Brazos Bend State Park, approximately 28 miles south of Houston, covers 4897 acres, with an eastern boundary of 3.2 miles fronting on the Brazos River on the southeast border of Fort Bend County. Activities include camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, and fishing. Six lakes are easily accessible to fishermen, with lighted piers and fish-cleaning tables. Alligators are numerous in some areas of the park. George Observatory is located in the park and open Saturdays for stargazing. Facilities include restrooms with showers; campsites with water and electricity; screened shelters; a trailer dump station; a dining hall (capacity 150), with ceiling fans, kitchen facilities, a barbecue pit, tables and chairs, and a restroom; a 21.6-mile hike/bike trail, with 7.2 of those miles for bikes; and a .5-mile nature/interpretive trail. For day-use visitors, there are 3 separate picnic areas with picnic sites. Two picnic areas have a group picnic pavilion (capacity 75 each): Elm Lake and Hale Lake pavilions, have electricity and water outlets, a barbecue pit, and picnic tables. Nature lovers, birders, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts will delight in an observation tower and platforms for wildlife observation/photography of more than 270 species of birds sighted; 21 species of reptiles and amphibians, including American alligator and 23 species of mammals including bobcat, white-tailed deer, raccoon, gray fox, and feral hog. The park may be reached by traveling approximately 20 miles southeast of Richmond on FM 762, or by traveling south from Houston on State Highway 288 to Rosharon, then west on FM 1462. For reservations call 512/389-8900. For more details, call the park or Park Information at 1-800-792-1112.