Brazos River Access Detail: The San Felipe 1458 Bridge

A little more than a mile north of historic town of San Felipe the FM 1458 Bridge spans the Brazos River.

Like many of the Brazos Bridges, this one also offers a class 3 access. There are no public bathrooms, picnic tables or grills. For explanation of river accesses ratings please read the articles Classification of Water Accesses and Scouting River Bridges & Accesses.

This bridge is different from the other Brazos bridges. Within a few miles of the river lies Stephen F. Austin State Park. In easy walking distance of the bridge is the San Felipe de Austin Historic Site. Across the road from the site is the San Felipe de Austin State Museum and Visitor Center.

Though they are depicted as one facility, the museum is across the road from the historic site.

Stephen F. Austin State Park lies along the west bank of the river, but it does not have a canoe access. Even so, we have used this camp ground for a base camp to the Brazos and other rivers.

Under the bridge there is a parking area. There is room to stage gear and vehicles. A little ways off is cul-de-sac for additional parking.

The trail to the water is a right angle to the river and the bank is steep and high. This bridge shelters some of the unimproved footpath, so it is not as subject to degradation in deteriorated weather as other class 3 access.

Nevertheless, a class 3 access can be a shock to boaters used milder entry and exit points.

Here is a view of the grade of the class 3 trail.

I am not going to sugar coat it, the illegal dumping and vandalism of this bridge is sometimes substantial. On the water or the road these things are forgotten soon enough.

The nearest upstream access is thirteen plus river miles, the Sunnyside FM 529 Bridge. Downstream the I-10 Bridge is about five and a half miles away.

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

Thanks for reading!