ARANSAS PASS, TX — Lighthouse Lake Trails Park is a beloved coastal spot for locals and visitors, and over the years, it's gone from a hidden gem off Highway 361 to a popular destination.
"I’ve been down here a couple of times, but I'm definitely a beginner,” kayaker Justin Roberts said.
Roberts is visiting from San Antonio for the day.
"It's really cool when you get in there. I haven't done many of the trails but that other side was a bit busier, so I popped over here,” Roberts said.
Many local kayakers KRIS 6 spoke with tell us Lighthouse Lake Trails is the first designated kayak trail on the Texas coast, established in 1999 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
"There's really nothing basically done from the ferry to here,” winter Texan Julia Russo said.
But that's about to change with 3the 50,000 improvement project by the city of Aransas Pass.
"Some of the improvements that will be made here is the roadways coming in, and all the parking area will be repaved and redone,” Aransas Pass mayor Ram Gomez said.
"What it actually does, when all the tourists come out here and they hang out here, they spend money here. That's how the city makes revenue from those sales taxes with the money that they spend,” Gomez said.
The mayor said a win-win situation for everyone.
"It'll benefit every single kayaker that's around and anyone who likes to come around,” Gomez said.
Construction for the Lighthouse Lake Trails is expected to be done by October 2025.
