Nature
Galveston Island State Park occupies more than 2,000 acres on the western end of Galveston Island, preserving barrier-island habitats between Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, from beaches and dunes to wetlands, bayous, prairie, and ponds. The island formed over thousands of years and was visited by American Indians long before Spanish explorers reached the Akokisa and Karankawa in the 16th century; Cabeza de Vaca may have been shipwrecked here in 1520. Land later tied to Maco Stewart Jr.’s bequest became a public preserve, with the park opening in 1975. Known for birding and wildlife, it also reflects the Texas coast’s constant reshaping by storms.
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Galveston, Texas · United States
