| Goose Island State Park | |
|---|---|
 The "Big Tree" at Goose Island State Park is thought to be 1000 years old. | |
   | |
| Location | Aransas County,Texas |
| Nearest city | Rockport |
| Coordinates | 28°08′06″N96°59′13″W / 28.13500°N 96.98694°W /28.13500; -96.98694 |
| Area | 321.4 acres (130 ha) |
| Created | 1931-1935 |
| Operated by | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department |
| Visitors | 157,126 (in 2022)[1] |
Goose Island State Park is astate park in theU.S. state ofTexas, located north of the city ofRockport on the coast of theGulf of Mexico. The park covers 321.4 acres (130 ha). It is surrounded by bothSt. Charles andAransas Bays.
The park was established on land acquired from private owners between 1931 and 1935. TheCivilian Conservation Corps built the earliest facilities.
The park is home to "The Big Tree", aSouthern live oak (Quercus virginiana), thought to be over 1000 years old. It has acircumference of 35 feet (11 m), is 44 feet (13 m) in height and has acrown spread of 90 feet (27 m).
Although it is located on the seashore, there is no designated swimming area at the park, as the shoreline consists ofconcrete,oyster shell,mudflat, andmarsh grass. Instead, the main park activities includecamping,birding,fishing, andboating. The park averages more than 60,000 overnight campers each year and has about 200,000 visitors annually. There are 45 shade shelters with electricity and water on the island. There are 57 shelters with electricity and water, and 27 with water and no electricity.Speckled trout,redfish,drum,flounder, andsheepshead are a few of the fish caught.
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