Goose Island State Park is a state park in Aransas County, Texas. It sits roughly 9.8 km (6.1 mi) NE of Fulton.
Goose Island State Park is a 321.4 acres (130 ha) state park in Aransas County, Texas, United States, located north of the city of Rockport on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded by both St. Charles and Aransas Bays. The park is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park is home to "The Big Tree", a southern live oak, thought to be over 1000 years old. It has a circumference of 35 feet (11 m), is 44 feet (13 m) in height and has a crown spread of 90 feet (27 m). The park was established on land acquired from private owners between 1931 and 1935. Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1801 did extensive work and built the earliest facilities including the entrance portal, concession building (currently the recreation hall), picnic units, roads, bridges, shelters, tables and benches and drainage systems.From the Wikipedia article “Goose Island State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Goose Island State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 297° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 85° in summer but only 38° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 90° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 62° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:33 AM | 63° ENE | 8:28 PM | 297° WNW | 85° | 13h 56m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 62° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 116° ESE | 5:37 PM | 244° WSW | 38° | 10h 21m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 33m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 13m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:09 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:18 PM | 12h 50m |
| May | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 32m |
| June | 6:05 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 55m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 46m |
| August | 6:34 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 09m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 31m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 46m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 22m |
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Goose Island State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 33° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| February | 4:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.0 | 20° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:55 AM – 6:15 AM | 2.3 | 29° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 3.8 | 33° | SE → S |
| May | 11:50 PM – 5:00 AM | 5.2 | 33° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:01 PM – 4:51 AM | 6.8 | 33° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:59 PM – 3:29 AM | 5.5 | 33° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 1:22 AM | 3.8 | 33° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 11:23 PM | 2.5 | 30° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:18 PM – 9:28 PM | 1.2 | 21° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.54 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 73 | 76 | 81 | 89 | 89 | 94 | 93 | 96 | 96 | 89 | 82 | 76 |
| Low °F | 30 | 28 | 33 | 44 | 52 | 73 | 76 | 75 | 67 | 46 | 40 | 37 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Goose Island State Park, closest first.
Lighthouse
Ghost Town
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Goose Island State Park?
What time is golden hour at Goose Island State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Goose Island State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Goose Island State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Goose Island State Park?
How far is Goose Island State Park from Fulton?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.