The 530-acre La Sal del Rey (Salt of the King) derives its name from a colonial Spanish law that awarded 20% of all harvest to the Crown. At this hypersaline lake, atop an estimated 4 million tons of salt, that amounted to a lot for the king. The 1-mile trail walk from the parking lot to the lakebed is great for ground animals like javelina and bobcat, but the real draw is bird-watching at the water's edge.
From McAllen take I-69C north to TX 186, then turn west. The reserve entrance is a small parking lot on the left after 10.6 miles.
