Adolph Thomae Jr. Park Puts You on the Arroyo Colorado

Out at Arroyo City, Adolph Thomae Jr. County Park sits on the Arroyo Colorado right where it spills into the Lower Laguna Madre, on land tied to the Laguna Atascosa refuge. That meeting of waters is the whole appeal: the arroyo's fresh runoff mixing into the salty bay keeps anglers working for redfish, speckled trout, snook, and the occasional tarpon.

The park gives you a public boat ramp, lighted fishing piers with fish-cleaning stations, RV and tent camping, picnic areas, a short interpretive nature trail, an overlook and birdwatching tower, and a kayak launch. From that launch it's roughly a three-mile paddle out to the Laguna Madre, so a kayaker should pack water and time it against the wind.

It's one of the cleanest seams between inland Cameron County and the coast. Drive out through farm country and you're suddenly on brackish water with the bay opening in front of you. The lighted piers make it a place that keeps fishing well after dark.