The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is opening four new paddling trails in the coastal community of Palacios, a launch that marks the 100th trail added to the Texas Paddling Trails program. The agency announced the trails in a July 20 news release and will formally open them on July 23.
The milestone arrives as the program marks its 20th anniversary. According to the release, TPWD founded the statewide Texas Paddling Trails program in 2006 to promote habitat conservation through sustainable economic development while providing paddling and angling opportunities across the state’s regions.
“We’re thrilled that the 20th anniversary of the Paddling Trails Program is aligning with the launch of the 100th trail,” said Holly Grand, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division outreach coordinator. “Paddling trails are essential in providing outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, so we’re excited for the launch of these four trails in Palacios.”
The four trails add 19.5 miles of coastal paddling to the program, the agency said, and span coastal, river and wetland ecosystems. The longest, the Tres Palacios River Trail, offers a 10-mile one-way paddle down the Tres Palacios River. The Palacios Wetlands Trail is a 2-mile roundtrip route into a saltwater marsh that also serves as a stop on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, while the 1.5-mile City by the Sea Trail follows the palm trees, piers, jetties and seawall of the community. The 6-mile Dolphin Run Trail, which TPWD describes as suited to more advanced paddlers, crosses the open waters of Tres Palacios Bay and Turtle Bay.
The trails grew out of a local effort, according to the release. A citizens’ group called the Palacios Paddlers campaigned in 2023 to add the city to the state network, presenting the idea to the Matagorda Navigation District No. 1, the Matagorda County-Palacios Seawall Commission, Matagorda County Precinct 3, the Palacios Rotary, the City of Palacios and the Palacios Economic Development Corporation. All six organizations went on to partner with TPWD to create the trails.
State officials noted that the Palacios area is a top birding destination in North America and that paddlers can expect to see a range of land and water birds along the routes. Saltwater anglers can fish year-round in the shallow waters of Tres Palacios Bay, where the agency said species include red drum, spotted seatrout, black drum, flounder, pompano, alligator gar, catfish and sheepshead, and dolphins can be spotted year-round along the Dolphin Run Trail.
TPWD staff and community partners will gather in Palacios at 11 a.m. on July 23 to open the trails at the East Bay Park Boat Ramp, a boat ramp and kayak launch recently built with agency funding. Additional access points include kayak launches at Carl Park and Jensen Point and a beach launch at South Bay Park.