Trip Report: Palo Alto Battlefield National Park
Trip Report from Palo Alto Battlefield National Park
Today’s trip report will be a short one on Palo Alto Battlefield National Park. On Sunday, August 24th, my wife and I explored Palo Alto National Park. It was a nice history experience.The Background
Location: 7200
Paredes line road, Brownsville, TX 78526
Admission: Free
Elevation: 10 to 20 ft.
Weather: Sunny, hot, 94 to 96F
Difficulty: Easy
Website: http://www.nps.gov/paal/index.htm
Palo Alto is located close to Brownsville,
Texas and only 5 miles north of downtown Brownsville. The park has an interpretive trail, relics
from the battle, and a small museum. In
addition, the park has reenactments, just check the schedule of events on the
webpage. Furthermore, there is a paved
bike path that starts in the parking lot that leads to downtown
Brownsville.
The prairie of Palo Alto is the site of the
first battle in the U.S.-Mexican War.
The U.S.-Mexican war lasted 2 years and significantly increased the size
of the United States of America. In
addition, many key figures in the U.S. Civil War got their start in the battle
of Palo Alto, like Ulysses S. Grant.
Moreover, the park describes what the landscape looked like in the past
and the endangered plants and animals that a visitor would have
encountered.
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| The Prairie Landscape of Palo Alto |
The Trail
Once we entered the park, a fork will take you
to the trailhead parking lot or the museum parking lot. We started our adventure at the trail. The parking lot and the paved trail are
devoid of any shade. It was a very hot
walk during the summer. In addition,
during the walk we saw various plants, a brown crane, and fiddler crab tunnels
(no crabs though).
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| The Trailhead for Palo Alto Trail |
The trail is stated to be .5 miles, but is
extended by 2 additional trails that take you to the U.S. and Mexican
sides. We actually headed the wrong way
down the trail initially and ended up at the backside of the museum. Once we got back on track, we headed to the
Mexican Side first. It had Mexican
replica cannons and interpretive panels that described the battle for the
Mexican Army.
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| Replica Mexican Army Cannon |
Our next stop was the pavilion that marks the
end of the main trail. The pavilion is
elevated slightly and overlooks both the Mexican and U.S. battle lines. Then we finished the walk by heading to the
U.S. side. The U.S. had both light “mobile”
cannons and heavy cannons. In addition,
there were more interpretive panels about The United States.
 |
| 2 of The United States' Light Cannons |
The Museum
After a hot walk, we headed over to the museum
and it was nice to get some air conditioning.
In the museum, we found out more information on the battle and the
traumas it held for both sides. In
addition, the museum provides information on the political climate of both
Mexico and the U.S. Furthermore, you can
see typical military uniforms of the time.
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| The Palo Alto Visitor Center and Museum |
Final Thoughts
We both thought Palo Alto Battlefield National
Park was a neat little park, but it is very small. Only expect to spend at most 2 hours, unless
there is a special event happening.
Also, make sure you wear comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, bring
water, and wear sun protection.
If you have ever been to Palo Alto Battlefield
or want to go let me know your thoughts.
Jarrett Morgan
It's definitely a doable trail for people with arthritis or other mobility issues. Just make sure to hydrate yourself appropriately and if you're on medication which might affect your skin, wear proper sun protection.
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