Texas Parks & Wildlife · 308 Sites · Free to Use
Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail
The complete guide to the Central Texas Coast section — 11 loops, 111 sites, every pin on the map. Find Your Flock.
What Is the GTCBT?
The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail is a network of 308 premier birding sites stretching along the entire Texas Gulf Coast — from the Louisiana border to the Rio Grande Valley. Established in 1994 by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, it was the first birding trail in the United States.
The trail is free to use. Sites are marked by distinctive brown roadside signs — the same ones you’ve seen everywhere along Highway 35. Each site is assigned a CTC number, and the three sections are divided into loops that connect the sites into drivable routes.
The Central Texas Coast is our territory — 11 loops, 111 sites, from Matagorda Bay in the north to the King Ranch in the south.
Three Sections
Upper Texas Coast
Houston / Galveston Area
Guide coming soon
Central Texas Coast — This Page
111 Sites · 11 Loops · Our Territory
Matagorda Bay → King Ranch · Rockport is the hub
Lower Texas Coast
Rio Grande Valley Area
Guide coming soon
The 11 Loops — Our Priority Order
Coverage reflects depth of our site guides, photos, and cross-links. Stars = our content depth.
| Loop | CTC | Sites | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
Aransas Loop Goose Island · Linda Castro · Connie Hagar · Rockport Beach · Whooping Crane Tours | CTC 047–056 | 21 | ★★★★★ |
Mustang Island Loop Paradise Pond · Turnbull Center · South Jetty · Mustang Island State Park | CTC 057–064 | 10 | ★★★★★ |
La Bahia Loop Aransas NWR · Fennessey Ranch · Egery Flats · Goliad State Park | CTC 037–046 | 11 | ★★★★★ |
Corpus Christi Bay Loop Hans Suter · Blucher Park · Hazel Bazemore · Oso Bay | CTC 066–078 | 15 | ★★★★★ |
Calhoun Loop Port Lavaca Bird Sanctuary · Matagorda Island WMA · Powderhorn Lake | CTC 030–036 | 9 | ★★★★★ |
Tres Palacios Loop Mad Island WMA · Palacios Waterfront · Formosa-Tejano Wetlands | CTC 007–017 | 11 | ★★★★★ |
Rio Colorado Loop Sargent Beach · Attwater Prairie-Chicken NWR · Matagorda Jetty Park | CTC 001–006 | 6 | ★★★★★ |
Texana Loop Texana Park · Lake Texana · Lavaca/Navidad Estuary | CTC 018–025 | 8 | ★★★★★ |
East Guadalupe Loop Palmetto State Park · Riverside Park · Cuero | CTC 027–029 | 3 | ★★★★★ |
Brush Country Loop Choke Canyon State Park · Lake Corpus Christi SP · Fort Lipantitlan | CTC 079–084 | 7 | ★★★★★ |
Kingsville Loop King Ranch · Santa Gertrudis Creek · Hawk Alley · Baffin Bay | CTC 085–095 | 10 | ★★★★★ |
| Total · 23 sites with full guides | 001–095 | 111 |
Interactive Map — All 111 Central Coast Sites
Filter by loop · Click any pin for site name, CTC number, address, and guide link · The most complete GTCBT map anywhere
Loading 111 GTCBT sites…
Featured Loop Deep Dives
Our deepest coverage — full site guides, photos, and insider tips
Aransas Loop
21 sites · World-Class Birding
The Aransas Loop is our home territory — 21 sites covering Rockport, Fulton, Lamar Peninsula, and the bay system surrounding Aransas NWR. This is where Connie Hagar made birding history, where 560+ whooping cranes winter, and where 33 Aransas Pathways sites layer on top of the GTCBT network.
Mustang Island Loop
10 sites · Spring Migration Magnet
Mustang Island sits directly on the Central Flyway. In April and May, exhausted migrants crossing the Gulf overnight drop into Paradise Pond and the Turnbull Center in numbers that leave seasoned birders speechless. Access via the free TxDOT ferry from Aransas Pass.
How to Use the Trail
Follow the Brown Signs
Brown TPWD roadside markers with the flying bird silhouette mark every GTCBT site. When you see them, you're on the trail. No app required.
Plan Your Visit
Use the interactive map above to browse all 111 sites by loop. TPWD also sells printed regional maps ($5) with GPS coordinates for every site.
Over 500 Species
The Central Texas Coast is one of the richest birding regions in North America. Spring migration (April–May) and fall migration (Sept–Nov) peak. Whooping cranes winter Nov–March.
Ethical Birding
Stay on designated trails. Don't play recordings near nesting areas. Keep distance from wading birds. Pack out trash. Leave every site better than you found it.
Free Download
GTCBT Central Texas Coast Field Guide
Our complete one-page reference — all 11 loops, coverage ratings, key sites. Print it, keep it in your car, share it with your birding group.
Quick Facts
- Program
- Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.
- Established
- 1994 — first birding trail in the US
- This Section
- Central Texas Coast
- Sites
- 111 across 11 loops
- CTC Numbers
- 001–095
- Cost
- Free to use
- Hub City
- Rockport, TX
- Look for
- Brown roadside signs with flying bird
Central TX Coast Field Guide
All 11 loops · Key sites · Print-ready
Download Free PDF →
Stays
Bird-Nest Stays
Rentals steps from the Aransas Loop — chosen by birders for birders.
Browse Rentals →
Tours
Guided Birding Tours
Local guides for whooping crane tours, bay birding, and photography.
Find a Guide →
Shop
The Hummingbird Company
Bird-themed gifts and gear for the obsessed. By a Rockport local.
Shop Now →