Charlie's Pasture Turns Port Aransas Wetlands into a Walk

Charlie's Pasture sounds like old island ranch land, and that is part of its charm. Today it is a Port Aransas preserve site, with a north entrance at the end of Port Street and a south entrance at the 361 Entrance.

The south trail is the one to picture. It runs about a mile and shifts between boardwalk and decomposed granite. About three-quarters of the way down, an observation tower looks over the wetlands.

The north side has its own useful shape: a pavilion, picnic tables, toilets, and three trailheads at the end of Port Street. That makes the preserve feel welcoming without sanding off its wild edge.

From there, the walk can keep going another quarter mile to Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. It is a different kind of promenade: wetlands, grasses, bird habitat, channels, and low ground instead of storefronts.