Located between Alice and Kingsville, off Texas Highway 281, La Copita Ranch is available from October through April for your family, business, group activity; day use/tours and overnight retreats. There is a four room guest house for rent, a pond surrounded by a grove of mature hackberry and other trees that provide roosting for turkey, great horned owls and more. Enjoy miles of guided trails & roads, night sky observation, history, a nature trail, birding stations and both walking and driving routes.
Take time to observe the wildlife from an observation blind with feeder and water feature, in a section of the ranch where cattle have been excluded for over twenty years.
- Season: October through April. Please call (361) 664-1093 for information or e-mail dhmoglia@ag.tamu.edu. La Copita is closed for tours Thanksgiving through New Years. We do offer special overnight programs in conjunction with regional wildlife festivals.
- Tours for individuals or groups are available. A deposit is required to guarantee group reservations. Individual tour payment may be paid on the day of the tour.
Your visit will include a guided program followed by the opportunity to hike, picnic, photograph on your own. Photography blinds are available in several different areas of the ranch.
There are portable photo/observation blinds available to rent and the staff will help you place them according to your particular interests. Please call for details.
Note: We are available for group tours and retreats by reservation. Please call for details.
Birdwatching & Wildlife
Bird feeders add to the ease of viewing many of the birds that utilize the headquarters area due to the habitat, water and topography. Butterflies gather in this area too!
Wildlife Trails with selected plants identified by interpretive signs that also explain uses.
Enjoy a 1.1 mile loop walk along ranch senderos/roads that take you through both typical habitat that includes cattle and areas just for wildlife where cattle are excluded.
In one of these exclusion areas there is a wildlife observation blind and water/feeder. Inside is a picnic table and opportunity for great photographs. Audubon’s Oriole, Javelina, Green Jays, Roadrunners.
Upland bird tour following Whooping Crane Festival
Botany
Visit open grassland area, and the riparian region and pond where large sugar hackberries offer shelter and roosting sites for Wild Turkey, Owls and more. Numerous mowed paths provide ample walking and photography opportunities. If you prefer, you can hike to this area.
Our Facilities
Maps
Contact
For information about La Copita Ranch Tours please call (361) 664-1093 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or e-mail: dmckown@ag.tamu.edu