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With more than 400 bird species documented on just 2,088 acres, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is the “jewel” of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Located where the subtropical climate, Gulf coast, great plains, and Chihuahuan desert meet, millions of birds and more than half of all butterfly species in the United States travel through this area on their way to and from Central and South America.
With 95 percent of the original lower Rio Grande delta habitat cleared or altered, Santa Ana is a piece of living history, a reminder of the semitropical thorn forest that once dominated the area.
A variety of guided tours are offered, including an interpretive tram tour offered three times daily during the winter months.
Wildlife Drive is closed during the tram season, but is open on weekends during the rest of the year. The Visitor Center is open daily and the trails are open from dawn to dusk.
Considered one of the most biologically diverse refuges, Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s amazing diversity spans 100 tracts to include tidal flats and beaches, subtropical forests, thick semi-arid brushlands, and grassy savannas along the last 275 river miles of the Rio Grande.
This refuge provides habitat for thousands of plant and animal species, including the rare ocelot and jaguarondi cat species, as well as birds such as Aplomado falcons, piping plovers, green jays, and chachalacas.
Many species documented here are found nowhere else in the United States. Historical sites include La Sal del Rey, natural salt lakes where Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and area settlers came to mine salt, and the Palmito Ranch Battlefield, the site of the last land battle of the Civil War.
Several tracts of the Lower Rio Grande refuge are open from dawn to dusk. Call the Visitor Center for additional information.
Guided canoe tours on the Rio Grande are offered by the Friends of Santa Ana NWR. Contact the Visitor Center for information and dates.
Headquarters for both refuges are located at Santa Ana NWR, located seven miles south of Alamo, on FM 907 about one-quarter mile east on U.S. Hwy. 281.
Outdoor Activities |
