Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BNSF Conroe Subdivision rail bridge BNSF Railway | Bridge crossing | 30.39920, -96.30160 | Uppermost crossing on this sheet, 3.1 km below the chain start above Navasota. Rail only - no road, no parking, not an access point. |
| 2 | Former 105 Bridge Old SH 105 crossing | Bridge crossing | 30.36168, -96.15474 | OSM carries this as the former SH 105 bridge. The stream gauge below sits on it, which is why it ships as a landmark rather than an access. |
| 3 | Brazos River at Washington stream gauge At the old SH 105 bridge | USGS gauge | 30.35918, -96.15490 | A second, upstream stage gauge mapped in OSM 5 m off the centreline - not the station this water page links. Useful for reading what is coming down before you put in at Washington. |
| 4 | Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site Texas Historical Commission | Park / conservation area | 30.33653, -96.15894 | The uppermost substantial public bank on this reach and the top of the useful float. Pin sits on the boundary vertex nearest the river, 29 m off the centreline, not the park centroid. |
| 5 | Washington-on-the-Brazos Visitor Center Texas Historical Commission | Agency / conservation office | 30.32627, -96.15498 | Staffed visitor centre inside the historic site - the one place on the upper half of this reach to ask about river conditions and bank access. |
| 6 | USGS 08111500 Brazos Rv nr Hempstead, TX USGS - the gauge this page links | USGS gauge | 30.12911, -96.18774 | The water page's own gauge. It sits at the US 290 crossing below, 93 m off the centreline, and anchors the middle of this reach. Coordinates taken from the site roster, not typed by hand. |
| 7 | US 290 bridge at Hempstead US 290 | Bridge crossing | 30.12918, -96.18600 | The main highway crossing of the reach and the gauge's location. Shoulder parking only - it is a landmark and a river-km reference, not a ramp. |
| 8 | Stephen F. Austin State Park TPWD - day use and camping, fee | Park / conservation area | 29.82522, -96.11035 | The best public river frontage on the reach: state park camping and river bank within the park. Pin is the boundary vertex 33 m off the centreline; the park centroid scored 687 m and would have misplaced it. |
| 9 | San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site Texas Historical Commission | Park / conservation area | 29.80786, -96.09391 | Public frontage at the historic San Felipe crossing, 3.7 km below the state park. Pin is the boundary vertex 71 m off the centreline. The adjacent generic City Park node was dropped as a duplicate of this place. |
| 10 | Brazos River Railroad Bridge UP Smithville Subdivision | Bridge crossing | 29.77174, -96.03634 | Named rail bridge - the only crossing in the 26 km between San Felipe and FM 1093. Rail only, no access. |
| 11 | FM 1093 bridge Farm to Market 1093 | Bridge crossing | 29.67185, -96.02117 | The single road crossing in the long rural reach between San Felipe and Rosenberg. No mapped ramp or parking here. |
| 12 | Brazos Park, Rosenberg City of Rosenberg | Park / conservation area | 29.56650, -95.81062 | First city river park on the lower reach, 32 m off the centreline and named for the river. Riverside park land; OSM maps no ramp here. |
| 13 | Houston Street bridge, Rosenberg Houston Street | Bridge crossing | 29.56707, -95.81044 | Town crossing immediately beside Brazos Park - the two sit about 65 m apart. |
| 14 | River Bend Park, Rosenberg City of Rosenberg | Park / conservation area | 29.56835, -95.79987 | Riverside city park about 1 km below Brazos Park, 79 m off the centreline. |
| 15 | UP Glidden Subdivision rail bridge, Richmond Union Pacific | Bridge crossing | 29.58514, -95.75861 | Richmond rail crossing. The Jackson Street and Liberty Street road bridges sit on the same cluster and were merged into this one pin. |
| 16 | Keith A Crawford Memorial Park, Richmond City of Richmond | Park / conservation area | 29.58279, -95.75855 | Richmond riverside park at the rail crossing, 61 m off the centreline. |
| 17 | Grand Parkway (SH 99) bridge SH 99 Grand Parkway | Bridge crossing | 29.58196, -95.67828 | Tollway crossing on the suburban lower reach. |
| 18 | US 59 Southwest Freeway bridge US 59 / I-69 | Bridge crossing | 29.56784, -95.66798 | The busiest crossing on the river and the practical bottom of the rural float; below here the Brazos runs through Sugar Land suburbia. |
| 19 | Sugar Land Memorial Park City of Sugar Land | Park / conservation area | 29.55878, -95.64332 | Large riverside city park with trails along the bank, 37 m off the centreline. |
| 20 | BNSF Galveston Subdivision rail bridge BNSF Railway | Bridge crossing | 29.49858, -95.55588 | Lowest crossing on this sheet. |
| 21 | Sienna (Brazos River) Park Sienna / Fort Bend County | Park / conservation area | 29.49070, -95.55138 | Last riverside park before this sheet ends. Brazos Bend State Park lies further downstream and is off this reach - see the notes. |
Gauge: USGS 08111500 — Brazos Rv nr Hempstead, TX. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, White Bass
Regulations: tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Highway 21 crossing near Bryan - upstream launch for the clearer, narrower reach above Navasota.
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site - park access with a ramp and the most-used mid-river put-in.
Highway 105 bridge at Navasota - convenient ramp for the middle reach and shuttle floats down toward Hempstead.
Hempstead at the Highway 290 crossing - the main lower-reach ramp and the gauge location.
San Felipe and Stephen F. Austin State Park - lower-river bank access and a launch below Sealy.
Richmond and the Highway 90 bridge - tidal-influence country, gar and big blue catfish water.
Brazos Bend State Park - bank fishing on the oxbow lakes rather than the main channel, useful in high wa
Spring: white bass run upriver, the river runs high and colored, and gar move onto the flats as water warms.
Summer: low, clear and hot, the best alligator gar sight-fishing of the year and steady flathead nights.
Fall: falling water concentrates catfish in the deep bends and largemouth push back onto the wood.
Winter: cold and often high, the quietest season here, though big blues feed well in th