Laguna Atascosa Is Cameron County's Big Federal Wildlife Refuge

Out past Rio Hondo and Los Fresnos, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the big block of protected land on the north side of Cameron County's coastal country. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ranks it among the most biologically diverse refuges in the country, and it's best known as one of the ocelot's last footholds — the small spotted wildcat that has nearly disappeared from the United States.

There's more than 60 miles of hiking and biking trail out here. The 14.2-mile Steve Thompson Wildlife Drive is the signature loop and is open to bikes, while the visitor center keeps short paved, ADA-accessible paths with bird-feeding and water stations where you can just sit and watch the brush come to you.

This is less a roadside stop than a half-day that explains why the bottom of the county feels nothing like inland Texas. Heat and the wildlife calendar both shape what's open, so a cool early-morning visit is the move, and stretches of the refuge close seasonally to give the ocelots room.