Harris Creek Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

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Harris Creek Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge sits next to the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Center and is one of the easier trails at the refuge. The trail has two big loops and are referred to the upper loop and is about 2 1/4 miles and the lower loop is about 1 1/4 miles.At the trail head you will find a crushed gravel surface and this the new ADA 1/2 mile loop. If you walk all the loops and and retrace part of the trail to complete all sections of the trail the hike is about 2 3/4 miles long.

About Harris Creek Trail

If you are looking for the Harris Creek Trail on the different hiking trails apps, such All Trails, you will find the name of the trail as the Prairie Loop. I believe this is the old name or name of one of the trails within the Harris Creek Trail System.

As I mentioned before, the trail is an easy trail. The ADA 1/2 mile trail is the easiest part of the trail and covered by the trees. One side is woodlands and the other follows the creek. If you take your time on the trail and listen you find song birds and other wildlife nearby.

If you decided not to complete the ADA loop then you can continue on to the natural surface trail to the trail sign that gives you options to take the lower trail or continue to the upper trail.

Lower Loop

The lower loop is considered a wetland and tends to flood during heavy rains and could be a good kayak adventure (if they let you and I’ve heard they may open it for kayaks). You will find shore birds, song birds, and other wildlife that lives along the creak and wetlands. The loop eventually moves out onto the prairie and follows one of the ponds back to the trail head.

The Upper Loop

The Upper Loop is mostly prairie lands. You will find a mixtures of tall grasses and scrub brush. During the right time of day you find a ton of birds on the trail and other wildlife might be found in the brush. Along the trail you find bluebird houses and signs with information about the wildlife and plant found along the trail. As you leave the prairie will follow the trail along the 4 different hills and have slight downhill grade. The ponds look to be designed in a step down design. Maybe to control the flow of water.

After heavy rains the lower loop is closed but the upper loop may still be open accessed by side paths that you would park a long the road and hike in. Make sure to check with the center and and see if the upper trail is open.

Harris Creek Trail at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge – The Review

Harris Creek Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is a fun trail. Its not my favorite trail at the refuge but its a great warm up trail and good for birding. The trail is maintained but a natural surface trail and that cut into the prairie grass. At times the grass may be on the taller side. It isn’t always cut each week.

Other than that, the trail is well maintained, plenty of signs to keep you on the path, and no trash. Most of the time the trail is lightly used. Weekends, holidays, and when the Texas State Park System and county park systems are closed this trail can get busy.

I’ve been on this trail at least three times and two of those times the trail was empty and the 3rd time was 2 weeks ago and there were at least 10 cars parked by the trail head and I encountered 5 different families on the trail. I believe a lot of the cars were for the families fishing a long the creek. Plus the other trails were closed due a large hunt in the surrounding land.

Tips For Successful Hike

My wife and I hiked the Harris Creek Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge on April 25th, 2020 for the third time and it took us 55 minutes. If you are in hurry or not interested in the wildlife it takes about 45 minutes or less to complete. We stopped multiple times to photograph birds or grab a little water from our gear.

Before arriving at the refuge, make sure to stop in town to grab food, water, and a bathroom break. There isn’t anything near the refuge. The center isn’t always open for the restroom or the water fountain.

Plan about an hour to be out on the Harris Creek Trail
In the summer and hot days make sure to bring plenty of water
Wear Sunscreen, most of the trail is out in the prairie or around the ponds.
Bug spray is needed during bug season. Tall grass will bring all sorts of biting bugs
Watch out for Signs, such as Hunt in Progress, No Access. They are serious about these signs.

About the Images

The images were shot on a bright sunny mid morning using my Sony a6000 and my Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS with a K&F Concept Circular Polarizer by hand. I then edited the images with Adobe Lightroom CC and Topaz Labs Denoise AI and Topaz Labs Sharpen AI and DXO NIK Collection to clean up the image, remove noise, and recover the lost details.

I visit the refuge throughout the year. I will try and get pictures of the trails through the different season. Normally I ignore the trails during the summer. Its just to hot for the trails and I prefer to explore new trails if I am wanting to go for a hike 100+ degree weather.