This small park focuses on marshy, 140-acre Goose Island, on the edge of Aransas Bay. It's a sweet 2-mile drive east of little Lamar, itself 12 miles north of Rockport. Reached via a short boardwalk, it’s a favorite with birdwatchers for its winter population of whooping cranes. A row of tumbledown piers, battered by successive hurricanes, are busy with pelicans year-round.
There's no swimming from the island, but fishing is permitted, and kayaking along the calm inlets is popular. Just be warned: when the park brochure says 'bring insect repellent,' it means every word.
The shoreline on the mainland here is lined with deluxe waterfront homes, but the park owns another 174 acres, set back inland. This section holds walk-in campsites, which cost $10, and sites with utilities that cost $22. Reserve ahead during whooping-crane season (November to March).
One final adjunct to the park, just off 12th St half a mile north of the campground, is the oldest tree on the Texas coast. The prosaically named Big Tree, a 1000-year-old live oak measuring more than 35ft in circumference, stands in an idyllic spot amid a sea of wildflowers, and is surrounded by panels with poetry.
