State: Texas
Address 1: 202 S Palmetto St.
City: Rockport
Zip: 78382
Phone: 361-729-2858
Open all Year: Yes
Number of Sites: 127
Electric Water: 102
Camp URL: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/goose_island/
Full Hook: Yes
About: Although located on Aransas Bay, there is no swimming area at this park. The shoreline is comprised of concrete bulkhead, oyster shell, mud flat, and marsh grass. The main recreational activities are camping, excellent birding, and fishing (the park participates in the “Loan A Tackle Program” and lends out fishing tackle to visitors.) Other activities include picnicking, boating (motors allowed), nature study, wildlife observation, and photography. Tours: Guided nature hikes are held year round. Guided birding tours are held from January through April.
Facilities include shade shelter campsites (“open cabanas”) with water and electricity, located on the island near the bay; campsites with water and electricity in a heavily, tree-shaded area; campsites with water in the shady area; a group area; picnic sites (some with shade shelters); restrooms with and without showers; a snack bar within two miles; a fish-cleaning shade shelter; a double-lane boat ramp; a 1620-foot, lighted fishing pier with 2 fish-cleaning tables; a group recreation hall with tables and chairs (no kitchen – capacity 50); playground areas; and a Texas State Park Store.
Goose Island State Park is located at the southern tip of Lamar Peninsula amid the bays and estuaries of the Texas Gulf Coastal Bend. The mainland portion of the park is comprised of a live oak, red-bay woods which contain yaupon holly, American beautyberry, coral bean and wax myrtle. Also on the mainland is a portion of tallgrass prairie consisting of bushy bluestem and saltgrass. Wildlife observation and photography opportunities include white-tailed deer, raccoon, armadillo, fox, squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and over 300 varieties of birds. The endangered whooping crane feeds on berries and blue crabs occurring in the coastal wetlands around Goose Island State Park.
The island portion of the park is an oyster shell island consisting of a shell ridge and marshland. Plants on the shell ridge portion of the island include sea-ox-eye daisy, wolfberry, sea purslane, baccharis and seashore dropseed grass. The marsh at Goose Island includes smooth cordgrass, marsh-hay cordgrass, saltgrass, saltwort and glasswort. The bays around Goose Island are filled with seagrass beds and oyster reefs. Red drum, speckled trout and flounder are just a few of the fish that live in the bays around the island.
