Meadow Pond Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

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The Meadow Pond Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge near Pottsboro, Texas is a 2.85 one-way trail that follows the old KATY Trail Rail System (Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT or “Katy”) Railroad). The round trip is about 6 miles that views of several ponds, farm land pastures, wooded areas, and plenty of wildlife views if you catch it at the right time.

My Experience: Meadow Pond Trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

The Meadow Pond Trail is easy to find if you know your away around the refuge. The trail is located near the Big Mineral Day Use Area at the west end of Wildlife Drive. It’s at the T intersection and behind a large yellow gate. The signs says the trail head is here. The gate is locked and only authorized vehicles are allowed on the gravel road. There’s room for 2 cars parked next to the gate. If its full you will need to park at the Big Mineral Day Use Area parking lot or along the road if there’s room. Do not block the gates. This is an active road for the rail road and the refuge staff do maintenance in the area will need to use the gate entrance if they are in a vehicle.

The trail is a nicely maintained wide gravel road. You can walk in the center grass stripe if you don’t want to walk in on the gravel. If you aren’t there for the quiet or for the nature and use your headphones, keep an eye out for vehicles on the trail. The second time I hiked this trail a railway work convoy used the road to access the rail line a few miles past the end of the trail. They weren’t moving fast but if you aren’t paying attention, they may sneak up on you and startle you. On my return trip they passed again and I didn’t realize it until they were about a half a mile behind me. On my and on my first trip, a refuge maintenance tractor was cutting the grass along the trail.

The trail is rated as easy but its long and does get hot on the trail. There isn’t much shade. So bring plenty of water and take breaks if you start to feel over heated. My wife and I made this this last year in September when the temps were in the mid 90s and it was a big mistake. I got overheated and dehydrated at the end of the trail and had to take about a 30 minute break to cool off. During that trip I drank 2 liters of water and another 30 ounces of water and still almost didn’t make back (I have some health issues where my blood pressure drops extremely low in when I get over heated and dehydrated). I recommend bringing plenty of water when the temperatures are 80s or higher. The gravel on the trail reflects the glare and absorbs the heat.

During my other trips I did just fine. No issues. It’s not my favorite trail at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, but when I want a long easy walk with the chance to see wildlife this is the trail I choose. Plus this trail, in my opinion, is less traveled than the others and I’ve seen more wildlife on this trail than other trails. Because of the different habitats that include shallow ponds, farm fields, forests, and marshy bottomlands full of hardwoods you may see water fowl, wading birds, turkey, squirrels, song birds, and predatory birds. I’ve seen evidence of hogs and deer along the trail as well. You might even catch a glimpse of a bald eagle hunting in the early morning hours.