a rich insect (therefore bird) population. It provides a very nice idea of what the are may have looked like before human settlement. As you go through the main loop, look at the interesting black discoloration of the trees! I was told that a hurricane had passed through in recent years to cause this.

My main point of contention with this park is that it does not provide an opportunity to see the Rio Grande, even though one trail passes quite close to it. While I understand that it's seen as a security issue (see: all the border patrol vehicles we saw in the park), perhaps it may be better to advertise this fact more visibly. As of September 2020, the park is named after the valley, and there is a trail...