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Like other places in the Valley, this refuge is for the birds. But not quite as bad as other parks - you can actually mountain bike on many of the trails. With 15 miles of hiking and biking trails, and another 16 miles of paved road excellent for biking, the outdoor activities here are just about enough to wear you out in one day.
The grounds surrounding the Visitor’s Center have been landscaped with paved walkways through thick vegetation to attract birds and butterflies. These are the easiest walking trails in the park, and most in this area are handicapped-accessible. You will most likely see Green Jays, and several species of butterflies.
The Visitor’s Center (the coordinates are for the Visitor’s Center) holds a few exhibits, including a stuffed ocelot, the rarest cat in America. The refuge is actually home to a few of the ocelots - according to the zoologist at the Gladys Porter Zoo, an ocelot can be seen crossing the road by the Visitor's Center everyday at 5pm. I didn’t see it, but I didn’t camp-out there either.
The Kiskidee Trail, behind the Visitors Center, is a short, paved path through the brush. The Mesquite Trail is a longer loop, but it traverses the same thorn forest as the Kiskidee Trail. It takes you to an old cemetery, with all the headstones in Spanish. You can walk the Kiskidee Trail and the Mesquite Trail in one 1.3 mile loop, taking about 45 minutes or so, depending upon how many times you stop to watch the butterflies and birds.
Further towards the Laguna Madre, the Paisano Trail was once an airport runway. It’s currently mostly asphalt, with wilderness nipping in at the edges. Lots of native coastal thorn forest, but not nearly the birds and butterflies found by the Visitor’s Center. The one mile trail can be done in about a half-hour.
Along the Laguna Madre, off of Bayside Drive, you can hike the 3-1/3 mile Moranco Blanco Trail, taking about an hour-and-a-half, or you can make quick work of it on a bicycle. The trail follows ridges between tidal flats, ending at a point overlooking South Padre Island and the Queen Isabella Causeway. Since it’s right on the Laguna Madre, if you’re on a bike be aware there are several soft spots of sand.
The auto tour, making a fifteen-mile loop on Bayside Drive, is just spectacular. All along the road are sweeping views of water, sand and land. Several pull-outs have interpretive exhibits. About half-way along the Laguna Madre, a slight rise holds an observation deck. From here, you can look down upon the road you have just driven, seeing how it weaves through the tidal flats and ridges. Better than driving the route would be biking the route, preferably at dawn, arriving at either the end of the Moranco Blanco Trail or the observation deck just in time to watch the sun rise over South Padre Island.
The second auto route is Lakeside Drive, a 1½-mile road ending at an overlook on the Laguna Madre. Lakeside Trail, open to hikers, travels an additional 1½-miles from here. Between the Visitor’s Center and Lakeside Drive, a section of the refuge is criss-crossed by a 9-mile network of closed service roads that could be used for hiking, but are probably best for bicycling.
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