Brazos River Access Detail: The Hempstead 159 Bridge

The 159 Bridge crosses the Brazos River about four miles west of the town of Hempstead.

The docile images belie the roughness of this class 3 access.

These banks are high and steep with the trails intersecting the river at right angles. Typical of class 3 accesses I have surveyed, there are no public bathrooms, picnic tables or grills. Best practice is to scout these areas before a trip, if possible. Class 3 accesses are subject to the effects of weather, erosion, becoming overgrown, illegal dumping and vandalism. For explanation of river accesses ratings please read the articles Classification of Water Accesses and Scouting River Bridges & Accesses.

This bridge has accesses on both banks. The access on each side is paved in asphalt. On the east bank the pavement plays out into an unimproved dirt road that leads under the bridge.

The west easement remains paved beneath the bridge. This is a small area requiring a careful turnaround. It is a traditional site for illegal dumping.

A view of the east access.

On the trip Brazos River Recon, Beyond the Point of No Return, I used the east bank for a landing thinking it was the better option. The east bank turned out to be a class 3+. The trail went straight up the bank through an undergrowth of tall weeds. The giant granite blocks, poison ivy, rip rap and rebar were a major inconvenience! This was the most challenging climb I have made out of a river.

I am now aware others have used the west bank. My take on the west bank was that the trail was pretty much at a right angle to the river on a steep, slippery approach. At the bottom of the trail it dropped three or four foot straight down to the water into a deep and swift current. This was a couple years ago. I remember thinking "@#%*, there has to be a better place to launch and land a canoe!" That was my take in the moment.

Though either bank has room to stage vehicles, canoes and gear the east bank is more relaxed and a larger place.

Before using the 159 Bridge access again I will thoroughly re-survey both sides. Either that or I will canoe past the 159 Bridge, make a two or three day camping trip and take out further downstream.

The next downstream access is the Sunnyside 529 Bridge, 19 miles down river. Fourteen river miles upstream is the 290 Chappell Hill access.

For details on other river accesses please see the bottom of the article Classifications of Water Accesses.

At the trails end, the top of the east bank of the 159 Bridge.

Thanks for reading! Bonus pictures below.

MSM

A small island formed just up from the bridge, adding some complication to the landing.

We did not see the animal that made these prints, but it walked over our tire tracks while we scouted the river.